The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-09-20
SELECTED STORY,
Farmer Eli's Vacation.

The west was paling, and the August
insects stirred the cir with their Groom
ing chirp. Eli and his wife sat to-
pether on the washing bench outside
the back door, waiting for the milk to
cool before it should be strained. She
was a large, comfortable woman, with
an unlined face and smooth, fine aU-
burn hair; he was spare and somewhat
bent, with curly, iTOn-gray locks, grow
ing thin, and crows feet about his deep
ct gray ewes. He had been smoking
sth pipe of twilight contentment, but
now be took it out and laid it on the
bench beside him, increasing his legs
and STRENGTHENING himself with the air
of a man to whom it falls, after long
Wondering. to take some decisive step.
"No: il don't seem as if It was goin'
TO hal pen." be owned. 1T looked
pretty dark TO me all last week. It's a
good deal of an undertaken, come to
think it all over. dunno's care about
goin'."
"Why, fathell After you've thought
about IL so many years, and Sereno's
got the tents strapped up, and ALL You
must be crazy"
"Wel," said the farmer, gently, as
he rose and went to carry the milk
pals into the pantry, calling coaXingly,
as he did so, Kitty kiuyl You had
your milk? Don't you joggle, rowP'
For one eager tabby rose on her hind
legs in purring haste, and bit her nose
against the foaming saucer.
Mrs. Pike came ponderousy to her
feet, and followed with the heavy,
swaying motion of one grown flesby
and rheumatic. She was not in the
least concerned about Ellis change of
mood He was gentle soul, ard she
bad always been able to guide him in
paths of her own choosing. Moreover,
the present undertaking was one in
volving his own coed fortune, and she
meant to tolerate no foolish scruples
which might interfere With its result.
For Eli, though he had lived all his life
within thirty miles of the ocean, had
never seen it, and ever since his boy
hood he had cherished one darling
plan; some day he would 90 to the
shore and camp cut there for week.
This. in his starved imagination, was
like a dream of the Acropolis to an
artist stricken tlird, or as mountain
outlines to the dweller in lonely plain.
But the years bad fitted past, and the
dream never seemed nearer completion.
There were always planting, haying,
and harry esting TO be considered, and
Though he was fairly prosperous, eX-
cursiOns were foreign to his simple
habit of life. But at last bis wife had
stepped into The van, and OF ganiZed an
expedition, with all the valor of Sir
Francis Drake.
"Now, don't you say one word,
father" she had said. "We'le goin'
down to the beach, Serene and Hattie
and you and me, and we're goin' to
camp out. It'll do us all good"
For days before the date of the ex-
cursion Eli had been solemn and trem-
ulous, as with joy; but now, on the eve
of the great event, he ehrank back from
it with an underlined notion that it was
like death, and that he was not pre-
pared. Next morning, however, when
they all rose and took their early break
fast, pre- paratory to starting at five, he
showed uo sign Of indecision, and even
went about his outdoor tasks with an
alacrity calculated, as his wife APP
provingly remarked, to "for'ard the
v'y'ge." He had at last begun to see
his way clear, and he looked well salts
fed when his daughter Hattie and
Serene, her husbaL d, drove into the
yard in a wagon cheerfully suggestive
of a wandering life. The tents and a
small hair trunk were stored in the
back, and the torse's pail swung be.
low.
"Well, father" called Hattie, hel
rosy face like flower under the large
hat she had trimmed for the occasion
"guess we're goin' to have goot
day."
He nodded from the window where
he was patiently holding his head higf
and undergoing strangulation, while hi
wife, breathing huskily with haste ant
importance, put on his stock.
.'You come in, Hattie, and help pacl
the doughnuts into that lard pail on tn,
table," she called. 81 guess you'll
have to take two pals. They aim
very big"
AT length the two teams were ready
and Eli mounted to his place, wher
he looked very slender beside his tow
ering mate. The hired man stood lean
ng on the pump, chewing a bit o
ira W, and the cats rubbed against hi
egs with tails like banners; they wer
all impressed by sense of the un
usual.
"Well, good-by, Luke" Mrs. Pix
called, over her shoulder; and Eli CAV
the man a solemn nod, gathered up tn
reins, and drove out of the yard. Jus
outside the gate he pulled up.
Whoa" he called, and LUX
lounged forward. Don't you forge
them catsl Get up, Dollr' And tn
time they were gone.
For the first ten miles of the wa,
familiar in being the road to marke
Eli was placidly cheerful. The sens
that he WAS going 10 do some strane
deed, 10 step into an unknown countr.
dropped away from him, and he chatte'
in his intermittent, serious way, of tt
crops and the lay of the land.
"Pretty bad job up along here, ain
it, fatbel?" called Serene, as the
passed sterile pasture which two plo
ding men and yoke of oxen were r
deeming from its rocky letters.
"There's good deal of pastur'
some places that amt fit for nothin' b