Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-11-30

] CURSES VI lle Olut ytllOW-TOUtu pIleSls VINO,
we had every reason to believe, had insti-
! gated the whole thing. A party presently
| drew off to one corner of the square, and
were doing something with huge beam
| rigging up cXtempore battering-rams we
feared. Another party, as we expected,
| clambered up on the straw barges. and be
gan to throw bundles of flaming straw in
to the compound. some of which lodged in
the branches of the old mimosa, which
began to burn with dense, sickening
smoke
Whether it was this that overpowered
them, or whether their own frenzied
shrieks and whistlngs in addition to their
other exertions exhausted them, ] do not
know, but after a time there came lull
when the stones and missiles of every kind
stopped, and they seemed to be waiting to
take breath. One called out every now
and then to the party busy over the batter
ing ram: GLOW does your father sleep at
night? Oh, sons OF sndils, the devil will
think you are building him summer pa
vilions.'
We on our side were anxious enough
over the non-arrival of the gunboats.
Suddenly, old Booboo came into the close
ly shattered library "There is bad news.
O honored foreigners" she said, and in her
old face the strained lines of anxiety told
of her fears. The faithful old soul had
managed in some way to send her son,
youth of sixteen, the messenger boy of the
house, to reconnotre He had Just re-
turned and reported the Monocacy aground
about four miles below on the sand-bars at
Sing-guanfoo. Everything was being done
to tow her off, but it was matter of hours.
and in the meantime what would become
of us? If only some way could be de
vised of turning the humor of the tickle
mob,
The baby. Bran NEWMAN. had had his
crib brought into the library in order that
he might Toe with the rest of us The
fearful sounds outside, and the sitting
OdOr of the burning mmOsa disturbed him
not in the least. The only light was what
oozed through the chinks where the wood
of the solid green shutters had warped All
the boys roamed restlessly about, trying TO
follow, through the cracks, the progress Of
affairs. 1t had been impossible to venture
out on the yeranda. as the stones were
thrown in showers. and the two attempts
at parlev had ended disastrOusly in a
broken shoulder for father and a cut from
Tartar's heavy-handled throwing knife
for Heber
, They are afriad l might run short of
iack-knives, he said, as he leisurely pulled
it out of his arm, leaving an ugly cash.
81 tell you what. BooboO,' said Artie,
you 90 out. They won't hurt you. Ou
are old and pious. Tell them you have
heard the footing OF the steamboats, com
] ing up to give them thrashug. and if
they don't understand, tell them a whole
army of white devil, are coming on the
3 doublequick They are quieter now any
way, and haven't seen anything OF that
old yellow hend recently.
"Nes. Booboo, 90 and tell them we
haven't anything they would care for in
the house, and that they certainly will sui
p fer for it if they kill us. Anything To
break them up, and gain time for the ma
rines to reach US, said mother
Urged by the clamorous chorus, old Boo
, boo stepped cautiously GU, on the veranda.
j In her old heart of hearts do not believe
she was in the least tmiI. but she had
been delicately nurtuTed, this little old
woman swayng about SO uncertainty Oh
/ her golden lilies the little feet which
= marked the lady. But it was custom
. for women OF position TO have that hest
z tating. dainty manner, and custom is law
! in China
10 There was a cessation of the noise on
e the instant "Ah. Hung NICK. Booboo
r Booboo, Booboo, could then be heard Oh
all sides. drowning her voice with their
70 Cldlu IL AuhOO. AuhOu. COME OuL "
. your she'll come out of your shell I'll 90
% down to buy you some clothes We
b. could distinguish the chorus some boys sci
up, the little Ginning tune with which
r. children call a snail out OF its shell. But
), in a little while We could hear Booboo's
e voice
% save yourselves from the white devil,
: who are coming up the river even now
they will loot the town and impaie You all
in the Ioutais precincts if you harm thes,
foreigners she shouted. Bur they did
not believe her The calls and ieers begaI
again, though th, time no stones wer,
thrown Old age has its privileges in
China, and even a mob viii spare an old
woman.
what are you doing in the devils nest
Boohoo" Let us see the little white devil
'Ne s, bring him ont, bring him OUT q
hundred voices demanded. They wer,
getting tired and perhap, their temper
was changing
Booboo was a woman of intuitions. The
idea was good. In an instant she was in
side the library again. putting on the ba
by's head little blue cap, whose heather
lsh cut was assisted 10y a row OF little sill
ver-gilt Buddhas sewed around the edge.
and 10y two scarlet pOmpOns on each side,
with little bells inside which kept up d
restless Ginning His solemn brown eye,
were sleepily becoming aware OF some
thing unusual, and he was speedily as
sured of it by the view from the veran-
da. He did not cry much, little Bran
New Man, but spent most of his waking
hours wondering at the curious world in
which he found himself. Al least such
was his attitude. We half-hoped that he
would give us the benefit of his observa.
tions.
Artie accompanied Booboo and Bran
New Man out on the yeranda as a sort OF
guard of honor, and natural protector
Then the clamOr which followed was deaf
ening: it was delight this time BooboC
set the baby up on the balustrade his
rather uncertain little legs reinforced by
her good strong grasp.
"Chin-chin 10 the brethren, little man
chin-chn,' So solemnly, as he had been
taught, he raised his chubby little fists to-
gether to his head and held them out in
a chin-chin, whose ceTemOniOusness could
not have been rivaled by a mandarin OF
the crystal button. The delight OF the be
holders knew no bounds then, and through
out the throng voices of those who had
bapD the most violent i'm curses calla1 for