The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-06-15


nook, should feel some interest in it.
Her meditations were still tending in
that direction, when suddenly there
came rushing, rolling sound, crash
ing as of breaking bushes, scream from
Rob and Teddy that would have done
credit to two Indians, aad then some
thing struck the corner of the house so
heavily as to make it all jar and tremble.
Jemima sprang to her feet, and was
out at the door in an instant. The bows
were certainly not killed she saw that
at glance; neither were they injured
in lung or limb, for the shouting and
gestieulating were wild and furious.
Aunt Jeml Oh, Aunt Jem, look
Just look p
Aunt Jem did look-at the broken
back fence, leveled currant- bushes, flat
tened hower-beds, and last at the front
yard, where reposed the cause of all the
mischief-the large milestone.
at coined tumbling the hill right
down on to our back yard, and some of
the fence was there besides the currant-
bushes, and Rob and me we yelled, you'd
better believe l'' lucidly explained the
astonished Teddy.
cit is mercy you were not killed."
began Aunt Jem's trembling lips; but
Rob interrupted her with another vocif-
erous "Oh, lookw and pointed to a
brisk bonfire that was springing up in
front of them. Jemima's bleaching ap-
paratus had been overturned, and the
Goals emptied out of the pan had set
the barrel in blaze. A bucket or two
of water soon extinguished the fire !;
but alas for the bonnet it was wofully
blackened instead of whitened, and
burned beyond all possibility of making
over.
The group gathered about the ruins
in dismay, for the children were quick
to detect the look of trouble in Aunt
Jem's face, and even they understood
the case well enough to know that arti-
cles destroyed were not always easily
replaced.
mo one hurt, hope?" said voice
Just beside them-a manly voice, though
trihe hurried and anxious
Jemima looked up, met the kindly,
questioning glance Of pair Of blue
eyes, and recognized Mr.. Barclay. She
started little, not having noticed his
approach, but she answered, promptly,
"No, Sir; no one hurt in the least"
Really, 1 don't know how such an
accident could have happened" he re-
marked, as if even yet bewildered by
the affair. "There must have been
some carelessness in loading the stone, l
suppose for when we were part way
up the hill the wagon tilted a little, and
the stone slipped off and came crashing
down. Its force was mostly spent be-
fore it reached your place, but 1 see it
has done damage enough as it is;' and
IL swift, comprehensive glance swept
hower-beds and broken bushes.
Nothing very serious-nothing but
what little labor will make right
again." courageously and politely re-
sponded Miss Jemima, noticing the di-
rection his eyes had taken.
"No, it won't" interposed Master
Teddy; "'cause Aunt Jem's bonnet
what she had a-bleachin' in the barrel
is all burned up. 1t was goin' to be
her Sundayest one, too; an now she
can't go to meetin' nor nothin' only
I'll lend you my hat, Aunt Jem."
"Hush, hush, Teddy = whispered
Aunt Jem, pressing the little fat hand
the offered sympathy, though her face
grew suddenly rosy, and it required
some effort to betray no discomposure.
"No, Sir; there's not much harm done.
am thankful it is no worse"
$50 ami Some one might have been
killed by it," he answered, gravely,
stealing curious glance at the charred
barrel, meanwhile, and pondering
Teddy's remark. Not very we'll versed
in millinery matters was Cade Barclay.
A sister he had never had, and his
mother had been dead now nearly a
year. Where the neat, Quaker-Gke
bonnets she had worn during her life
time came from it never had occurred
to him to inquire but he felt tolerably
certain that they had not been conjured
out of barrel in the back yard. He
knew that there were places where such
articles were sold, and fancied that most
ladies bought them. Brewing them at
home, in barrels, over ire, struck him
as rather an original plan, and he strong
ly suspected, Teddy's lament taken into
account, that it indicated shortness of
funds. He was very sorry for the mis-
chief his rolling stone had caused, and
this particular part Of it seemed the
most difficult to remedy.
"You must let me compensate as far
as possible for the trouble have caused
you," he began; but Miss Jemima so
quickly and decidedly declared the i'll
jury of no consequence that there was
nothing more to be said. His honest
heart was still perplexing itself over
the problem when small specimen of
the canine race presented itself to view,
and Teddy caught it up.
"This is my dog; he came to live
with us without nobody askin' him.
Aunt Jem don't like him much cause he
amt Newfounder; he's rat terror"
"Ah is he Z" said Mr.. Barclay, be-
coming suddenly interested. "Such an
animal is very useful about mill some
times, where there are a great many
rats and mice. wouldn't mind giving
five dollars for him, if you were willing
to let him go. Would you sell him for
that 7"
"Yes, Sir" answered Teddy, prompt
ly; and bill was pressed into the
little palm, and the dog transferred to
its new owner.
Miss Jemima viewed this proceeding
rather doubtfully; still as she was not
consulted in the matter, and the gen.
tleman appeared as much interested in
the bargain as Teddy himself, she did
not quite see how to interfere. The
dog might be valuable; she really did
not know. Mr.. Barclay seemed WON
derfully we'll satisfied himself, and held
fast to his purchase as if it were a rare