Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-01-03
A NARROW ESCAPE.

''THERE !" said Mr.. Porter, as he wrote
the last line with flourish, and rose from
the table hurriedly, ''don't let me forget
this letter. 1t contains about sixteen ad-
dresses that can't get along without. l
copied them all on one side to save
bother. Alice, you help me remember it.
I'll put it up here, on the end of the man
tel-piece."
"Why don't you put it in your pocket,
papa, and then you will be sure to have
it ?" Thus spoke the watching Elsie.
because the pockets that have about
me now will be hanging in the clothes.
press when am in the city. | declare, |
haven't much time to lose;" and Mr..
Porter bustled away to dress.
Mrs. Porter Immediately emerged from
his dressing-room. ''Elsic, run quick
and ask Mr. Wheeler if he wants papa to
carry that package; and if he does, tell
him to have it at the cars in ten minutes,
or it will be too late. Be spry now" And
Elsie put Baby Nell in Dicks lap and
ran. Just minute more and Mrs. Por-
ter came agnin. "Where's Fred ?" she
said, quickly. "Dick, do you know
what has become of him ?"
{" I saw him go down the hill with
Charlie Wheeler just a minute ago,
ma'am."
''Dear me what nuisance [ wish
he was ever here when he was wanted.
You'll havd to go, Dick. Get your hat as
quick as you can, and run to the store
and tell Stephen that Mr.. Porter wants
that bundle that is in the right hand cor
ner of the drawer. Now be just as quick
as possible. There is always a dozen
things left till the last minute; to hinder
people"
"Where shall 1 leave Baby Nell,
ma'am ?"
"Set her on the carpet and give her
something to play with I'll keep watch
of her."
Then they went their different ways,
and Baby had the room to herself. She
looked around her with great solemn
eyes. She had Elsie's slipper and red
ball to play with; but she had played
with them a score of times, until they had
quite worn her Imagination out. 1t stood
to reason that she ought to be able 10 find
something of more Importance in that
great room to take up her attention. So
she threw the ball under the sofa, and
tucked the slipper in her cradle and COW
cred it up; then she started on her
travel.
There were a good many things that
one would suppose would have taken up
that she shouldhave made straight for the
mantel-piece; yet that was precisely what
she did, She climbed up on her stool,
and from that to the great easy chair, and
by standing on the arm of it, her curly
head Just reached the mantle. She gave
o little squeal of delight, and, seizing upon
the important letter, pumped herself in
the easy chair to read it. People read
letters; she had seen them often; why
shouldn't she? The envelcp was not
sealed, and her small fingers easily jerked
out the sheet Then you would have
been edited, if you could have seen and
heard her. Such curious jargon as she
ratified off, stopping, now and then, to
throw back her head and laugh; as if the
contents of the letter were very funny,
indeed. AS she turned the leaf the stiff
paper tore little; it. made curious
noise. Baby Nell was very fond of noise;
quite a scholar, indeed, in the art of
studying out new ones. She paused in
her reading, and gave the paper quick,
little Jerks. ''Cris, cris," it went; a most
delightful, crispy sound eaTs - rs
much more improving this was than read
ing. She was studying the science of
acoustics. She was avery industrious
little body; and it took but short time
for her deft little fingers to tear all Papa
Porter's important addresses into such
narrow ribbons that it would have been
very hard, indeed, to have made them
out. There they were, in a nice little
heap in her lap. She gave sigh OF salts
faction, and wondered what to do next.
She decided to go back to the mantel,
and, seizing the envelop that she had not
chosen to tear, she climbed up again.
There was glass of water on the man
tel, and she chose to consider herself
thirsty. She promptly dropped the en-
velop, in almost the same position that
she had found it, and seizing the tumbler,
clambered down, without spilling more
than half the contents.
Arrived on the floor, she forgot hel
thirst and began eagerly to gather up the
whole army of strips, tear them into
smaller bits, and send them in swimming
At this point, Mr.. Porter rushed out
seized upon Baby Nell, kissed her hur
riedly, sat her down again, snatched th
empty envelop from the mantel, AM
few out of the house. meeting both hi
messengers in the yard, and receiving IN
formation and bundle.
"Do you kown where to find Mr
Adams, when you get thereT MI