Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-05-10
THAT FRE.SHET.

81 guess I'll tell ye huw't ! was ketched
nappin' by water poWe Hs you may say
Haw haw haw ''
The captains great jolly laugh seemed
10 shake the frall pialzas where, his arm
chair tipped back, his feet caught up ON
the rungs, and his big gray head resting on
the pillar behind him, he had seated himself
for the morning having seen all the drv.
ing parties off, fed the chickens aud scold
ed the youngest hostler He was an old
stage driver among the White Hills
Il want ON the rowt that time Id laid
off Il spell, To change round with Teller
over to the Green Mounting region, who
wanted to see his folks that had settled to
Jackson, and had cousins over to Wood
stock where he put up: so he took my
rowt aud took hIs'n for week. Least
ways, that's what we agreed on but YOU
can't always tell whatll happen.
81 got a-goin of Monday. the line be
ing ON the east side of the Green Mount
ings from Woodstock down To Ludlow a
slightly road and a good 'uu, but the mount
ings amt nothing to speak Of besides Wash
in ton and them
But twas well enough for Vermont
The road lay quite ways alongside Black
river, a kind of big brook like, with quite
a few little ponds threaded on tot, same as
child strings raspb'ries onto a blade o
grass, only the ponds didn't slip along clos't
together the berries will but the was
places, lots of 'em, where the road come
Jest on ledge as 'twere, betwixt the mount
ings and the ponds, where passin' was bad
onless you'd got the inside track, and then
twas bad for the other Teller, now tell
ye
well, the stage was a kind of a one
hoss concern, anyhow 'twasn't a coach at
all, but a sort of Jersey wagon with
three seats and tarpaulin-like cover no
seat atop, nor no place for baggage, with
out twas some light thing like fishin rod
or broOms, or umbrellas
at didn't go every day, only down from
Woodstock to Ludlow where I met the
train of a-Monday, up a-Tuesday, and so
on which fetched it up Saturday and
twas agreed that should be to Ludlow
ready to take it back Tuesday
81 liked it well enough for just week,
but land | wouldn't no more change the
swing of my old yeller coach and the rush
in trot of my four dapple gray horses for
that old tinklin rattle trap and Jims two
scrawny chestnut mares, than I'd change
Amesbury buggy for a wheelbarrer
But them mares was fair to go. | don't
deny it part Morgan, We see smart and
knowin', but real spitfres, spunky as a red
squirrel. However, didn't have no quar-
rel with EN-, nor they with me, so we got
along well enough.
Come along tow'rdst the end of the
week, begun to think 'twould be good eff
| could fetch round to Ludlow considerable
early a Monday, SOS to get back in the
evenin' to Bartlett, where | could catch the
stage goin up a-Tuesday and so be good
and ready for to drive it down a-Wednes-
day, 1t went them days every other day,
mine did, and Joe Harker he driv his team
for specials.
Il didn't see how 10 fetch it without
breakin' in on Sunday, and | don't never
Gale late tp do that except in case of need,
and mine want really that but at last
| fggered it TO drive down to the Furnace
after got back to Woodstock Saturday,
and stay over there till Monday morning,
aud so get into Ludlow real early
" Twas nigh onto full moon, We see. so
'twould be light enough and hadn't no
down mail to carry, and if there wasn't no
passengers to go, why, twas all right. But
come to find out, tn was one passenger
and she was a girl who was goin' out To In
! gy somewheres to he a missionary, and
she'd got to get TO Boston by sech a time to
sail along with the rest.
I'D seen her 10 meetin', and heerd tell
| what she was intendin' To do so / made
bold TO ask her if she'd Just as lives go as
fur the Furnace a-Saturday for
thought ef she was accommodation enough
TO sail the seas for to teach the heathen
she'd most likely he obligin' in other re
spects and SO she was.
You see, her folks want in Woodstock
Fact is, she hadn't got any folks 10 speak
of. but she'd been teachin school there so
when she found out there was preachin
down to the Furnace, she said she'd CO.
and give her notice TO be ready by seven
o'clock Il Saturday night.
81 dono as | ever see sech day as that
Saturday was in my life
I've always noticed that when there's
goin' to he big storm, there's spell of
fine weather fust but | always notice it
afterwards is the trouble.
81 never thought of no storm that day
now | tell ye Twas clear and fair as
June, the sky bluer'n an indigo bird, the
air Jest as soft, and woods mixed up of ev-
cry color that ever was thought of except
in blue, and CLOWN Jest like a hickory
fire in the hot sun. Why, it made you
laugh Jest to he livin' and breathin in sech
weather
81 tell you drove them horses easy up
from Ludlow; and | rubbed off real well
anu gave them good feed before we left
Woodstock, Miss Peters and I-Sabriny Pc
ters was her name.
"The moonlight was elegant TO drive in,
and seemed as though the woods were full
of flowers they smelled so good. 'Twa'nt
nothin' but the dry leaves, and the balsam
frs, and the ground smell, but it was nice,
and she KEEP a talkin' TO me all the way
real pious so't | got kind of Sundayiied
and seemed as though l might ha' driv'
clear to Ludlow and done me as much good
as preachin' but she wouldn't hear to 7
so we stopped to the Furnace, five mile this
side, and put up the hosses and went to
bed considerably sleepy,
but tow'rdst morning | woke up and
heerd it rain.
"'Of all things q says TO myself
Can't be It's So And then / went Ia
sleep again, KNOWN | couldn't help its
rainin' if | wanted To, and dono as did
want to-