The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1907-10-10


for decoration than for anything else.
bot other thoughts werr In his mind,
lie was. for the first time In his life, q
prisoner. II was the duty of the town
10 which he had pnid poll and property
| tanes for more years than be could
really remember 10 provide him with
bed and board. The experience was
no, only noyel, but nlso distinctly
nleasing. ycsting him with a sense or
new importance.
i, was easier than working. this iaii
! ufe ami after the FIRST week IN the
well warmed lookup be began TO look
forward with rckfet'to the time when
he must leave IT,
with the passing OF the first fort.
night of the sixty days confinement
this state of AFFAIRS, however, began to
pail on him. lie found that vacation
may be OF too long duration, lie Do
gan 10 pine for work. Furthermore
his pride was seriously affected. On
two or three occasions Jailer Gibson on
leaving the Lookup after bringing In
the blaeksmlths supper had forgotten
10 lock the door nfter him. The pris'
oner demonstrated in forcible language
az this inattentlon to duty.
.J'm goin to be locked up nights
hereafter. Jim Gibson" he said, knit
ting the red skin OF his forehead into
n mass OF frowning wrinkles, AN !
want you to understan' II, Think o.
me stayln In jail without bell' locked
up, Amt got right to be locked
upT
'I'll put spring lock on the door
tomorrow, John, an then II | so away
nm forget to lock the door you can
close 1t an lock II any time you want
"Well, Jim, all asks to be locked
up like ought to be-" answered the
molliHed prisoner, i'Thats all ask.'
'Yes, an III do more than that
continued the constable. I'm have
that lock SOS you can open It from the
inside with Il nail Nobody but MS
need know, an you can step outside
any time you want to. I'm dom this
he went on hastily, "'cause ! don't
want you to get sick while you're In
my charge. Prisoners get all the ex-
erclsc they want In ey'ry well regu-
lated jail, an ! amt goin' to have no
bne say the Pattersyllle jail's benin
the times"
''No, nor nuther" agreed the black
smith heartily. Have some tobacco.
JimT
Jaller Gibson took plpeful OF the
contents OF the blue and tinsel pack
age extended TO him, and, rolling 1t IN
the palm Of bis hand, sat down TO have
n further chat with the sprisoner.
| "See here, John" he began, the
boys aroun' Pottersyllle are gettin'
| mighty hard up f'r a horseshoer They
don't want te go out Of town FIR one
thing. sides, they couldn't get nobody
nearer nor Spencer, an that's most
forty mile away. We've been a-talkln
It over at the grocery store, an we de-
cided to ask you II you wouldn't Ike
to do Il little work here, We could fix
up place where you could do shoeln'
real slick"
Il don't knows I'd object toit, Jim,'
deliberated the blacksmith, "proyidin'
the boys didn't think twas lettin' me
down on my slxty-daysP
'No ono would think that, JOHN In
terpolated the constable. "Why, 'twonld
be Just n favor to you, If you'd do It.
It's mighty slipp'ry on the roads, an
It's hard on the horses feet. There's
more'n fifty on ,em need sharpenin''
'Twould be just q stroke Of common
humanity on your part, John u yoWd
do It."
"well. you go ahead an fix the things
up" agreed the prisoner, "an' reckon
twill be all right.n
The next day y portable forge was
obtained, and q huge pair Of bellows
set up. The smith donned his apron
and did a rattling business On the
day following he slIod Judge Wenvcr's
trottlng horse Keleck, 2:ls, who had
earned his record at the county fair
the previous year The blacksmith al
40 shod the yoke OF oxen from the
town farm. For week he was forced
to turn away trade daily and even be
gan to talk OF hiring IN assistant.
People who l,vad midway between
PottersyiIle apd Spencer who had been
IN the habit Of going 20 Spencer now
came to see the strange spectacle Of q
jail prisoner doing horseshoeina John
Grant had mara business than ever
before. He offered. n the town author
tiles would arrest and send to jail
some tramp who knew something
about the work, to hire him as assist.
ant and even 10 pay the town for his
keep. The constables. though cnjoincd
10 be on the alert failed 10 find such
n parsonage. '@t II
In tho nean,lme Wits Wenham
came home from the university for Q
, fortnlght's vacation. His attentions e
Nellie Weaver once more hcame
source of annoyance ~ the Judge
Sympathy ia Pottersyille, as II Is apI
10 he IN any town, was with the souns
people, IN some way 1t got rumored
! around the town that Nellie's life al
home was made none of the pleasant
es, by her father Further comment
was aroused when the postmaster gave
! ont that Miss Nellie had returned out
Of Wrnngle's Cthe wealthy summer Wis
/. iior's) letters nnopeaea The .ncidenl
e
!, showeda farther progress ~ tile etant
!. taken ny tho energetic young lady
!. against the plan Of her father TO mar
: ~ her 10 the aforesaid Wrnngle In
ftead Of 10 young Wenham-
!. The crisis was reached early IA April
: There bad been an Ice storm durinl
: die night. making the roads as slip
: perry as glass. Unfortunate indeed Tai
the horse that With HHsharpcned shoe
bad 10 venture on them Trade wa
+ brlsk at the impr1viscd blacksmith
I shop aud John Grant had all the wori
: be eonld hsudl0. lndge Weaver'k tro'
lrr keilsek was late In getting lnh
! line, 50 that II was nearly nlghtfnli
= with a bitter Wind blowing from ~
northeast. when the prisoner black
J, smith at last stripped kelleck of hl
! shoes aud commenced with his usua