Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-03-19
sllonth's Column.
Hezekiah's Capture.


the outer buildings at the rear of the
rambling old farm house; but it was
twice sixty seconds before a long
legged, lanky youth came striding
over the frozen ground toward the
woman who stood in the doorway
with a plaid shawl in her hand
"What is it, mar he asked some
what glumly. 81 want you to take
this shawl to your father, and tell
him to wrap it around him, for if he
don't he'll freeze driving to town this
cold day. It's a downright shame
that pesky tramp should have stolen
our carriage blankets last week, and
where we are going to get any more
don't know. Reckon we won't do
much sleighing this winter, without
sign of a lap-robe to keep US warm.
And, Hezekiah, wish you'd stay
within call, and not fool away SO
much time in that rubbish hole of
yours"
II can hear you plain enough
there ''Well, then, please heed a
little quicker" And the woman
turned into the house, while the boy
strobe away to the barn, where far
mer Breeze was just clambering into
his high-iop wagon. He made Il
wry face at sight of his wife's shawl,
although he took it and tucked it
about his knees. ''Looks sort O
cheap, don't 1t, he said "But |
s'pose | might as well swallow my
pride first as last, for crops hev' been
too poor to buy new carriage blankets
this year, and Hezekiah, we've met
with another loss. That varmint OF
a bear that has been rampaging round
the country has made way with one
of the young pigs" "YOu don't sa,
so! The rascal how L wish l could
treat him to a bullet ''All the
men and boys round here have wished
the same thing, but they can't get
shot at the critter, while he's as shy
as a young giIl of Deacon Goodman's
log Dead Fall"
''There must be some way of get
ting the best of such vermin," NUT
tered Hezekiah; and as his father
drove off he wendell his way thought
fully back to what his mother term
ed his rubbish hole" namely, an
old store-house where he had col
lected together the must heterogene-
Gus lot of wood, old iron, nails, and
bits of odds and ends dear to a boy
with a taste for mechanics, which
Hezekiah Breeze certainly had, while
he was most skilled in the use of all
sorts of tools. His mind now ran
on the midnight marauder, and after
rummaging for some time amidst
pile of dilapidated articles in one
corner of his sanctum, he brought to
light some odd-looking pieces of rus
ty steel, which proved to portions
of an old broken trap that had been
thrown away as worthless. Now,
however, he set to work, and spent
the day hammering, screwing and
polishing, and before nightfall had
as notwithstanding an affair fastened
to the end of a long chain as one
could wish to see. The half-circles
of bristling saw-teeth, seemed to
cause Hezekiah satisfaction but his
two dogs, Snap and Bark were the
only ones he took into his confidence,
and they were his only companions
when, late in the afternoon, laden
with the trap and huge piece of
pork smeared with honey, he made
his way across the fields to small
wood, which he felt pretty confident
was The retreat of the four-footed
robber. Here he fastened the chain
securely to a fallen tree, covered the
trap carefully with dry moss and
leaves and placed the bait in full
sights while he exclaimed aloud,
''There, if that isn't royal feast for
his Dearship, L don't know what is p
and the dogs barked loud assent.
Cold enough was farmer Breeze
on his return from the little Western
market town, and more than ever did
he regret the loss of his buffalo robes,
while his wife loudly bewailed the
pink curly-tailed little porker, the
latest of the lot but Hezekiah was
unusually silent that night, and went
to bed by nine o'clock. Bright and
early was he astir the next morning,
however, and off for the wood filled
with high hopes; but what was his
disappointment to find the trap just
as he had left it, nothing disturbed,
while the only sound was the wind
in the tree tops. t'Outwitted by the
old chap again." was his comment
and sadly returning home he ate his
breakfast, and was about to retreat,
to his Rubbish Hole," when his
mother sad, "Hezekiah, l wish you
would 60 over to Granny Hendricks
and get me the blue yarn for your
fathers socks. / want to finish them
by New Years. And take your gun
with you, for you might see rabbit
on the way, and rabbit pot-pie
would come in very well for Sun
days dinner"
Now Hezekiah would much rather
have spent the morning. which was
a holiday, pottering over water
wheel he was making; but being an
obliging lad on the whole, he re-
sponded "All right" quite cheerfully,