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


1t didn't, though, not mite it rained
wuss and more 80, as folks say, and Mon
day mornin the lake next to The tavern
was all over the road foot deep and the
was five brdges-well suice bridges some
Of em was-a bobbn' and a sailin' down
that pond, and duckin' under the bridge to
the outlet, which was pretty well sot up,
or it would ha' gone too.
'Now don't never like 10 be daunted
by weather, and was for settin out, and
so was She for the ship was goin' to sail on
Wednesday, but there came man from
a mile below who said that the bridges be.
twixt Ludlow and the Furnace was sweep
away, at least the first two of 'em, and
there wasn't no mile of the road but what
was washed almost TO bits as fur as they
could tell.
"Well, waters a handy thing to hev
round, and it's slightly to look at when it
comes slippin' over sheets o. stone and
tumblin round the corners of rocks, as it
does up 10 jackson Falls and its good for
the ground, some ont but too much of it
! is kinder onregulated an pretty severe.
1T hindered Miss Peters and me consid-
er'be that day, and the next day war
worse.
Thar wasn't nobody TO the tavern
mean no visitors, only her and me and the
young feller that came up from Ludlow to
hold meetin' to the Furnace that same Sun
day, and couldn't hold it on account of the
rain, nor couldn't get away neither.
He wanted to 60 the worst way, for he
was just goin' TO be ordained an installed
an all that, a-Wednesday. Seems the
church was fixin' over and his people went
to the Methody meetin' whilst twas fxin',
SO he came up to the Furnace Sundays, for
while, to spell the Ludlow man who took
! it regular
81 forgot to say it KEEP a-rainin' all day
aMonday, and the water risn' of course,
and so all night, and Tuesday noon it let up
mite and we tried TO get a telegram
through by means of man going to Lud-
low a-foot, but it took him a hull day to
get there, skinnin around on fences and
gettin' acrost brooks up TO his middle, and
when he got there 'twasnt no use, for the
| poles were undermined and broke down for
miles and miles railroad fills sweep down
to the bottom cuttin's covered two feet
deep with sand banks caved in, and no
body knows what ALL
"She bore it pretty good / sorter mis-
trusted that she didn't care no great what
did become of her anyway, ben' friend
less, homeless, little creetur one of them
sort that would ha made a real good wife
for somebody if she had took that turn.
II guess she made it some easier for that
young feller to stay content when he knew
they was waitin' for him down to Cotoot.
"'Nou don't seem to fret none about this
here Disappointment, Miss Sabriny, says !,
kinder joggin' Of her up to see what she
would say.
"'Well, says she, smilin', why should :
| nTaint as though | was goin' home, YOU
know and if 1t is right that should be
left behind by the Singapore, l do not
doubt | shall sail by some other vessel
shall do what the Board advises.
Your real philosophical, says |, and
| I'm glad ont, for it cant be helped, this
flood cant, and | should mortally hate to
have ye fret yourself to pieces, says l.
80 we did lot of talkin' she told
him all about her folks, and their dvin'
when she was child, and her aunt that
| fetched her up dyin', too, and how she
thought she could do more service as "a mis-
sionary than she could to home, and so on
and then he told about his folks, his old
mother (pa bein' dead, and his parish. She
and he'd sing hymns by the hour, and tell
you they got pretty friendly cast away to
gether as they was.
But after six days the food did really
subside some the roads was awful bad to
I
fetched up courage to start. | harnessed
them mares to rough wagon, and and
the minister and Miss Peters driv' acrost
country to Bellers Falls.
81 tell you that was an experience The
road was 50 gulled an covered with stun
we had to cut round through the lots, tax
in down fences and runnin through folkses'
yards, but they didn't mind and some
places he and me had to get out, and hist
the wagin over brooks where there wasn't
no bridge, but plank that she'd walk over
Everywhere the country was like desc
lation little intervales where there'd been
strip of good soil, mabbe four or five
acres, was now three feet of sand, and
wouldn't never grow a crop again. Punk
ins was stuck up in the tree crotches, and
sailin down the little streams as keerless as
dead leaves mills was undermined and
tumbled over, trees fallen, railroad tracks
washed, and rails slidin' off into the water,
and we went here and there, sometimes on
two wheels, tippin' up, scramblin' down,
hosses dancin' and shyin', and hvin' down
hill but Miss Peters had grit, the best |
ever see she never screeched, nor cried,
nor said word she looked kind of white
by times, but she'd laugh when we got to a
smooth piece and say
" This is nice, just as clipper as a robin.
II says to her when we fetched up at
Bellers Falls, says L.
"'Well, you're gritty if your flesh and
blood was as strong as your sperit, I'd back
ye against them heather parts any day in
the week =
"For you see she was as limp as a rag
when we did get there, and l had to kurry
her in like baby.
II left 'em there, for Jim was waitn'
for the hosses, and | could get onto the
railroad for home there. 'Twasn't so bad
to the nor-east, the flood wasn't, and new
expected to see her no more when shook
hands with her, and she said kinder under
her BREATH
God bless ye.'
But don't you blieve three years after
that, Jest about that time O. year, took a
job TO drive some folks around the country
after the taverns were shet up, and one
day we driv' through Cotoot twas warm
day and doors was open, and bell ringin',
for twas preparatory lecter day, jedged
bein' the Friday afore the first Sunday in
November, and I'll be hanged if didn't
| see her and him a walkin' arm in arm up
| to the chapel door side of the meetin' house.
Il liked to have larfed out, but didn't,
and they never see me at all. | made some
/ queries to the next town where we stopped
to supper, and sure enough, they said Mr.
| Palmer had married gal from up country
| by the name of Sabriny Peters. That ship
! for lngy went off and left her, and he sort
of promised her that if she'd wait a spell,
they'd 90 to Ingy together some day, Prov
idence permitting Poorlittle creetur |
was real glad she'd staid TO Vermont till
she got husband, for she want near
mighty enough to live any time out there
all alone without a protector. | tell ye
when want things drawed | want
strong team that's common sense, that is /;
and | belive it's jest as good to use com
mon sense doin' of the Lords work as
our'n, don't you '"-ROSe Terry Cooke.