Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-10-09
I'll light lamp ma'am said he meekly.-

last night, and happened tn drop 1T in the
stove after the fire was kindled
Then don't believe there IS one in tho
house. Lucy rose as she said this. and
throwing shawl over her night dress. join
ed her husband in searching in possible
and Impossible places. In vain.
There Is no joke, said Harry. at last.
We are indeed a matches pair. Get back
to your nes;, while Hook mp something ed
lble and then start for the station WHAT'S
the bill Of fare for breakfast. Here are
several covered dishes
This is baking day, replied Lucy. rufully
There are beans i'll soak for dinner, and
batter stirred up for bucliwheat cakes. and
bowl oi yeast to raise the bread; and that's
about all
Well, you cant eat raw beans, or buck
wheat batter, and l beg you to let tn.
yeast aloue as don't want you to RISE
There must he something more on hand.
There is nothing in the house. Harry.
except few Fragments under napkin in
the pantry hardly enough for the cliidren
She was quite right. The entire stock
OF edlbles in the menage was barely enough
Tor the two young moaths now ready for it.
Granger divided the food between the
children, bade them get iuto their mothers
bed for wamth and society. and then pro
tected by Overcoat and gloves and armed
by shovel he set out to break his way to
the station. The distance was quarter OF
a mile. and he bade his wife feel no surt
prise il he did not return in AN hour The
mother told stories and the children though,
1t great fun, asking with "a touch Of their
fathers hamor, if that was the way rich
fUhs lived. At length when the hour had
expired. the boy wrapped i'll his mothers
shawl went to look for the good man's re-
turn. He was just in time. Granger was
at the eoor changed almost beyond recog
nition. Covered from head to foot with
snow. partially frozen and wholly exhaust.
ed. he reeIed as he entrr and caught at
the stair for support. = Il around
hin in a moment, but III back
to their rest, assuring thc.u e.. id .be all
right when he recovered his breath, Then
he shook the snow from his feet and sat
down upon the stairs. We are surrounded
by inpassable dlltts said he. I didn't get
more than ii dozen rods, aud when found
must come back, my tracks were filled
and bad to cut my way back.
The coolness Of the house was in his fa-
Yer. His stitfenrd ears and fingers chang
ed slowly from red to white and from torp0r
to that ol burning glow, But the fantness
Was that OF hunger.
Have We any stiinulants in the house! he
asked desperately y.
Nothing but camphor, was the reply,
! don't know about taking camphor and
cold water upon an empty stomach. l
~
could be found.
wish we had dozens of them, but we
are quite oat. have been waiting till
they were cheaper,
All, Lucy, your economy is likely to be
the death of me. pleaded Harry. who
would have beeu humorous in extremitis.
Lucy thought, it is rather your want Of
economy.
At dinner time Harvy emptied bottle
of tomato eatsup, aud Lucy and the child
ren ehewed quantity Of crashed wheat
with manifest relief. They then got UP
"A bioedred flag, made an old curtain which
rugged at Iialfmast was displayed from the
window as a signal of dIstrcss. 1t was
seen and commented upon, hutail the avail
able muscles Of the little roadside village
was mile away npun the snow plough max
ing effort to clear the railroad track, and
there We're none who could come to the
rescue. The early twilight began to fall,
aud the children, having suPped irugally ON
Il mixture of sugar and ginger. muistened
with water, twhat their father called gin
gerbread with the bread left OUT had taken
refuge in sleep.-Granger sat down in
the parlor to consider the situation and be
out of hearing of his wi(es cough
How long was the blockade to last
Would his neighbors come to his relief to-
morrow, or would they think it their duty
to clear the railroad first Would it be
possiahle to break IA road through the drifts
Ii fore the win went down! The distance
was not in length. but in depth it was ap
palling. 1t WAS to be computed not IN
lneal but cubic measure, and growing
more so at that, Their supplies for the
seige We're meat and vegetables and stock
Of meal and flour; these might sustain life
for some time; hut surly not health i'll one
so frail as Mrs. Granger She had some
tendency to consumption. Would it NOT
in this interval be fatally confirmed J
Granger had been right III SAYING earlier
that their condition was no joke, bat his
brain turned with half comical images,
of ghastly glce. don't won
der he soliloquized, that soldiers are
urged to strike for their altars aud their
fires. | would fight with an lrishman for
the coal in his pipe. lie rose and walked
up aud down the room with hasty strides,
bat turn which way he would, the same
facts stared him in the face.
He thought he had exhausted but a
faint one occurred to him, aud he tested
it less in hope than despair
Suddenly he looked in Upon his wife.
his face lighted with glow ofjoy. l have
better news to tell you than | had last |
night, he said in a suppressed but jubilant
tone.
What is it, have you found a match!
No, but what is better. pile of hot
Goals, That maple log, bless its obdurate
neart-is all alive under white ashes in the
parlor steve.
Is it pcssiablc ! l never knew that stove
TO keep fire before, but then it has not of
ten been tried.
Well you ow the damper is rather lose
md the wind closed it last night.
Yes, and shut tile register in front.
You did, Lucy. and that bit of economy
las saved us more than you can guess,
In ten minutes fires were roaring in par
or and kitchen, and in another the cotfee
and cakes grew brown. The
,loth was laid and the lamps lighted, bat
before rousing the children to their unlock
ID tor supper, Granger detained his wife
% say to her, do not intend to let you do
Ill the moralizng. am not so dull that
cannot take Il lesson from. what has hap
,ened. admit the Importance of little
hings. Rich or poor, We cannot afford to