Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-02-18

your grandpa coming. AS 1G was
quite unusual for him to leave the
store excepting at meal times, / knew
something was the matter, and ran
down stairs to meet him.
sob, what is the matter, have you
bad news?" | said, as | opened the
door.
''Bad enough, Emma; the store
has been broken into, and what mon
ey there was there taken, and lot
of goods
"Oh. how dreadful, when you have
only just got started in business
Who could have done it," l said.
ga man was seen driving away from
the store about daylight, that was
probably the thief. | am going to
start with the sheriff Immediately
and try to overtake him.
"Doyou know which way he went ?"
l asked.
eyes, he drove toward Jefferson,
probably intending to go down thro
the Notch to Portland, and dispose
of his plumber. | came for my fur
coat, and the sheriff will be here di-
rectly. There is not moment to
lose"
81 will go to the store and stay all
day, SO don't you worry about things
there [ said, as / helped him on
with his coat.
"Oh, no. he said, .'it can remain
closed to-day. l shall be back to-
night without fail; the fellow didn't
leave things in good ORDER
But took the key, and determined
to go. Your grandpa didn't keep
any clerk then. The sheriff came in
a few minutes and they were off like
the wind. They had span of horses
and only light sleigh. [ thought
as / watched them drive out of sight,
that if the man had got the start of a
few hours they would overtake him.
| went directly to the store and found
things considerably mixed up, but |
had often helped arrange the goods,
and soon had what there was left in
some order. In moving some boxes
/ found a mitten; it was what was
called fringed, the yarn being left in
loops, making them very thick and
warm. This one was white with green
spots, and [ remembered seeing such
a pair of mittens in the store. It was
the custom to exchange goods for
socks, mittens, yarn, frocking and
such things of domestic manufacture.
| looked about for the mate of this
mitten, but could not find it, so [
tucked the odd one in my pocket.
l had been so busy, / had not no.
ticed the weather until l started to
go home. [ then saw that the blue
sky had changed to lead color, and
snow was beginning to fall.
The storm rapidly increased, and it
showed all the afternoon just as it
does now, until about shutdown, when
the snow ceased falling, land the wind
began to blow. AS night came on
began to get very anxious about your
grandpa. Mrs. Wilson said the JEFF
ferson road was an awful place for
drifts, that they would not attempt to
drive home that night, that the road
would be so blocked they couldn't;
but 1 was afraid they would make
the attempt, and every gust of wind
that came crying through the branch
es of the elm trees by the house, shak-
ing the windows and moaning in hol-
low tones down the wide chimney,
added to my uneasiness.
At nine o'clock Mrs. Wilson retir-
ed, and | went to my room. Peggy
offered to stay with me, but | told her
to 90 to bed, that l would sit by the
fire and read until my husband came.
II am afraid it will be all night,
Mrs. Roland" she said, 'sbut if you
get lonesome, come and call me-"
told her | would. | got a book
and tried to read, but could not get
interested. l could only walk be-
tween the window and fire, peering
out into the darkness, listening for the
sleigh bells, then back to the fire,
which I kept brightly burning. 1
heard the great clock in the hall strike
ten, eleven, and it must have been
near the stroke of twelve, when |
took a candle and ran into the hall
and down stairs, thinking l heard my
husband coming. | put the candle
stick on the stairs and cautiously OPP
ened the door, but there was no one
there. 1t seemed to me that could
not 90 back to my room alone. and [
thought l would 60 and get Peggy. |
took the candle and went to the kitch-
en- door, which was at the further end
of the hall. AS | opened the door a
draft of air blew out the candle, but
1 could see very well, as the Goals
were still brightly glowing in the wide
fireplace. l stepped lightly across
the kitchen to Peggy's door, which
stood open to admit the warmth from
the kitchen fire. ] was just about to
speak to her when | heard something
fall in the cheese-room. ! shall have
to explain where this room was, for
you to understand what follows.
There was a door at each side of the
fireplace in the kitchen, one leading
to Peggy's room, the other into the
sink-room. There were two doors in
the sink-room, the outside door and