St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-02-11

refrain, unwilling to lose note OF the
glorious voice they loved to hear. Be
fore the last verse she beckoned 10 me-
| went to her standing by Craig Sue
as he played for her. 49,
"Ask them to sing" she entreated. i
cannot bear it."
"Mrs. Mayor wishes you to sing IN
the refrain" said, and at once the
men sat up and cleared their throats.
The singing was not good, but at the
first sound of the hoarse notes OF the
men Craigs head went down over the
organ, for he was thinking, suppose
of the days before them When they
would long in vain for that thrlilihs
voice that scared high over their own
hoarse tones. And after the voices
died away he kept on playing TILL nan
turning toward him, she sang alone
once more the refrain in voice low
and sweet and tender, as II for MIN
alone, and so he took it, for he smlled
I'D at her his old smile, full of courage
and full of love.
Then for one whole hour she stood
saving goodby to those rough, gentle
hearted men whose inspiration to good
ness she had been for five years. IL
was very wonderful and very quiet. 1t
was understood that there was to be no
nonsense. and Abe had been heard to
declare that he would throw out any
cotton backed fool" who couldn't hold
himself down, and, further, he had en-
Joined them to remember that her arm
wasn't pump handle.
At last they were all gone, all but
her guard of honor-Shaw, Vernon
Winton, Geordie, Nixon, Abe, Nelson,
Craig and myself.
This was the real farewell, for,
though in the early light OF the next
morning 200 men stood silent about the
stage and as it moved out waved their
hats and yelled madly, this was the
last touch they had Of her hand. Her
place was up on the drivers seat be-
tween Abe and Mr.. Craig, who held
little Marjorie on his knee. The rest
of the guard of honor were to follow
with Graemes team. 1t was Wlnton's
fine sense that kept Graeme from fol-
lowing them close. "Let her go out
alone" he said, and so we held back
and watched her go.
She stood with her back toward Abe's
plunging four horse team and, steady
ing herself with one hand on Abe's
shoulder, gazed down upon us. Hell
head was bare, her lips parted in g
SMILE her eyes glowing with their OWL
deep light, and so, facing us, erect anC
smiling, she drove away, waving Us
farewell till Abe swung his team into
the canyon road and we saw her NJ
more. A sigh shuddered through the
crowd, and, with a sob in his voice
Winton said, God help us all"'
l close my eyes and see it all again
the waving crowd of dark faced men
the plunging horses, and, high up be
side the driver, the swaying, smiling
waving figure, and about all the noun
tains, framing the picture with theil
dark sides and white peaks tipped will
the gold of the rising sun. 1t is a pic
ture l love to look upon, albeit it call
up another that l can never see bu
through tears.
l look across a strip Of ever widening
water at a group of men upon thu
wharf, standing with heads uncovered
every man a hero, though not a mai
of them suspects it, least of all thu
man who stands in front, strong, reso
lutte, self conquered, and, gazing long
l think I see him turn again to hi
place among the men of the mountains
not forgetting, but every day remem
bering the great love that came to hin
and remembering, too, that love is no
all. 1t is then the tears come.
But for that picture two of us at leas
are better men today.