The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-08-16

only an old schoolmate, and her name was
Miss Togy; so she'd come without an lnvi-
tation, and had to have the spare room be
cause she was lady. That was how Jill and
] came to be put into the little chimney bed
room.
And so Jill went out to the carryall. first
thing but went over to the saloon before
supper, and 1 took the yellow cat and the
bakers boy before supper, besides Miss Togy
standing on her head | didn't like her
much for being there, because Aunt John
had to pay so much attention to her.
So we had an o. K time till we went to
bed
They talked about the comet too, at sup
per- but didn't mind and Miss Togy said
she'd been nervous about it all day but Jill
said women always were.
At last we went to bed in the little chin
ney bedroom We went early ; it was dark
early, Aunt John said from storm some
where about and we'd been in the cars all
day.
That little chimney bedroom is the fun
NEST place you ever slept in. ! never slept
in one so funny, unless it was the night we
had missionaries, and slept under the at
tic stairs, and the mouse ran up my shirt
sleeve. There'd been chimney once, and
it ran up by the window, and grandfather
had taken it away 1t was a big ld-fash-
toned chimney and it left the funniest little
gouge in the room. So the bed went in as
nice as could be. We couldn't see much
but the ceiling when we got to bed. 1T 5
pretty dark" said Jill. q shouldn't won
der if it did blow up little. Wouldn't it
e-Miss-Bogy
"Togy," said |.
"Well, To" said Jill, and right in the
middle of it he went off as sound as a weasel.
The next thing can remember is horri-
bic noise. | can't think of but one thing in
this world it was like, and that isn't in this
world so much. | mean the last trump
with the Angel blowing as he blows in my
old primer. But the next thing / remem-
Der is hearing Jill sit up in bed-for
couldn't see him, it was so Oakland his
piping out the other half Of Miss 1ogy's
name, Just as he had left it when he went to
sleep
"Gy! Bo-gy! Fo-gyl Soa-ky. Oh"
said Jill. coming to at last, 81 thought
was up and tried for heading photograph
ers strike and going to be hung unless I
could rhyme Miss Logy's name, and make
sense all the way through to Il That red
pincushion mother keeps in the spare cham
Der at home was judge. Why what's up? 3"
| was up, but | couldn't tell what else
was for little while. 1t was as dark as
great rat hole out of DOORS all but streak
of lightning and an awful thunder, as if the
world was all cracking to pieces. I knew
the cherry-trees in the garden must be shak
! nd for hu -
my breath away but | could not see them,
not speck of them. Then the lightning
lightened, and l saw the old carryall under
the butteruut, and then saw nothing more
Come to bed !" shouted Jill you'll
get struck and thatll kill me !"
went back to bed, for | didn't know
what else to do We crawled down under
the clothes and covered ourselves all up.
W-would-you-call Aunt - John "
asked Jill. He was most choked. | came
up for air.
No" said LII don't think I'd call
Aunt John"
should have liked to call Aunt John by
that time but then | should have felt
ashamed
Il s'pose she's got her hands full looking
after Miss Croaky, anyway" chartered Jill
bobbing for breath, and then bobbing under.
By that time, the storm was the worst
storm | had ever seen in my life. Jill said
he thought it wouldn't have seemed so bad
if he hadn't been in the little chimney bed
room. 1 thought SO too. 1t was so dark
in the gouge where the bed stood. Then
| thought the ceiling came down over our
heads like coffin-lid. said so to JILL
| He said he'd kick me out of bed if l said it
again.
And so it grew worse and worse Thun-
der, lightning and wind Wind, lightning
and thunder Rain and roar and awful
ness l don't know how to tell how awful
it was.
All the house shook as if it had a ft
And our bed ratified up against the wall
And there was hail, and it beat the window
IN. 1t cut me on the face when | bobbed up
to look. 1t felt like a great sword.
In the middle of the biggest peal we'd
had yet, up jumped Jill. 4" Jack !" said
he, 1" that comet!" I'd never thought of
the comet till that minute. 1 felt an ugly
feeling, and little cold all over 1T is the
comet" said Jill. Its the Day Of judy
ment. Jack"
Jill said this in funny way just an
everyday way, as if we'd been playing in the
saloon, and he d told me to move the cam
era little. I asked him afterwards why
he didn't howl. He said he was too scared.
Then it happened 1t happened so fast
that didn't even have time to get my head
out from under the clothes.
First there was creak Then a crash.
Then We felt a shake, as if giant pushed
his shoulder through the floor and showed u.s.
Then we doubled up. And then we began to
fall The floor opened, and we went through.
| heard the bed-post hit as we scraped by.
Then knew was falling Then | felt an-
other crash. Then we began to fall again.
Then we bumped down hard. After that
we stopped falling. | lay still. My heels
were doubled up over my head. ] thought
my neck would break. But never dared
to stir. 1 thought that was dead.
BY and by wondered if Jill were not
dead too. So undoubled nv neck a little.
and found some air. 1t seemed to be Just
as uncomfortable to double up your neck,
and to breathe without air when you are
dead as il was when you weren't.
So | called out, softly, Jill" No an
swer Jill" Not sound. "Oh-Jill!"
but ne Old not speak. SO then | knew
Jill must be dead, at any rate / couldn t
help wondering why he was SO much deader
than l that he couldn't answer a fellow.
Pretty soon l heard a rustling noise around
my feet Then weak, sick, kind Of a noise,
just the noise | always had supposed
ghosts would make if they talked
jack"
Z" Is that you, JILL"
"1-suppose-so. Is it you. Jack -