Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-03-22
DrN CONE DEAD

--'
Uu the latap6a river. in the mountains
/ vest II SALISBURY y. o.. I came D. A ham
let of seven W eight houses one mid fore
I noon Twl no three mules were hitched in
front of the store tur the only person in
+ sight was a -lrl 0f eleven Or twelve years
seated 1n the doorstep Eith elbows On her
knee. and her chin in her hands
"trood morning I salut=i. a. I came
quite near
MAUuin - she replied. without raising
her head
Anything wrong
She pointed toward the house and rhoked
back a 500.
somebody sick 20
uai s orf1L He'll be zirtiu 10 xvine
bef5 night
At that moment a woman appeared at the
i5lr of the house mentioned and beck1nei
me over she hai been weeping but she
-hos-i haos her tears and saii
Il m -.ai YOU m has come The OF man
are zwlne % leave Us Come right II.
The country doctor hai come and gone,
and seven 0r eight people had gathered IN
the one big room O. be with the dying o
the last On a bed in the corner lay an
old man He hai the frame Of yiant. and
had stood Up under Old age ike an oak tree.
Hs was a Specimen m0untaIneer. born and
reared among those mighty nils and with
out education Or polish. he had lived out
his DAYS without knowing the world about
ain. He vas propped up in bed with a
chair ami pillow behind him and A. be
shook hands with me h= sad
I'm glad. strang-r-mi-hty glad. 1
r-ckou=i the foiSs=s down below might
hang IN u So ti-. too ate
He j read the Bible . y= Jim. saii
the blacksmith. with evident relief
After a Bit Ilm. I want % talk 4 lee
tie fust. And say. Tim. IF we've rOt meWl
- be ,hod. Or any other work . 10. 20 an
d. It. It. mighty good 4 yo u come IL,
Dat 80 can't help ne any.
Tim vent. ami the ether man went. but
the women remained. There we're four #
them. Three hai their knitting, and one
vas making a hickory shirt. The wife vas
busy most & the time az the other eni Of
the r.su- AMI after a BIG The zlri. whose
name was Earrv. anne l1 and sat down Ju
the Hoor beside ms chair. The Old man
vi A. gwen a brandy sing. prupp=i up aueN.
ami then he sai1 o. NE
They ,ay I Im ivin, an / reckon they
Ens : rl-hr. / f=el wouanish. and that
shows ne I'm done sent fur They uus
yere have been telIn' ne % git ready"
Yes. It would be- well I replied
I've hearu about This we're heaven, an
: ether place be went 1n. and I reckon
I orter have paid mo tensh1n - what
folks sad. L. purity .aoe now 70 begin,
out II Ike = Ak a few luesti0us Is all
straight bout that ar heaven. amt Il ,"
4 believe .r l.
It's writ down II the Bible that all We
uns 5rter Be good. amt It "
Yes
And al Of We 'uus s done told that if
a. 80. -L..
Yes
Wall. I've hearu II often nutf. but 7 new
er z.n any heed It vas - much easier %
, Dc on=ry that kinder drlfted that way.
kinder depended 0n nv livln' u b. hun
ierd years Old. 80 see. and we're I'm token
away a. sIE1ry-on=. Its Kind o. sudden
Ike meerIn a b A. a. you turn corner and
hain'r zut ~ zrln.
I don't think ylu have been 20 very
wicked. I said. as his bony fingers worked
nervo1sly 7u the -IIlt
w al. ueoDe nou-Heobe not. hAint
SHOT anybody. nor been a robber. nor sot
tire % a meetln house, ike some. Does the
Lord cal il sin - get the best Of feler
II a mewl trade
Probably not.
4 sraie,i dog for -un OucJ, ami that
dog be died IN Two days l see now that
1rrer returned that gun. but II them days
Eas sri-f-u=cked Hev I zot u answer
for that
Perhaps
Il took up a stray hog 0ucc. and didn't
say word about IL and afJerwAr Kill
el aim for bacon L was 0uery, a. I KIN
see now. and the Lords zwIne - bring It
up a. L me. " hat snail l say, stranger -
Il can't tell you.
Il III with Tom Wheeler 0ucr begun
.~- Z
. thinkiu the Lord has got that d0Fu. And
say, 1 haven't aIays done right 0y the Of
woman.
jim Oh. Jim iout serious nothin
bout me- said the woman. a. she came %
the Del Nth tn plate IL one hand and
wipinz towel II the other.
But. NANNY I've been shuckless and
0nery. We could hey had mo ef I'd work
Ell and token keer o. things I KIN see
whar I've done wrong The Lords got it
al down az IN NE, AMI he's zwlns 70 make
NE hoLer for II. Stranger, 80 KIN read, I
reckon y
Yes"
Then read NE a little out o the Bible
Lucy git il fur him We hainr none Of Us
much On the READ. Don remember that
ever looked into Ir. but l never used the
. leaves f1r -uu-N aiding. Ike some. I've
/ hearu the clrcu---rld=r read II about Danl
II the hons den. Noses ami the sarpInt, the
chilizru If Isral and sich. but I never cud-
died % it much Thought !t might hev 1in
srlt by a city chap "a ho wanted % show IF
h-s smartness 10 yo' think it al true "
Every word Il IT,
Then the Lord Is zwine o. je,ige NE fur
It. Read % msS stranger.
took the Holy Book aud read y him the
Eth chapter Of Luxe and such passages
Hrarr-~z 7 ~n..fr.r1~ rrrf.-
comfort him. The women gathered about
crying softly, and when l closed the book
the Old man opened his eyes and sand
That's sort u >ooJhIn and yIt Ir MAKES
me see Jlst how 0nery ve be u. I'm ywine
. hev a scrapIn time With the Lord up
thar, stranger He IN u have heap o
things laId up a. in me that We done gone
forgotten long ago and when | come for
aid T. be leiged He IN u say - ME
" Look yere, ole jim, what lid ye do this
and tha- fur Didn't l Command ye. ami
didn't ye yak Of oy yer 3wn trail and DO A.
Sc hkedf
That's h1v He'uu viii say. stranger. and
ole Jim VIII stand thar with his head down
and feel guilty al over.
You have done many good deeds in your
life, NO doubt. I said
"Jlst-a-fsw-nou-n fur
shucks. You haln'r preacher or deacon,
are ys q
No
"Meooe you don't even purfess q
Il am sorry u say | am not church
member
But l want sc O. pray With ne Ilst the
same reckon ye hahn 50 ornzry that the
Lord wont listen and your voice kinder
comforts NE.
After prayer be W A. quiet for long time
Two lr three people came in and grouped
around the bed, but he did not hear them
b. and by be opened ais eyes. reached out
for my hand and SAID
stranger. I've been thinking It al over
I know | haint htten, and Im not ywine -
deny that I % 1rnsry. but N going up u
the Lord and say
oh, Lord ole Jim Gums we're % own
up % all we've got sst down a-In hum but
Ilst remember that be can { read nor write,
and that hes lived wuss nor a ar all MS
days He ham hal Do mo chance than
meWi ami he been wicked through his Y
uorance. Gin him a little show for hisself
and see Il be don cum out on top
That's " hat I'm gsIne ~ say, stranger,
and mebhe hs'un vii low that IN wuth
savIu
Il vas long after noon now and As the
Old man seemed to fall into a sleep / went
Out for a short walk A. returned q the
gate his wife met me. wiplng her eyes 90
her apron. and ,aii
.