Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-07-04

can there's another sure sign Of wet, ,"
added the girl, laughing cone VI them
wakin' men went along this mornin' and
stopped in to buy loaf o bread and get
drink o. milk Mother was dreadfully put
out cause we hadn't anything but soda bis
cults and johnny cake. She told him the
men had gone off for the day, and taken
all the loaf bread there was. He was very
pleasant, and seemed glad enough Of what
we had Said he was walkin' for his health,
an wanted TO know the road 10 the Notch.
He was sittin' eatin' quite comf'tabe an
mother was tellin him that il he was any
ways dyspeptic she had kind Of bitters
that was good for that, an she would give
him a little bottle to put in his pocket, il
he'd try il, when-I donno what possessed
me-but / begun to whistle. You see | was
workin' over the butter in the pantry, an
didn't know there was any stranger round.
Well mother says that man got right up,
an says he, Thought you said your men
folks had gone away an looked at her quite
sharp and provoked like You know she
thinks it's dreadful thing for girl 10 whis-
tie, so she was ashamed to say 'twasn't a
boy, an she got as red as could be, an never
said a word an he just took his hat and
walked right off, hardly said much obliged.
Wasn't that real funny p
Perhaps he wasn't quite right in his
mind, poor man, said Mrs. Faxon. (which
way did he go :"
"Over toward Cap'n Banks, said Gym
thia, nodding in the direction opposite to
that which she was about to take and just
then Susy appeared and they started.
Lets follow the brook up, said the little
| girl "Its longer but it's shadier, an we
don't want TO pick, Eben says, till we get up
/ Ia.
there, an bigger too"
Cynthia agreed, and the two went jump
ing along from stone to stone in the bed Of
the winding stream, under the welcome
shade Of alders and birches that often made
them bend and almost creep, so low they
hung. At last they came to the source Of
the brook, and sat down TO rest before 60
ing into the open pasture, beyond which, on
| the slope Of Bald mountain, the men were
moving. Cynthia threw off her hat, and
broke branch Of hemlock for fan. Susy
dipped her pail into the spring and both
drank eagerly.
Let's put some leaves in our hats, said
the little girl, and pulling half dozen large
ones from a wild grape vine, she dipped
them in the water and lined the crowns of
| both hats.
The girls made a pretty summer picture
spring, with its fringe of ferns. Behind
them was a gray boulder, from a cleft of
which leaned a gnarled old white birch, fes
TONED with grape vines, and from their
feet the brook wandered away under young
| naples and alders-now a pool, and then a
cascade, as it made its way down the hill
They were both dressed in checked ging
ham, hut Cynthia's was gayly bound with
red and so was her old straw hat, while a
scarf Of white muslin set off her red cheeks
and kept her neck from the sun.
"Old Babel isn't in this pasture, is he =
she suddenly asked referring to a cross bull
of Farmer Faxon's
"Oh, no n said Susy there's two stone
walls tween him and us. Twas the drought
made him break out las fall There's an
other spring in his pastur and it had gone
dry, but we've had plenty of rain this year.
"Oh of course it would be all trampled
up and muddy if they drank here, said
Cynthia, looking complacently at the soft
moss and grass around them. "No, there
isn't any danger, see."
what does dangers SeendnunSeen mean"
asked Susy suddenly.
"What y
Dangers SeendnunSeen Father says it
in the blessin' every mornin'."
"O-oh, said Cynthia, trying not to laugh,
lit must be seen an unseen what we can
see, an what we cant. Don't you under
stand =
"Why, yes, of course, now you say it slow;
but what are the dangers that we cannot
see Lightning No, we can see that, and
we can see Babel, an mad dogs, or barn
afre, or the lion at the circus said Susy,
slowly, searching her experience for visible
terrors but what dreadful things are
there that we don't see =
well " said Cynthia, hesitatng, Il don
no as | ever thought about it before, but
there might be rattlesnake under these
rocks" Susy shuddered and moved away
from them. "Or we might drink out of a
brook where they'd been putin Paris green
ON the potatO-bugs; or there might be some
catchin' sickness goin about-you know
the Bible tells about the 'pestilence that
walketh in darkness D" she added, pleased
with her success in explanation; ''or we
might touch poison ivy and not know it"
80 we might" said Susy, soberly; 'an'
went to smell of holyhock once, and
humble bee was in it, and stung my
nose.
"Well, we must be goin', said Cynthia,
rising, and then she jumped and gave lit
tie scream as Eben came pushing through
the bushes behind her
Ou Nluu I scare lllei Sdlu DuSls cause
saw YOU in the barn, an I've been lookin
for you TO jump out at us ever since
In the barn = said Eben, staring. 81
haven't been there since did my chores at
four O'Clock this mornin', and you know
you were sound asleep
, "Who was it at the meal barrel, then =
said Susy, staring in her turn.
, when Z"
Bout half an hour ago | was up on
the hay after my basket, an heard some
, body steppin' round downstairs; an
peeked through a crack an saw you dip
pin out meal.
Guess that was one O. your dreams in
marm's bed" and Eben laughed, anC
! stopped to drink from the spring.
1T wasn't a dream" said Susy, indig
q nantly II didn't see your face, cause
, your head was in the barrel, but knew
! your striped shirt Why, what have yot
. changed it again fori' she added, bewil
, dered, seeing that he had on one of plair
1 blue Mother didn't like it bit, you
/ takin it away"
( The child's had a sunstroke, an lost he
e wits" said Eben. Il haven't seen tina
, striped shirt today"
1 Like as not Sam Banks was out o. meal
a aud came over to borrow said Cynthia
q giving Susy a soothing pat. Lots of mel
;. wear those shirts Come, let's get to work
T. We sha'n't have any pies or berry cake a
- this rate" And she went briskly out int
. the open pasture, followed by the others
K after Eben had comforted Susy (who locke
B, ready to cry by kiss and whisper, 'II
g make it all right with marin about tn
r shirt He thought that his mother ha
| found fault because he had, in Cynthia
s honor, put on a fresh garment for no
e days work ON the mountain and natural
It did not want it discussed.
= After showing the girls where the berrie
e were thickest, he returned TO his scytht
It and they did not see him again until noon
when his halloo summoned them to th
n old barn, where they were all to eat dir
n ner.
4 Haymakers and berry pickers were alik
II glad to rest in the shade of the weather
,, beaten building, which, with the mowin
}. field belonged to deserted homestead, tn
=, house having been burned, the owners gon
5 West, and the crops of hay apd apples LEI
in charge of the neighbors
/" While the men went TO the brook to was
e and get water, Cynthia set out the buttere
II bread, apple turnovers cold meat, coffe,
D doughnuts and cheese, and Susy gathered
3 hasketfu of red raspberries from Il
/. bushes that half filed the cellar of Il
t ruined house.
v, Nobody shall touch our blueberries,
W she declared. every one of ems goi
home, but wen have these for dessert"
1t "If anybody wants hot coffee, he C
make a fire." said Cynthia, as the men r
4, 18th sl;,,trrr faoag onI tbraxp than