The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-08-31
AUNT MANS MISSION
BY M. QUAD.

Aunt Nan, and she raised 10 oblec.
ton. She had an income. ana she
lived alone. 1t was said Of her that
she was disappointed woman. She
was, but not 10 the sense that she had
loved and lost. SO far as any one
knew she had never loved at ait
though several widowers had cleaned
their muddy feet on her dosrmat and
tried to interest her In affairs matri-
moniaL just what was the matter
with Miss Spooner was that she was
woman with mission. and did not
know exactly what that mission was.
Up to the age OF thirty she had
thought It was 10 convert the heather
OF China and Africa. but the returns
were 50 uncertdIn that she had finally
decided that she was on the wrong
track. Then 1t dawned on her to take
up the temperance question, but here
she was handicapped Old Sol pritch-
ard was the only one In the village
that got drunk. and bis wife said
that she would rather have him come
home drunk than sober, as he broke
fewer dishes.
There is nothing more discouraglng
than feeling that you have a mission
and having that mission lodging you
and keeping you IN suspense. The
only thing that can be done. however,
is to wait. Miss spooner waited, and
at length her mission hove into view.
1t was in the form OF a tramp. 1t
called at her house for something to
eat She sat It down at the table aud
babe It I'll up While it was doing SO
she ran into a neighbours 10 see II that
neighbor couldn't spare an old coat,
and when she returned the tramp had
departed; also her watch and chain
and other things.
Miss Spooner was Justly indignant
She gave the alarm, the fellow was
overhauled, aud before night be was
IN jail at the county seat. six miles
away, on a three mouths' sentence
The justice OF the peace. the constable
and others applauded her action. and
for two or three days she felt that
she had done her duty. Then the still
small voice began TO whisper 10 her
She had tempted the wayfarer. lie
had probably been driven to trampism
By misfortune. he might have been
an honest man up to this time. In
fact, she made a dozen other excuses
for him. and all at once it dawned on
her that here was her long sought
mission. There would be more joy
over saving one tramp than in sending
a million tracts TO the heather. She re.
CALLED that the man looked lonely and
downcast, as If be realized that the
world was against him. and she wasn't
quite sure that he didn't have tears
in his eyes as he sat down TO the
spread.
You probably know how conscience
works when It gets out Of leading t
strings. and It is useless to relate that /
within a week Aunt Nan was asking
admission to the county Jail She had
friend in town and had driven over
to tell her all about il and to stop for
a few days She began with the tramp
by begging his pardon. He would
have been no tramp at all II he hadn't
taken bis cue from this He pleaded
sudden impulse ana stoutly asserted
that be had turned about to restore the
property when arrested II was the
only theft he had ever committed. He
had been poor. but honest
There was a second visit and a third
The tramp grew more mellow at every
visit. He was ready to and did prom
ise everything asked OF him, including
truth. sobriety. industry. economy, am
bition and excelsior. Then Aunt Nan
went home and enlisted the aid Of her
minister in the mission They worked +
for a pardon but failed to get it. No
one else seemed to have a spark OF I
sympathy for a downtrodden man who
wanted to climb up. Then came
mental struggle in which the minister
did not participate 1t was all Miss
spooner's secret. She wanted that
tramp out Of jail that he might lose
no time beginning a new life.
When Miss snooner visited the Jail
again she carried a couple OF files
with her. and they were left there.
She had convinced herself that her
mission was greater than the law. 1t
took the tramp two nights to file
through the bars. but on the third
night, as the spinster sat alone in her
house with swelling heart, he entered
by the back door. She was expecting
him. she was to give him $40 to 60
far away and make new start.
He was to keep her in his thoughts as
lie climbed up and write her once a
fortnight. The money was ready for
him. as well as package Of pro-
visions. She was giving him sisterly
advice as to his future conduct when
ali Of q sudden she was thrown to the
floor. Before she could scream sec
end time there was a gag ID her
mouth. and then her hands and feet
were tied. and she was helpless.
Then the tramp hummed cheerful
tune as he began a search Of the house.
he got her jewelry again; be got 500
from bureau drawer; he got her
sunday dress and her silver spoons
and forks. She had some currant
vine down cellar, and he drank three
hotties and sat down beside her and
delivered a brief lecture on missions
and ended by calling her an idiot.
Tben be walked out and went over
and stole the minister's horse and
buopv and drove away. Three days
later Aunt Nan called on the good
man to ask: