St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-26

back the half dollar.
Done wild him." gasped Aunt
Martha, as he passed on. HE tuck
de little piece instead Nv de big I'M.
Nuv' min. 1 amt gwine to be
bothered dis way no more. I'll fix
ne mex un."
There was no more trouble till
Anthony's Ferry was reached. Then
poor Aunt Martha, in her shiftless-
ness, had to shift for herself. She
was set adrift 10 a varied crowd of
people who were all looking out for
No. One. After wandering about
for some time, she plucked up
courage, and asked a workman how
to get to "Wixbug." Hepointed out
the boat, and offered to help her
with her baggage. She was glad of
his assistance, and thought him very
kind. He returned to the train for
her luggage, and was not a moment
too soon in reaching the landing.
"A dollar, ma am, for your trunk, "
said the accommodating man.
Aunt Martha's plan, after her little
experience with the foreman, was to
hand out bill, and trust to the
peoples honesty for getting back
the proper change. Accordingly, she
passed the workman the first note
in her pursr. 1t was ten dollars. He
returned only half of it.
dat shows good man." thought
a-cheated me-"
The boat was off. The clerk came
around for the fares. He took a bill
from poor Aunt Martha, and hand
ed her back the right change. 1t
made no difference, however, to her,
for she did not know whether he had
cheated her or not.
Late in the afternoon, the boat
tied up at the Vicksburg wharf. The
moment the gangways were down,
the decks were thronged with team
sters of every kind.
"Carriage, LADY," Hack, sir?"
Cab, Mr?" BUS, ma'am ?" This
way to your baggage wagon"
Right here is the Union Transfer"
''Porter for the Trowbridge House"
Everybody is going to the Wash
ington Hotel nowadays" "The
Pacific is the only good place in
town to stop"
Poor Aunt Martha! This was
rather more of the world than she
cared to see. She leaned up against
a post, and wished she were back on
the old plantation. At length, a cab
man who had failed to get pas
senger, came to her.
Don't you want to ride up,
Auntie ?" he asked.
81 got to git a place to go, FUSS
replied Aunt Martha.
Come on wild me-" suggested the
hackman, IAN Tll hep you fin one"
Aunt Martha began to think the
world was not so very cold, after all.
She was glad to put herself under the
kind mans protection.
My woman keeps bodin' house
for colored folks" began the driver,
as he ratified away up the street.
May be you'd as soon stay wild u.s."
Il amt no ways hard to suit" re-
joined Aunt Martha, IAN 1 'specks
to pay fur all gifts"
"All right, ma 'am," said the
driver, touching up his horses.
"We'll use you proper"
AS Aunt Martha sat in her room
that evening, after a much poorer
than she had been accustomed
to, the drivers woman" as he
termed her, called around. When
half an hour passed in conversation,
she arose to go. At the door she
turned back.
"Lor', honey" said she, II clean
furgot to tell We bout our range
ments here. De folks is so mean
bout payin', we has to have our
money fuss. Not as we looks fur
what amt right in you, member,
but we jes has to do all alack, ye
know"
Aunt Martha was half inclined to
be angry at the want of confidence,
but forced herself to accept the situa-
ton good-naturedly. She handed |
the woman her purse, and requested |
her to take out weeks board The |