Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1891-02-05


&tI would. At times they took the
tracters OF cannibals, and apostro-
Aized them on the wckedness OF eating
.Xnder little boys in preference to tough
I'D aunts and grandmothers. had my
bed in those days in tiny bit of room,
DOT much larger than closet, opening
h of my mothers room, and here, oh,
Aappy conceit from out the mystic
treasures of my brain, one night broth
er was born to me.
A 1t was warm summer night, the
moonlight stole softly through the mus
lin draped window. | was-lying on my
back, the cover thrown back, my right
knee drawn up and clasped about with
#ny hands, when suddenly the thought
8lashed upon me that would name that
lnee Daniel, and it should be my broth
&er.
NV admiration for the name of Daniel
Xcame of hearing the story of the prophet
3who so boldly detitd the king, and so
.9bravely slew the lions; for it was my
liked belief that he had saved himself
&bnly by Staying the lions, and | refused
Nugive credence to the popular version
The story. slipped softly out of bed,
bt little jacket and cap IF my own,
3ipped back again, drew up my knee.
8buttoned my jacket about it, set my cap
$whispered SOFTLY Dear, dear brother
Daniel" and from that lime ON, for more
than a year, Daniel became my insepera-
BILE companion. If | Glanced TO hurt
that knee | carressea it, grieving not for
my own hurt, but for the pain of my
brother | abandoned the dry sticks, eX-
cept as COLLINS and cannibals, and hoard
ed the griefs of the day, to be poured at
\ night into Daniels sympathetic ear.
contracted the habit of retiring early
that l might have the longer time to
y commune with my brother, and for once
IN in my life won the commentator of my
III relatives.
IN NV communications to Daniel were
IN generally delivered in the softest of
IN whispers, but alas, unfortunate me, One
in night. owing to the unusual excitement
mi from having found a birds nest during
the day, | addressed him aloud, thus at
tracing the attention of the occupants
IN the next room. Aunt Jane, Aunt
kaehel- and both my grandmothers were
with us at the time, and. as was their
#wont had congregated in my mothers
groom to spend the evening.
l "Arche," called nv mother, 'what
4 are you talking about? Are you dream
y ing dear?
III her question startled me.
aim talking to Daniel" said i right
out. before thought.
4 "Talking to Daniel said she, in
tone of surprise. "The child must be
q out of his head"
In moment l was on my guard. [
Ia flung the cap and jacket on the floor,
ia Slipped my knee under the cover and pre-
pared to feign sleep; but too late, for
NJ Aunt Rachel was standing near the door
land had seen it all.
W s'Well of all the strange children ever
saw said she. "If he didn't have his
Knee dressed up like little boy and ly-
! inc there talking to it. | do believe the
child is losing his wits, if he ever had
any. :,
A. this they all surrounded, and began
\ -Quystioning me as to what ever pos
Used me to do no strange thing, and
demanding to know il i had really lost
my wits; but tucked my head under
!. he cover isnd sefu ~ ifnlli yvGT, leaving
+ fhm to make theif ow aefnctions from
Hcircumstantial EVIDENCE and Aunt Rach-
els testimony. kknew. whatever /
might Say there would be but one result
from their discovery. | would be repre-
manded and forbidden to do SO again,
which L accordingly was; then, hanging
the cap and jacket on peg, they babe
ne, In severe chorus, sgo to sleep imme-
| diately,'' withdrew and left me, the
most lonely and forlorn little mortal that
VSfsmourned the tragedy of fate. The
l0hr was slightly ajar and l heard my
mother say
tsIf the child finds any pleasure in
| talking to his knee, why not let him do
tsLet him do it!'' shifted Aunt Rachel.
would you let him become a gibbering
idiot, and interpose no authority to pre-
& vent? Esther Wilmington, if you were
left to yourself with that child he would
be ruined, just teetotally ruined.''
/ felt that nothing would give me such
Infinite satisfaction as to be ruined.
However disastrous the result, l longed
to experience the process; but it had al
ways been my mothers way to yield to
the dictates of this elder sister. / heard
her sigh, but she said no more That
night l bathed my pillow in tears, tears
<0f.feal sorrow for the loss of my brother
Daniel, and it was many days ere
ceased to mourn him, for at that time my
bereavement seemed as real as if | had
had an actual brother and had lost him
Even to this day the idea of my brother
Daniel seems part of the reality of my
long ago past.
Such were the quaint fancies that en-
anated from my childish bsain, and which
Ollcu uc ~ Slitl anu ulsSTdC6u
me in the eyes of my relatives; yet
doubt that was more whimsical than
many another child would be under like
conditions. l do not think my relatives
meant to be unkind to me; not even
Aunt Rachel, the severest of them all !;
but standing in constant awe of their
displeasure, and knowing that they had
never forgiven me for being boy, l be-
ame more and more silent, secretive and
retiring, and dwelt more and more in a
little world of my own, surrounded by
Z the creatures of my Imagination; traits
of mind and habit which rendered me
still more repellant to those that could
i not understand that they were but
the outgrowth Of that repression which
denied my likelihood the ebullition nat
ural to that spontaneous age.
As grew older, these fancies left me
by degrees, and dwelt more in the Wis
IL ovid oil