News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1911-02-01

| o we used 20 Eltk stone wall till
hey bri hteped up There there she
ONES. Humph. Stockn's soaked too.
Wish | had some dry ones to lend you.
Night give you pair Of nine but
they'd be too scant fore and aft and
TOO broad in the beam, | carlate.
Humph And your top higgins as
wet as your hull Seen on your beam
ends, have you"
II don't know, sir. ! fell down in
the bushes coming across. There
were vines, and they tripped me up,
and the umbrella was so heavy that
eyes, / could see right off you was
carryin' too much canvas. Now take
off your bunnit, and I'll git coat Of
mine to wrap you up in"
He went into his bedroom and re-
| turned with a heavy "reefer" jacket.
| Ordering his caller to stand up, he
slipped her arms into the sleeves and
turned the collar up about her neck.
Her braided 'pigtail" of yellow hair
| stuck out over the collar and hung
| down her back in a funny way, The
coat sleeves reached almost to her
knees, and the coat itself enveloped
her like bedquilt.
There" said Captain Cy approving
ly-"now you look more as if you was
under storm rig. Set down and
toast your toes. Where's that letter
you said you hadY
"It's inside here l don't knows I
can get at it, these sleeves are SO
long"
"Reef 'em-turn 'em up. Let me
show you. That's better Hum! SO
you come from the depot, hey? Live
up that way?"
mo, sir! 1 used to live in Concord,
but
Concord? Concord? Concord where?"
Concord, N. H. I came on the cars.
Auntie knew man who was going to
Boston, and he said he'd take care of
me as far as that and then put me on
the train to come down here. l stop
ped at his folks house in Charlestown
last night, and this morning we got
up early, and he bought me a ticket
and started me for here. | had a box
with my things in it, but it was so
heavy l couldn't carry it, so l left it
up at the depot. The man there said
it would be all right and you could
send for it when"-
81 could send for it? l could? What
in the world Say, child, you've made,
a mistake in your bearins 'Tain't me
you want to see; it's some of your
folks relations most likely. Tell me
who they are; maybe know 'em."
The girl sat upright in the big chair.
Her dark eyes opened wide, and her
chin quivered.
"Ain't you Captain Cyrus Whit
taker?" she demanded "You said you
was"
Eyes, yes, l am. I'm Cy Whitaker,
but what
"Well, auntie told me-
"Auntie! Auntie who?'
'Auntie Oliver. She isn't really nv
auntie, but mamma and me lived in
her house for ever so long, and So
wait wait, wait! I'm hull down in
the fog. This is gettin' too thick for
me. Your auntie's names Oliver and
you lived in Concord, N. II. For-for
thunder sakes, what's your name"
Emily Richards Thomas"
EN- Emily Richards-Thomasw
Eyes, sir"
Emily Richards Thomas! What was
your mas name|'
Mamma was Mrs. Thomas. Her
front name was Mary. She's dead.
Don't you want to see your letter? !
I've got it now"
She lifted one of the tapping coat |
sleeves and extended a crumpled. |
damp envelope. Captain Cy took it in |
a dazed fashion and drew a long |
breath. Then he tore open the envel-
ope and read the following:
Dear Captain Whittaker-The bearer of /
this is Emily Richards Thomas. She is !
seven, going on eight, but old for her |
years Her mother was Mary Thomas !
that used to be Mary Thayer 1t was her |
you wrote to about keeping house for |
you, but she had been dead a fortnight |
before your letter come. She had bron-
chial pneumonia, and it carried her Off |
having always been delicate and with |
more troubles to bear than she could |
stand, poor thing! Since her husband, |
who 1 say was a scamp even if he is
dead, left her and the baby she has took
rooms with me and done sewing and |
such. When she passed away IJvrote to
Seth Howes, a relation of hers out west /
md, so far as | know, the only one she |
had. l told the Howes man that Mary
had gone and Emme was left Would
they take her? l wrote And Seth's wife
wrote they couldn't, being poorer than
poverty themselves. l was afraid she |
would have to go to a homo, but when
your letter came 1 wrote the Howeses
again. And Mrs. Howes wrote back that
you was rich and a sort of faroff rela-
ton of Marys and probably you would |
be glad to take the child to bring up.
Said that she had some correspondence |
with you about Mary before. So l send |
Emmie to you. Somebody's got to take
care of her, and l can't afford it. though
would if | could, for she's a real nice
child and some like her mother. 1 do
hope she can stay with you 1t seems a
shame to send her to the orphan asylum.
send along what clothes she's got,
which amt many. Respectfully yours,
SARAH OLIVER.
Captain Cy read the letter through.
Then he wiped his forehead.
"Wellr' he muttered. well! 1 nev.
er in my life! II never did! OF all'-
Emily Richards Thomas looked up