Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-06-18

u
: her feather bed and a pair of blan
S kets over the horse, and dropping
i the steaming turkey and whatever
] eatables she could quickly gather into
t bag, mounted and was away.
1 Reuben hurried to the barn and un.
5 loosed the cows, but before he left
: the bullets began to patter around
) him. He had let out the cows, but
: forgotten the calves, and, true tc
) their maternal instincts, the cows
: would not desert their young. AS
| Reuben turned to look back, he saw
Brownie drop with cruel bullet, and
with a pang remembered the impris-
|, oned calves.
The fugitives fled along the shores
of the lake toward the north, and
were soon out of sight among
the hills.
Night came on; and their party
eleven In number, five of whom were
children-were without shelter, and
only such protection as the hastily
gathered articles they had snatched
in their fight afforded. The men
collected some pine knots, and with
the aid of the old fiint-lock gun and
the contents of the tinder-boX soon
started fire and proceeded to make
a shelter of fir boughs.
Grandma united the bag of provis-
ions, and with the weather near zero,
set out the New Years dinner. The
plum pudding came first, and was
set down in the snow. That was to
! be eaten with sauce. The brown
bread and doughnuts were little the
worse for their journey, and the tur-
! key had buried his neck in a mince
pie. He would have looked very dole
full on table proper, but now he was
tempting bird to this famishing
crowd. After grace,-for under no
circumstances could that be omitted
grandma dealt out to each one a
liberal portion, saying: "Now just
eat all You can. | can't begin TO
tell all the pride and comfort / took
getting these things ready for John.
| wanted him to have a good dinner
to-day. / wanted him to know how
| priced his coming home, and how
proud | was of my rebel. But | be-
lieve the good Lord is in it all, and
that | was to cook all these victuals |
against this very time of need. | /
wish. though, | had put pizen over /
those pumpkin pies before | left. 1t
would have been a sight cheaper and
surer than bullets for them red-coats. I
The last time John was home, he l
melted all my pewter spoons but two,
saying | could get along with wooden
ones" Then, as if conscience was
getting in little work, she added,
"Maybe, though, the Lord don't hon
or fighting that way"
At this moment Cap began to bark.
The men grasped their rifles, and the
whole camp was thrown into conster-
nation.
The crisp snow gave out the sound
of coming feet, and a long whistle
was followed by a rush from Cap.
Grandfather's stalwart figure emerg-
ed from the outside gloom into the
circle of freight, and clasped grand
ma in his arms. She was laughing
and crying at the same time. Grand
pa had seen the squad of soldiers i'm
time to evade them. He knew they
were merely on a raid for plumber,
and waited till he saw the house i'm
flames. Then, under the lee of the
hill, he made for the lake, guessing I
the fugitives would seek this belt Of :
frs up the shore. +;
The dinner now went on uninter- !
'upted, with renewed thanksgiving {
hat all were safe. The stars twinkled
md blinked overhead, as much as to q
say: "Sleep we'll. We have our v
eyes open and will guard you" Cap
seemed to consider himself on duty, Sc
md no other sentinel was needed. y
SO intelligent was he that, when the al
wo deputized to keep the outlook >
rom sheer exhaustion fell asleep, he
made the round of horses
md camp without awakening them.
The next morning they retraced
heir steps to their desolate homes.
When grandma came in sight of IL
where was once their happy home,
lothing but smouldering ruins was W
eft. The COWS and calves had been
or driven off, and so had f;
he sheep. The only living thing
eft on the premises was a speckled q
en that had crept from beneath the
oots of an upturned stump, evident al
ItCOShlLIuS ldHllIldI NOlCCSs anu
Illustrating the Survival of the fit is
est
Grandma got off her horse, and, m
aking handful of the warm ashes
rom the hearthstone, flung them to II
he winds of heaven, ,exclaiming $50 e;
CATER and perish every red-coat and
'ory in New England And be- "
ueath my hatred of tyranny's rule m
S legacy to my posterity forever"
That night, the young major who =
CURED in the war of 1912 first open al
d his eyes to see what was going on
! the world. -
Fifty years after the majors rec is
rd at the battle of Plattsburg, the
Torthern newspapers, East and West, ! $
n the same day announced the death ~.