The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-27
Quality Hill.

AFRAID OF IOdU. Dub Uc SOuO oCdIU vi Uut
lightning" said she. starting as the heavens
blazed over with sheet of fame in instant
glory, with crash and Ioar that found its
way through her tat fingers and through two
wads of cotton, bursting on her ears Ike the
trump of doom. - e
ssMercy en- mep' shrleked Mrs. Woodcock,
''that struck. Now you may rely upon It, as
true as your living creature, that stfucK!
Mr. Spofford's old sorrel morse, tne only
living creature in sight, made no reply, but
kent on nibbling away at the white clover Oh
tbe green before the door. He only turned
his back TO the driving rain, thai flew from
the west to the east SO fast and so heavy that
it was more like bank OF fog than moving
drops of water; and gave passing SILVER
when the rainfall changed to hail, and rat
tied uown in stones as large as birds eggs.
But Mrs. Woodcock was above the blind
trust OF the beast; so, pale and trembling,
she pressed her hands tighter over her ears,
and looked at SPIDERS web in the darkest
corner of the room as steadtastly as If she
was sitting for her photograph.
The thunder growled itself to sleep at last,
the lightning flashed its life away and the sun
broke out like Sudden smile on a baby S
face. Sill the unconscious Mrs. Woodcock
held on to her ears and gazed at the spider
web until the outer door was flung open, and
the chore-boy shl filed in. He was hempen-
udlIGu, DubIellDllh-'yCu vi HilCCh, ~ nv
was either half-witted or haHcrazed-possi-
bly, both.
'.Ho! Aunt Prissy," he cried; "what are
you keeping Independence for, the day after
the Fourth! II has all come off as clear as
new cider, and you are wasting your time
sitting there like statue. You better be
mending my pantaloons."
As he spoke, a sudden sunbeam darted
through the western window, and flashed
athwart the corner.
''If there isn't a cobweb right in my kitch-
EMP quoth Mrs. Woodcock, deliberately put
tiI down her fingers and her feet. and going
for wing-a gray goose wing that hung by
strip of red calico on a nail behind the
door,
''Oh. you come, Orson? Where did it
strike?' she continued, appearing to discov-
er the grinning boy.
'.Th5 hail struck everywhere, particular on
DR.. Seacrest's grape vines. l haven't heard
as the thunder struck at all, not even on
some folks ears" returned Orson, who was
mainly composed of pair of overgrown bare
feet, blue cotton frock and overalls, a set Of
broad, white teeth, and a weatherbeaten
hat, with wide, slouching brm.
You don mean to say the doctors grape
8 vines are hurt essentially, do you p' queIied
Mrs. Woodcock, deaf to the impertinence as
she hac been to the thunder 4s
replied OIson. who was fond of long words,
but not clear as to their use. 'But l can tell
you one thing though You ought just to
see the Doctors new grape. winery he sets so
much by. The tendoms and young grapes
are fairly chewed 10 bits. Yes'm. | don't
expect five hundred dollars in gold would put
it back to where it was an hour ago."
'How you ialkv' gasped Mrs. Woodcock,
who liked to have things happen, and the
worse they happened the better she liked it.
She was a very kind hearted soul but some
thing to talk over was worth as much as her
dinner.
'But is il SOP" she continued, dou5tfully.
"Really and truly, Orson? Now speak the
truth just exactly as it is"
Orson had as much idea of the truth as he
had ofgeology. -
yes m,, said he getting holder. i'The
doctor said to me, 'Orson Larely,' said he,
81 wouldn't hare this Management done to
my vntonage not if you had offered mea five
hundred dollar bill right in my hand.' And
then he looked as sober as anything, and
walked straight into the house. 81 saw Mrs.
Seacrest through the oriole window, and she
was crying like fury. You ought tc take a
look at it yourself, Aunt Prissy, if you don't
believe me-" he concluded in an aggrieved
tone. tl.n
Mrs. Woodcock did not believe him entire
ly, to be sure, but yet there might be some
thing worth seeing; so, after a little refiect-
ing, she decided it would be handy to have a
dose OF salts and SIENNA in the house, and she
might as well step up 10 the doctors and get
it then as ally time.
There was no need to wait for the grass to
dry, for Mrs. Woodcock's chocolate and
white calico, guiltless of a panier and innO-
cent of trail, did not even brush the broad
plaptain leaves and the fairy speedwe bios
SONS bordering the well-trodden footpatlf
that led from her doorstep straight into the
world. And her heavy calfskin shoes
squeaked to scorn the idea of wetting
through. go
So she tied on her log-cabin sun-bonnet
that had a pert calico bow prospecting from
the top, took her crooked-handed green
Bingham umbrella, to act the double part of
supporter and protector, and set out-not to
seek her fortune, but to seek somebody's mis-
fortune.
The way to DR.. Seacrest's was acioss the
green away from the black cotton mills down
by the river; away from the street of stiff
white cottages, where the mill operators
lived; away from the commonplace, two
story dwellings clustering around the church,
the store, the blacksmith's shop and the post
office; to a bit of level slightly removed from
@The Hollow by sloping hill. Here were
scattered group Of houses where the doctor,
the mill owner, the minister and two or three
prosperous farmers lived. Lived, so the Hol-
low people said, tsstuck upv and apart from
their neighbors.
But this arstocratic isolation was all the
work of the Hollow, for, as Mrs. Woodccck
often said: IA f.&bs ~ "a
"Folks can choose their own place in the
world. Ii they have mind to hold up their
heads, and he something and somebody they
can be, or they can be nobody or nothing
Either one." ,lt-~.-. --r-e47 :
Accordingly she held up her head and
made herself somebody, equally in the kitch-
en- Of Mary Duffy, the Irish la,indress, In
e Speck Lane, at the lowest dip of the Hollow,
and in the parlors of the spacious mansion
that crowned the top of Quality Hill.
So now she went up the wide, fower-bor-
dered walk leading to DR.. Searcrest's stately
doorway, with the assurance of welcome
guest; and, tapping confidently on the open
door, stepped in with little nod and courte-
Sy as much of respect to herself as of deter
O. ence to Mrs. Seacrest and her daughter Mir
lam. sitting sewing and looking tranquil as
though no storm had ever passed over either
vineyard or spirit. foet
Dear me! Is it you, Mrs. Woodcock?
How you startled me! Come in. We were
speaking of you not half an honr ago. cried
Mis-. Seacrest, who was lively, cordial
woman, as round and flushed as poppy !:
and always sitting in the sunshine, no matter
what clouds Their, might be in the sky
Mrs. Woodcock came in. .sQuite a shower
we have had" said she, dropping upon vel
vet sofa with an air Of being nj lch at home
on velvet. II noticed, as came along, Mr..
Hurlbert's oats are beaten fiat, and l
shouldn't woIder ii good deal of injury was
done by the hail." .s4a tsa
IL Every likely," replied Mrs. Seacrest, Sc
renely. 1.-The hailstones were very large
But it has come off beautifully now, and the
air seems so much purer alter the Storm"
Some people might have felt put aside at
this, but not Mrs. Woodcock. She perceived
that something lay under this placid surface,
and, never being troubled by excess of deli
cacy, proceeded at once to send out her
blood-hoInds. :.
How was it here?" said she boldly.
Anything damaged about your grounds P''
The dahlias; some of them were broken
of-didrt father say?" responded Mrs. Sea-
crest, appealing to her daughter. 'tAnd I
think some glass was broken in the hot
house. The doctor had just ordered differ
ent style OF sash, SO these are out of the way
just in>time."
Everything was always fish that came TO
Mrs. Seacrest's net.
q "'Tisn't that" said Mrs. Woodoock N
herself Something heavier than baistones
is on her mind"
So she started another trail,
FHaaId from Earnpst lafnlv 9D Oh