Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-07-04
NO. 81.

whstling in the hearing of city man.
After dinner, when Susy went into the
barn for the pals " berries which she had
hidden there, she called back Somebody
did sleep here, sure enough, There's a
regular nest in the hay, and coat rolled
up for pillow, an half Of a newspaper,
an the end Of cigar
Eben, who had fingered TO chat with Cyn-
thia, came in. DAY before Yesterdays
Boston Daily he said Likely twas
your college tramp, Cynthy. Sure there
was only onei They generally go in
pairs
"P'r'aps the otberd gone along ahead"
We'll, I'm glad they didn't burn down
the ol barn with their fire and cigars, said
Eben, and he went back to his work
DO you s'pose he's coming back to sleep
by his eavn' his coat" said Susy; aud Cyn-
thia, who had great deal Of curiosity,
lifted the garment and shook it out. IL
was of fine black broadcoth, faced with
silk, but both sleeves were torn almost en-
tirely out, as if in some violent struggle,
and the whole thing had evidently been
soaked through, and was scratched and
rent by briers.
Goodness, what a loukin COAT cried
Cynthia. 81 should think Babel had
tossed him. and he'd swum the river he
sides There isn't enough good to cut up
for rag mats" and they went carelessly
back to their berry picking, and were so
diligent that at five o'clock Susy had twelve
quarts and Cynthia twenty
But now the clouds grew so black and
the growing thunder so loud that they put
their berries in the barn, and ran to help
the older men rake up the hay, while Eben
and Ben pitched and trod it in the cart,
and thus ,yas oil ca 70 ttuIa,. ,,,,.,. ,, a.
great first drops fell and then how happy
Susy was on Eben's knee in the wide barn
doorway, listening to the pounding rush.
ing, Kissing swshing Of the floods on the
roof, watching the trees bending and shiv-
ering in the white lashing rain, and the
| red lightning zigzagging in the inky cloud
that hid Bald Mountain
At last the roar dwindled TO a whisper,
the sun broke gloriously through the flying
mists robins came hopping back on the
shorn field, and the delicious notes of the
wood thrush were heard from the dripping
thicket. Then quickly the men pitched off
the sweet smelling hay TO season at its
leisure in the airy old barn, and the whole
party went ioting down the hill in the
empty cart behind the sober red oxen
After supper, when Eben was milking,
Mr.. Faxon stroled down to the bridge at
stood to see if there was any mail in the
little green box nailed to a tree at height
convenient for wagon passers by. Every
body was so busy haying, he thought it
doubtful if any one had been to the village
But yes; there was his weekly Journal and
he was soon seated on the doorstep. his wife
with her knitting just inside, ready to hear
the news. She had not long to wait.
"Oh, MOTHER he cried, "what do You
Think Here's another awful bank robbery.
It's in Bolton, Vermont The scamps got
off with leven thousand dollars
"Oh, what wretches.' exclaimed Mrs
Faxon. ITS worse than murder, | de.
clare | en- kind of understand mans
hittin' another in hot blood, but to plan aud
sneak to rob hard workin' men and poor
widders that never harmed EN-, that's past
met
'Hah! but they caught EN-, an got most
of it back, he went on, eagerly. Hear
this The robbers escaped in a wagon
they had ready, and reached W in
time to board the midnight express north
but the telegraph operator was equal to the
emergency, and when they reached o.
they were arrested, and brought back"
Good good"
'Hush-wait-'bro brought back as far as
Hilbury, New Hampshire, where, taking
advantage of a slackening of the speed on
bridge, they knocked down the sheriff,
tore themselves from the conductor, and
leaped into the river. The train was
stopped as quickly as possible, and one of
the prisoners, having broken his leg, was
retaken, but the other succeeded in hiding,
and is still at large, probably in the woods
north of the town. Five hundred dollars
is offered by the bank directors for his ar
rest. >"
''Sure's you live that's the man that slep'
up n the OF barn las night" cried Eben,
who had come up with his pals, hearing
the excited tones
AN that's why his coat was all wet and
torn" said Susy, looking pale and getting
closer to her father.
Here Cynthia came hurrying over the
orchard wall and joined the group
'You've read it, too, >" she began "Just
think; it must be the very man mother fed
this mornin'. She says for once in her
life she's glad | can whistle, for that was
what scared him off. He might have
snatched granma's gold beads right off her
neck an murdered us all, she says. An,
Eben, Ben's harnessin' to 90 right over to
the store and see if there's anv more news,
an wants to know if you'll 90 TO-"
I'm there, said Eben, setting down his
pals and reaching over Susy's head to the
peg where his coat hung. As he strobe
away he met Mrs Ordway half crying with
excitement.
"Oh, Eben, Just think of my tellin that
scoundrel that all the men was off for the
day, an apologizin' for not havin' raised
bread for him An lookin' for a bottle to
give him some of my bitters, she added,
sitting down beside Mrs Faxon. "Strange
he didn't call here first if he came out o
the woods. An you never even saw him
go pastI'
NO. said Mrs Faxon Il was in the
dairy all the early mornin', an Susy slep
late. Do tell us just how he looked, an
| all"
Mrs. Ordway desired nothing better, and
the adventure lasted them all the evening;
, but their excitement reached its highest
' point when Eben returned with the news
that the robber had been taken about two
2 hours before, skulking round Captain
Banks's barn.
r "Sam thinks he was after their colt; but
he's safely handcuffed now, an locked up
r in the freight house, waitin' for the early
t train TO be taken back to Bolton
ooh, Eben, did you see himi' said Susy
, who had been far too much excited to go u
sleep, and was brought down wrapped in t
4 shawl, and now nestled in her fathers lap
. by the kitchen fire, for the night had grown
t very cool
o Eyes, Susy, did; an so did you thi
, mornin' in the barn; an mercy he didn'
d see you didn't ask him for my shirt no
Il my socks, though he had 'em both on
e ooh, land alive!' gasped Mrs, Faxon
d ''Nor hardly grudged 'em to him, poo
S starvin', guilty, unted-down fox he looke'
It like
y ooh, Eben!n whispered Cynthia, 81
you'd only caught him asleep up on tn
rs mountain an got that five hundred dollars
>, 'twould have built our house on your lot.
/, "No, Cynthy, be answered, sternly; Wv
10 don't want any blood money built inUo Gu
/. hOme-not if we wait ten years for il
Come, little sis brothers goin' to carr
e you off to bed, now the bad mans locke
r up" and as she clasped her tired arm
x round his neck he held her down to Civ
Ie Cynthia good night kiss, and she whi
10 pered,
It That was danger unseen, wasn't j
Cynthia"
n But none of them ever knew that th
ID robber had drunk out of Susy's own mu
., with the rose on it.-Hdper's Weekly
le Not the ChiId's Fault.
ie From the Chicago Evening Post.
- Teacher-Why, Flossiel Can't you te
=, what pr a-y er spells, What's the la
u tl;n,y ,,nur mo sa,gs ,vhap aha rafiras