St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-03-27

or last benediction which Elder Luz
cas- had already pronounced and the
people were streaming forth from the
building in great numbers. Into the
midst of the disbanding 200 Aunt
Susan, with her bright blue bandan-
ma showing from beneath her cool
straw hat, and the brilliant pink
flowers on her white calico frOck dis
played to the best advantage, plung-
ed, and placed herself along side of
the minister again. She took him by
the arm and led him triumphantly
northward along the public road
which skirted the east bank of the
creek. Reaching the plantation
bridge they crossed it, for Aunt
Susan's dwelling house was on the
west side of the stream. Elder Lucas
was a very tall mar and Aunt Susan
an extremely short woman, ons
q~uently she was forced al first to
carry her left forearm horizontally
in order to get a graceful hold on the
minister's right elbow. Later the
clergyman, perceiving the great diff
Guilty under which Aunt Susan labor
ed, slightly stopped his shoulder on
the side next her and this made it
not at all uncomfortable for her to
take Il proper hold of his right arm.
In this attitude they ~sauntered
along till they came to an old locust
tree just about halfway between the
plantation owners dwelling and
Aunt Susan's residence. a few feet
beyond this tree Aunt Susan came to
such a sudden halt that the minister
was obliged to make q thanking
movement to retain his equilibrium.
Halfway between the waters edge
and the tree, which stood exactly at
the top of the hill, lay the form of a
man whose audible groans now
found their way to the clergyman's
ears
"Who is hep" asked Elder Lucas of
Aunt Susan.
81 don't know" was the response.
II can't see his face, but his clothes
look like Jacks"
80, it can't be he" said the minis
ter, releasing his arm from Aunt Su-
sans grasp and descending the creek
bank. Il trust it isn't, at any rate"
Just before the clergyman reached
the form, the hitherto unknown
threw up his hands and turned his
face toward the road, upon which
Aunt Susan removed further doubt
by shouting, you Jack, what is YOU
dom, layin' down dere under dat
creek-side. Didn't | tell you fur to
stay home and watch my house,"
These two questions and the rough
tone in which they were put indi-
Gated that Aunt Susan had not real
lied the fact that poor Uncle Jack
was deathly sick, but another groan
of agony softened Aunt Susan's
harshness into a kind of pity and she
followed the preachers example. On
reaching Jacks side she found that
the fellow could neither speak, nor
move anything save his arms and
feet just a little. In spite of this in
telligence she shot questions at him
right and left, trying to find out
what was the trouble with him.
Elder Lucas, who was somewhat of
a body-physician, rs well as a spirit
ual doctor, had thus early learned
that Uncle Jacks trouble was due to
violent pains in the stomach. He
made known his discovery to Aunt
Susan, who at once said, II boun'
he's been eatin' sOm'um he had no
business wild" She continued to put
forth theories of this sort till the
minister observed, My good
woman, the only thing to be done
now is to take your husband home"
Without further remark, Elder Lucas
picked Uncle Jack up i'll his arms and
started up the hill. Reaching the
road he carried him along while
Aunt Susan ran ahead to open the
gate and clear n way into the house.
Elder Lucas entered the front room
with Jacks form in his arms and
tossed it upon the bed in which he
himself had slept the night before.
considerably alarmed about Uncle
Jack and for some time she did not
leave his bedside.
Half an hour after the three en-
tered the little house the plantation
manager, who happened to be a
quack physician, went riding by and
Aunt Susan hailed him. He dis
mounted, walked into the room,
took a look at Jack, and said,
"There's nothing the matter with
him but a gorged stomach. Send
down to the house and I'll give you
something that will relieve his suffer
ing i'll a cry few minutes"
Aunt Susan didn't like to ask the
minister to run on an GRAND, neither
did she are to leave Uncle Jack, so
she called one of Aunt Maria's chill
dren, who lived just 100 yards up the
road, and asked him to go down
with the manager for the medicine.
Little Phineas Wilson readily COM.
piled with Aunt Susan's request and
in ten minutes more the medicine was
in the house. Half an hour after
Uncle Jack swallowed it he was able
to sit up and tell his story.
Summoning all the courage he
could possibly muster, Uncle Jack
replied to Aunt Susan's query in re-
gard to the cause of his cramps,
81 ct a little too much"
And what did you eat, Jack? ,"
continued his wife. heavily clouded
look of sheepishness passed over the
poor fellows face as he answered.,
81 ct a turkey and q pone o. light
bread"
Aunt Susan's c~ountenance was
filled with blank amaZement as she
looked from the minister to Jack, for
she remembered at once that the tur-
key constituted the principal part of
her dinner for the clergyman.
Does you mean to say, Jack, dat
you ct all de turkey" Jack replied
in the affirmative, wherupon Aunt
Susan, to make sure that her hus-
band was himself, repaired to the
room to find out for herself