Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-11-20

| served axe to Uncle Ben. The boy Is q 100
about that axe" said his father IF it wa
made of wedge of gold he could not be NOR
choice of it he even hides it away from m
that gave it to him." Lyman looked at hi
uncle with quiet smile, ''COme, come, Ly
man." said his father, 'there's reason in tn
roasting of eggs throw your axe in her
for tonight" He opened the door of a httl
closet next to the fire place. Don't go clea
back to the wOOd-house this cold night" -
place for everything, and everything in it
place." replied, Lyman, and the axe wa
returned to the wood-hOuse. snow that
what call superstitious," said the father
while he took from the opcu closet a splinter
broom to sweep up the wide spread Goals o
the fire he had just raked, just as he was fin
ishing, his wife called to him from the kitch
en-, and hastily Mrocing the broom into tn
closet, he went to her. John" she said
''there is no water in the house."
Well, what of that 2"
"Why, you know, l never like to go to bee
without a pail of water at hand"
." know that is one of your superstitions.
John Leak, in spite of all his experience persis
ted in looking upon the provisions of foresight
as, superstiti0ns," "Let it CO. just fol
this one night, wife, it's dark and biting cold
and the way up to the well all shOd with glare
| ice"
"Tis bad" said his wife, meekly, and
| urged no more but, as she looked wistfully
at the empty pail she thought if she should
chance to want water in the night, it would
not be any better getting it, and an anxious
sigh escaped her Coming events dc
sometimes seem to cast their shadows be-
FORE"
The family were soon all in bed, and in
heir first sleep, the profoundest of the night;
but there is 10 sleep from which mother can
not be awakened by restless child, and
about one clock Mrs. Leak was reused from
hers by the nesting of her baby. She in
SANITY awakened her husband with, "John
do get up and see where this smoke comes
from the room is full of it," Their bed
room was off the sitting-rOOm the door was
open into it, and the moment Leak raised his
head ne saw bright light shining through
the creviceS Of the clOset-dOOr into which he
had thrown the splinter broom.
Some small Goals had adhered to the broom
when John swept the hearth, but, shut in
the closet with very little air, they had been
SLOW in kindling but now they had kindled
thoroughly, and when Leak sprang to the
closet-door and opened it, the broom was in
a,lighted blaze, and the heated partition had
taken fire. John seized the broom and threw
it in the fire place, and at that moment the
fire had made so little progress that single
pail full Of water at hand then would have ex-
tinguish.
" Oh, pail Of acater !" shrieked Mr. Leak.
Leak thought with anguish of the empty pail,
rushed to the kitchen for it, and rushed to
the well. The ground was descending to the
house, and, as he said, slippery as glass"
and Leak fell Quickly, he let the bucket down
60 the deep we'll and filled his pail, and reach
ed the house with it, but the air had rushed
in throus n the open door and blew up the
felt twenty pals of water. The smoke filled
and the outcries of John and his wife had
awakened the whole family, who now came
Out-al excepting the two girls, who had
bolted themselves into little bedroom, had
talked together late into the night, and were
danger and misery : about the ah Lynn? Lyman
rushed through an outer room filled to suffo-
cation with smoke, and shrieked, "Anne =
Sally !! fire ~ There was no answer In
vain he banged against the door it was too
securely bolted. Quick as thought, he
sprang to window communicating with the
wood-house, passed through it, and in a mo-
ment returned with his AK. The smoke had
become fire-the room was blazing. But
with Heavens help and blessing Che said he
could not--he could not possibly have done it
alone, in a breath the door was battered down,
and in another breath the girls jumped
from the window unharmed, followed by Ly-
man.
The rapid consumption of wooden-house
in the country, i'll a cold gusty night, can
scarcely he conceived of by those who have
not witnessed it. There was but just time
to cxtricate the horses and cattle from the
stable when that, as we'll as the house and
woOd-hOuse, was enveloped in flames. All,
as Leaks neighbor had torewarn.d him, went
together, and in one mass Of ashes lay the
labor of many months-the dear old furniture
of the Connecticut home, all the children's
pretty things, fond memorials and precious
keepsakes that no toll no art, no kindness
could make up to them. "And all this dread
full loss" as Mr.. Curtis would repeat to his
listeners in the school, for the want of pull
Of ,cater in the right place. And life saved
by the axe being in the right place, instead of
having been thrown into the closet, as Leake
proposed, beside the broom, by the careless
use of which all the harm was done.