St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-10-29

added to his other sorrows, and,
worse still, the hot doughnuts with
which he had been fortified for his
silly expedition asserted themselves
in the shape of a nightmare, from
which he awoke somewhere after
midnight. Through his halfOpen
door he could see lights flashing, and
he heard the baby nurse say to some
one in the hall:
Mrs. Denton's just about crazy,
way before, and the nearest doctor
lives five miles away; such an awful
stormy night, too. and not a man IN
the house to go for him. Mr.. jerks
can't stir with the rheumatism, and
Sam Trip and Joe are away fishing,
and won't be home before morning"
Then, indeed, the shivering little
listener knew what it all meant, and
his heart grew heavy with the
knowledge The baby was ill-dy-
ing, probably. Dear little Genevieve,
who had already begun to show at
fiction for her awkward, ill-temper-
ed brother-lisping his name in her
pretty baby accent. holding out
fragrant little hands of welcome to
him whom so few had ever welcomed.
There was no man in that house,
but there was a boy, and in the
shortest possible time that boy was
out in the rain, in a boat, rowing
across the bay, which was quicker
way of reaching the doctor than by
road. He was an expert oarsman
for his age, and the wind was in his
favor, so that he made very good
time. Had he been five minute later
he would have been too late, for
when he reached the physicians
house, the doctor stood upon the
threshold, his horse and buggy
awaiting him.
I'll 60" he said, shortly, in reply
to the breathless message. Il have
another call on the same road, but
I'll be there before you"
Being sleepy and somewhat stupid
in consequence, he asked no further
| questions, and Roger was too shy to
volunteer, as he had intended, to
ride back with him. His main object
being accomplished, the boy had no
further choice but to retrace his steps
to where his boat lay tied. The rain
was still descending in torrents, and
the wind increased in violence; but,
fortunately, it was growing lighter
every moment. Going across the
bay, he had experienced but little
difficulty, but now he felt the ele-
ments hooking the strength he had
thought so great. The little boat
shook and quivered as if utterly
without confidence in its manager,
and then, as though taking coward
ly issue with the powers which were,
it gave one sudden, stronger, lurch,
and while he was still saying aloud,
with boyish obstinacy, Il can row, [
won't be drowned" he was thrown
out in the water, poor, little help
less figure in a clumsy rubber coat,
struggling Intellectually with the fury
of the wind and the waves. The
boat danced merrily on as though
satisfied The cap he had worn went
ashore farther up, and lodged be-
tween the bathing houses but the
boy most interesting in both was in
different to the fate of either-indif-
ferent, 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 means the doctor had been
brought to them.
Why" he answered, surprisingly
"yOur son came for me; at least he
spoke of the baby as his sister,"
And thereupon, with the death
angels wings seeming to flap away
in the distance, and the horrors of
that awful night safely behind her,
Rogers mother arose, full of human
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
head! l must find him and thank
him.
But just outside the door she ran
into little group, grave with a new
anxiety, and because the object of it
was only her step-son, Aunt EN-
incline jerks spoke out, without cir
cumlOcut1On
Mrs. Denton, we're feeling 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
calamity to her; but they, too, were
surprised by the sudden, supreme
agony which looked out of her eyes
Moaning, she rushed out to look up
on the bay, host OF accusing spirits
going with her. She had meant to
be good had, in fact, thought her
self good. and all the blame due to
Roger; but in this awful moment she
felt that all the blame was hers.
She had given him stones for bread
over and over Ou1y last niuht cla