The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-06-24
Selected Storp.
"He'n Regret Nothin'."

the good mans well-directed shafts
straight into the right pew, which,
curiously enough, never happened to
be his own. He prided himself on his
powers in this direction. 1t was to
him a source of never-failing satisfac-
ton. One Sunday morning the minis
ter took this passage of Scripture for
his text: Whatsoever thy hand
6ndeth to do, do it with thy might, for
there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave
whittier thou goest."
"The preacher laid it off pretty
plain to them 'at amt Twin up t. he
notch. D'you notice how OF Reed
squirmed?" said Sias, as he drove
home with his wife, after the service.
Mrs. Marvin's answer was slow in
coming. 1t was preceded by the faint
est suggestion of sigh.
" l wasn't thinkin' o. him." she
said.
"a capital serment," Silas went on.
81 shouldn't wonder it sets more N OF
Reed T. thinkin'."
During the long afternoon Silas sat
in the shady piazza looking out over
the fields of ripening corn. An open
book, not line of which he had read,
lay beside him. He raised his hand
and brought it down on his leg with
resounding slap.
"SiX-ty nine"
His wife came hurrying to the door.
"What is Il? Y'u didn't leave y'ur
specs in church, did y'u?"
AS Silas seemed disposed to pay no
of 10 ha NJ -,
turned away. The cows came lowing
up the lane. The birds twittered in
the pine trees beyond the garden.
Tell Jake t. see t. he chores. Iguess
I'll go t. bed l don't feel just right"
said Silas. So to bed he went, though
it lacked good two hours of his usual
time. He tossed about the greater
part of the night. Finally he got up,
and, cropping his way to chair, seated
himself in it.
cts brought me up standin', but
Pm goin' to look the thing square in
tn face" said he, in a hoarse whisper.
His wife raised herself on her elbow.
Are y'u out o. y'ur head, Sile, or
what on earth is the matter?"
" Mther, y'u go t. sleep. My heads
all right. I'll resk that"
/" Is it y'ur rheumatic"
Rheumatic, nothin'"
Mrs. Marvin said no more. Silas
dressed himself and went down to walk
back and forth in the bean path. Next
morning he abruptly broke the ST.
lence of the breakfast-table by saying:
"'Bout out o. flour, amt y'u? I'll
throw grist aboard m 90 t mill"
If anything III scatter these no.
tions," said Silas to himself, as he
drove off, d" it'll be the nois o. tn
grindin'. | dom mind tn tex so
much-I amt man t. shirk tn work
my hands fin t do when | see it afore
me. What's tn trouble WI me is that
other passage AT tn tex is all the time
bringin' up-'excep' we forgive men
their trespasses. He's never asked me
T. forgive him-none of 'em ever has,"
Silas gave his horses a sharp cut with
the whip and the surprised creatures
bounded into trot. Down came the
whip again.
others JUS this much about it," said
he, when he had replaced the whip in
its socket and settled himself in his
seat, " I'm in tn right of It, all fair m
square, or-I'm in tn wrong"
The horses fell into their accustomed
gait and Silas drove on with bowed
head and troubled brow. In this atti-
tude he sat for some time in the mill
while his grst was being ground, then
got up and went outside.
What's got into the OF mills click
clock?" said he, as he gave his hat
pull over his ears. The rafting ma
chinery had dinned these words into
his brain through his sense of hearing:
"Do unto others-do unto others-do
unto others as you would that they
should do to you"
He climbed into his wagon, received
his grist and drove off at smart pace.
And now the admonitory words came
Gathering from his trace-chains
"Do unto others-do unto others
do unto others as you would that they
should do TO you'll"
They went Juggling and rafting
down long hill, at the foot of which a
sudden " Whoal" brought horses and
wagon to standstill. Wheeling about,
Silas turned into a cross-road and took
his way to a farmhouse, in front of
which was young girl hoeing double
row of cabbages.
"Good mornin', Libbie."
Or being thus accosted by Silas, the
girl looked up, turned red in the face
and acted as if about to beat a retreat.
She seemed surprised, confused, and
even angry.
"Libbie, come; go home along W.
me; I've come t. git y'u."
" Uncle Silas, do you mean it?"
"That's what do, m Pm goin' t.
take Kate, too. Your missis won't
mind?"
81 think she'll be glad. 1 was only
helping for my keep till could find a
place."
With Libbie's poor box among the
bags in the back of the wagon, and
Libby herself in the seat beside him,
Silas repaired to another farmhouse,
where Kate, the younger sister, made
herself 30 useful that it was not until
he had agreed to send a stronger girl
to take her place that the woman
whose drudge she had been, would
consent to her leaving. They went
their way homeward in silence. Al
LENGTH thew came to a creek and Silas