The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-10-21

anu JUG are away Hsnlng, ana won't be
home before morning."
Then, indeed, the shivering little
listener knew what il all meant, and his
heart grew heavy with the knowledge
The baby was ill-dying, pr obably
Dear little Genevieve, who had alreat
tegun to show affection for her av h
ward, ill-tcmport brt thcr-lisping
name in her pretty baby accent, hold
ing out fragrant little hands of WELDON,
to him whom so few had ever welcomed
There was no man in that house, bu
there was boy and in the shortest
possible time that boy was out in Il c
rain, in boat, rowing across the ba,
which was a quicker way of reachilg
the doctor than by roed. He was t..
expert oarsnan for his age, and Il T.
wind was in his favor, so that he ma,
very good time. Had he been GN
minutes later he would have been too
late, for when he reached the physi-
clans house, the doctor stood upon
the thre shold, his horse and buggy
awaiting him.
"I'll 60" he said, shortly, in reply to
The breathless message. 81 have
another call on the same road, but / Il
pe unele DelOre YOU.
Being sleepy, and somewhat s,upr
in consequence, he asked no turtle
questions, and Roger was too shy 10
volunteer, as he had intended, to rid,
back with him. His main object bel,
accomplished, the boy had no furtl e.
choice but to retrace his steps to wher'
his boat lay tied. The rain was si
descending in torrents, and the wind
increased in violence; but, fortunately,
il was growing lighter every momel I.
Going across the bay, he had expert
enced but little difficulty, but now h.
felt the elements mocking the strength
be had thought so great. The little
boat shook and quivered as if utterly
without confidence in its manager, and
then, as though taking cowardly issue
with the powers which were, it gave
one sudden, stronger lurch, and while
he was still saying aloud, with boyiSh
obstinacy, 81 can row, won't he
drowned" he was thrown out in the
water, poor, little, helpless figure in
clumsy rubber coat, struggling in
effectually with the fury of the wind
and the waves. The boat danced mer-
rily on as though satisfied. The cap
he had worn went ashore farther up,
and lodged between the bathing houses;
but the boy most interesting in both
was Indifferent to the fate Of either
Indifferent, now, even to that vital
question concerning the baby; whether,
after all, the doctor would reach her in
time to be of any use. But the doctor
did arrive in time, and was Of so much
use that, by the time the breakfast bell
rang, baby Genevieve was pronounced
out of danger; and only then did the
grateful mother think of asking by
what me ans the doctor had been brought
to them.
Why" he answered, supposedly,
"your son came for me; at least he
spoke of the baby as his little sister"
And there upon, with the death angels
wings seeming TO flap away in the dis
lance, and the horrors of that aN ful
night safely behind her, Rogers mother
arose, full Of humble gratitude towards
the boy who, under Providence, had
saved her darling, and again surprised
the doctor by exclaiming:
"Oh, my brave Roger, how truly you
have heaped Goals of fire on my lead!
must find him AMI thank him."
But just uiside the door she ran
into title group, grave with a rev
anxiety, and because the object of it
was only her step-son, Aunt Emmelne
jerks spoke out, without circumlt Gu.
ton:
"Mis' Denton, we're fee ing scarey
bout Roger. Seems he went for the
doctor, and Sam Trip found his cap
and the boat, but no sign of the boy"
They knew how he had tried her, and
did not think of this as a special calam.
lily to her; but they, too, were surprised
by the sudden, supreme agony which
looked out of her eyes. Moaning, she
rushed out to look upon the bay, host
of accusing spirits going with her. She
thought herself good, and all the blame
due 10 Roger; but in this awful mo-
ment she felt that all the blame was
hers. She had given him stones for
bread over and over. Only last night
she had wounded him grievously, aud
now, at her very feet, lay his poor,
soiled lilies, trampled in the mud! No
sign of life to be seen on the bay, she
hurrie back to the house, just as the
Cherryfield stage drove up 10 the door,
and out Of it stepped pale, halless boy,
and that boy wfs Roger. In less than
five minutes he had told his simple
story-how an cd fisherman had saved
him, and, with the good wife's assist
auce, nursld him back to conscious
ness, and with consciousness his anxiety
for Genevieve had;returned.
"How is she?" he gasped; but be
fore any one could answer, his mo- hers
arms were around him, and his mothers
voice besought him:
SO, Roger, my son, my brave boy.
Can you ever forgive me?"
And he, with great, new joy in his
face, cried out before them all:
" | have nothing to forgive, but, O,
mann love mc-do love mel"
And then he cri, d like baby, and az
if he were in very truth baby, she
took him in her arms and comforcd
him. So Roger came into his king
dom the beautiful kingdom of a
mothers love-and, though all this hap
4 4