Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-01-01
THE OLD MAN.
One of Eugene Fields "Proftable
Tales"

1 called him the Old Man, but he wuzn't
an old man. he was little boy-our fist
one; nd his gran ma, who'd had heap
of experience in SIGH matters, allowed that
he wuz for looks as likely a child as she'd
ever clapped eyes on. Bein' our fust, we
sot our hearts on him, and Lizzie named
him Willie, for that wuz the name she
liked best, havin' had brother Willyum
killed in the war. But l never called him
ANYTHING but the Old Man, and that name
seemed to fit him, for he wuz one of your
sollum babies-alwuz thinkin md thinkin
md thnkin', like he wuz jedge, and
when he LATED it wuzn't like other chill
dren's affs, it wuz so sad like.
Lizzie md | made it up between us that
when the Old Man growed up we'd send him
to college md give him liberal edication,
no matter though we had to sell the farm
TO do it. But we never cud exactly agree
as to what we was goin' to make of him,
Lizzie havin her heart sot on his bein'
preacher like his gran'pa Baker, and
wantin' him to be a lawyer nd git rich
out the corporations, like his uncle Will
son Barlow SO we never come to no def!
| mite conclusion as to what the Old Man
wuz goin to be bime by; but while we
wuz thinkin' md debatin' the Old Man
KEEP CROWN md CROWN, and all the time
he wuz as serious nd sollum as iedge.
Lizzie got jest wrapt up in that boy;
toted him around ever where, md never
let on like it made her tired-powerful,
big nd hearty child, too, but heft warn't
nothin' 'longside of Lizzie's love for the
| Old Man. When he caught the measles
| from Sairy Bakers baby, Lizzie sot up
| day md night till he wuz well, holdin his
hands and singin' songs to him, nd cryin
| 1. 4.
| give him cold water to drink when he call
ed FIR 1t. AS for me- my heart wuz wrapt
up in the Old Man, too, but, ben' man,
| it wuz'nt for me to show it like Lizzie, be-
| in a woman; and now that the Old Man
| is-wall, now that he has gone, it would
MT do to let on how much | sot by him,
for that would make Lizzie feel all the
wuss
Sometimes, when l think of it, it makes
! me sorry that didn't show the Old Man
some way how much | wuz wrapt up in
him. Used to hold him in my lap nd make
faces for him, md alder whistles nd things;
sometimes I'd kiss him on his rosy cheek,
when nobody wuz lookin'; oncet | tried
to sing him a song, but it made him cry,
nd never tried my hand at singin' again.
But, somehow, the Old Man didn't take to
me like he took to his mother-wOuld
climb down outern my lap to git where
Lizzie wuz; would hang on to her grownd,
no matter what she wuz dom whether
she wuz maxim bread, or SEWN, or put
tin up pickles; it wuz alwuz the same to
the Old Man; he wuzn't happy unless he
wuz right there, clost beside his mother.
Most all boys as I've beern tell, is proud
to be round with their father, dom what he
does nd wearin' the kind of clothes he
wears. But the Old Man wuz diff rent;
he allowed that his mother wuz his best
friend, nd the way he stuck to her-wall,
ii has alwuZ been a great comfort to Lizzie
to recOll ct it.
The Old Man had kind of confidn'
way with his mother. Every oncet in
while, when he'd be playin by hisself in
the front room, he'd call out, "Mudder,
mudder' and no matter where Liz wiz
in the kitchen, or in the wOodshed, or in
the yard, she'd answer: "What is it, darl-
in'?' Then the Old Man nd say: "Tum
here, mudder, | wanter tell you sumiin'."
Never could find out what the Old Man
wanted to tell Lizzie; likes not he didn't
wanter tell her nOthin' maybe he wuz lone
some nd jest wanted TO feel that Lizzie
wuz round. But that didn't make no diff
f'rence; it wuz all the same to Lizzie. No
matter where she wuZ or what she wuz
|
her he wanted to tell her somethin' she
dropped ever thing else nd went straight
to him. Then the old man would laff one
of his sollum, sad-like latfs, nd put his
arms round Lizzie's neck nd whisper-or
pertend TO whisper-somethin' in her ear,
md Lizzie would laff nd say, 80, what
nice secret We have atween us - and
then she would kiss the Old Man nd 90
back to her work.
. Time changes all things-all things but
, memory. Nothin' can change that. Seems
like it wuz only yesterday or the day be-
, fore that | heern the Old Man calm,
, 'Mudder, mudder, | wanter tell YOU sum
fin, and that | seen him put his arms
, around her neck nd whisper softly to her.
1t had been an open winter nd there
wuz fever all around us. The Baxters lost
their little girl, and Homer Thompson's
children had all been AIKEN down. Ev'ry
night nd mornn' we prayed God to save
our darlin'; but one evening when come
up from the wood lot the Old Man wuz
restless nd his face wuz hot md he talked
in his sleep. Maybe you've been through
it yourself-may you've tended a child
that's down with the fever; if so, maybe
you know what We went through, Lizzie
nd me. The doctor shook his head one
night when he come to see the Old Man
we knew what that meant. | went out
doors-I couldn't stand it in the room
there, with the Old Man SEEM md talkin'
about things that the fever made him see.
l wuz too big coward to stay nd help his
mother bear up; so | went out doors md
brung in wood-brung in wood enough 10
last all spring-and then l sat down alone
by the kitchen fire md heard the clock
4 tick md watched the shadders flicker
, through the room.
remember Lizzie's comm to me and
sayin', Hes breathn' strange-like, md
his little feet is cold as ice." Then l went
into the front chamber where he Law. The
day was breakin', the cattle wuz lowin'
outside, beam of light come through the
winder and fell on the Old Mans face
perhaps it wuz the summons for which he
waited and which shall sometime come 10
you md me. Leastwise the Old Man
reused from his sleep md opened his bic
blue eyes. 1t wuzn't me he wanted tG
see.
"Mudder! Mudder!" cried the Old Man.
but his voice warn't strong md clear like 4
used to be. Mudder, where be you, mud.
} der?" ''