The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-12-30
StLtLItD STORY.
1rai,,StOries.
CHRISTMAS IN THE CUT.

through tn, whole ulght gradua ly los.
iul me. $ oW we failing AL along
The rack; noi IN goud honest stupid
fake, whose fua location one could
depend upou, hut in small dusty plrli-
cl a. at would 90 any where aud uked
nothing better than 10 drift into cuts
and stop a IRAN II 1t could
In he comfortable berths OF III
sleeping-cars, all was snuL enough; in
deed it is for some q rather pleasant
pa, time, to lie well roll up in warm
blankets. peer out of lie frosty window
into a wild winter night as flies past
you, and then pull down the thick cur
tain, cuddlc into cat like bundle OF
cuziness, and fall asleep.
But some time in the watches almost
every ody was awakened by the dis
turbauce of long silence; we had been
lying still longer than any station ought
to detain US.
OIe by one the painfully audible
SHORES of heavier sleepers subsideC into
a waking quiet. Brakemen and por-
tiers began 10 be heard passing to aud
fro through the Car. Finally they con-
versed IN half-subdued tones, ana now
and then one could hear The word
"staled."
Il was not long before everybody Ou
board knew that The train had besu
brought up in a deep cut full of drifts;
that the wind, upon the contrary, was
more act We than ever, and Hj'l eat
good nature pued ibis white dust hi her
and higher upon the block d. already
established. s. there We were. l4led
in tons o now, in lirs hours OF Chi-.-
mas; and instead of The pJo rtC' o. are
irving home IN the early morning. we
were virtual as far away as il Lake
Superior yawued between our loved
ones aud US.
There were enough provisions on
board 10 give everybody air y good
breakfast; and two Of Tie most hardy
porters dug their way out into the
storm with view of buying more from
the neighboring farmers. The human
atoms of this little disjointed world
that had been separately flying along
through the night began tn get together;
and people became acquainted who
would never have thought of knowing
each other if the weather had behaved
itself.
''It's long train" said a tall, lauk
man, who, having burned four gigantic
cigars in the smokiug-room, had taken
ramble through the coaches. "We've
got enough passengers with us TO start
new town here among the snow
banks. They're all pretty good-natured
too, considering that this is Christmas
and they're away from home. But it's
something to have home-eVen to be
away from" He looked sad for mo-
ment.
only there's young woman in one
of the forward day-coaches, that cries
every minute of the time. She JUS
leans her head over on the seat-back in
front of her, and weeps. She wouldn't
eat any breakfast, they say, except her
own sobs. She won't tell what's the
matter. Now hate to have woman
around, crying, when she won't tell
what the matter is. Can't some of the
ladies in the car here go and find out?"
A quiet, sweet-faced, middle-aged
lady, richly dressed, and with diamonds
that would have bought half the train,
rose and started for the door. "The
poor girl will tell me-" she laughed,
giving the tall man look of courteous
good natured feminine scorn, as if to
say, "Of course you GU ght to know that
she wouldn't take any of your rough
sex into her confidence"
The tall gaunt man fidgeted around
for quite long while, waiting for the
lady to come back and report, and had
finally just organized game of whist
or euchre, when the lady reappearod,
with look of suppressed merriment on
her face.
"The poor girl informed me at last"
she said, in answer to our looks of in
quiry. "You never could have got her
to tell it in the world with look at
the tall gaunt man. "She made me
half promise not to tell it, before she
would let me know what's the matter.
Sne's quite pretty girl, too, if'her face
wasn't pasted with tears" AT this all
the gentlemen evinced new and eager
sympathy. Hurry up and tell the
half you didn't promise not to-" said the
lady's husband.
But the lady required considerable
urging before she would tell. She
laughingly said that secrets had cer-
tain mercantile value, and made her
husband promise TO buy her number
of extra Christmas presents in case we
were ever released from our present
incarceration. AT last she said
Well, the trouble is just this: The
girl is engaged 10 be married this even
ing at six O'Clock in a little town ten
miles ahead of here, named Independ
ence-called so | presume on account
of its freedom from servility to stage
coaches; for the trains, for some reason
all stop there-that is, if they ever ge
there. The girl has been away some
where TO nurse sick sister, and coulc
not leave any sooner. She expected Il
get home last night, and be ready TO
the ceremony this evening; she is
poor girl, evidently, and hasn't mucl
10 get ready with. About half of Ital,
is shovelling out the snow ahead of us