The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-05-15
NUMBER 2.

/, the storm continued, the city of Venic,
| would be nothing to Babblcton. As tn,
kitchen fire had gone out, Jacks clothes
were put to dry in the dinning room; til,
meat pie was still in its dough casing, bu
the coffee was warm; and there wa!
plenty Of cold ham in the larder. s'Ant
with ham and pickles. said Jack, 'sw,
can defy the elements
So they all sat down to supper, Mollie's
hair in one braid down her back, and the
bib of her kitchen apron still tucked und
er her chin, when suddenly there was a
ring at the bell.
"[t that's Mr.. Fithian," said Mollic, 81
shall die. Do run up and see, Jack"
Then Mrs. Muldoon and Mollie waited
in brcathless silence, and, as the house
was small, and its acoustic properties ac-
commodating, the smoothly modulatcd
tones of Mr.. Fithian came distinctly to
their ears. "Is Miss Mollic in9' Jack
rather thought she wasn't out. Then the
parlor door opened and shut, and Jack
came below. a4H III
"He's more like Mephistophcles than
ever tonight" said Jack. "He's always
tall and lean and cadaveros, but he's d
specter now; and his eyes have all the
cleaning of demon in their dreaming >
"ls he very wet, Jack?"
t'Wct! He's drowned. But he's as
polite as mounseer; he's holding two
quarts of water at this present minute in
his high hat, and smiling blandly while
the rain drops over his marble brow"
Mollie went bravely up into the parlor.
Now there is this about the grace OF
youth, that it is invinciblc; and Mr..
Fithian had never found Mollie so charm
ing us when she stood there before him
with her kitchen bib on, and her hair iii
one braid down her back; but, on the
other hand gentleman of Mr.. Fithian s
phsique style and age can be awfully
brought to grief by two hours wading in
a tempest. His devotion was supreme,
and merited better acknowledgment at
the hands of Mollic; but we all know the
weakness and ingratitude IF human ma
ture. His Overcoat and high hat and
overshoes were thrown together in wet
mass upon the rack; Mollie saw them as
she passed through the hall, and her
heart sank within her. Did he expect
to remain? With the kitchen fire out,
and the back area filled with water, and
nothing in the house but ham and pickles,
did this alien and stranger expect to be
asked to share their humble hospitali-
ty? He stood there, pretending to look
at a book upon the marble table, while
the water fell fIom his coat-tails in pool.
"You--you are so wet!" said Mollic p
81 know it, he said. "Can't | go
some where and get dry? Let me go
down stairs, Mollie, to the kitchen fire !;
surely you don't mind me, darling. Run
down and ask your mothers permission. y
Her mother met her at the stairs with
a pale face and outstretched hands.
"Don't come down, Mollie; the whole
lower floor is flooded; the heater is out"
Mollic went into the parlor again.
"Thcrc isn't one spark of heat in the
whole house," she said to Mr.. Fithian.
"Perhaps, under these circumstances, it
would be better to retire to the upper
chamber" said Mr. Fithian, whose teeth
were now beginning unpleasantly to chat
ter. 3
eyes, we'd better all go to bed,' said
poor Mrs. Muldoon; s'we can at least be
dry and warm there
At that moment portentous drop fell
strai ght from the ceiling upon the sparse
Uncovered Uranium of Mr.. Fithian.
'sGreat heavens the roof is leaking!"
cried Mrs. Muldoon; and rushing up
stairs, they found stream Of water in
the upper chamber gradually making its
way to the floor below. It leaked from
under the closet door. In that closet hung
the better part of Mollie's bridaltrousseau,
She walked with faltering step and
beating heart to the door, opened it, and
took one quick gasp to catch her breath.
A gust of wind blew her one braid of hair
over her eyes, the rain came pelting down ;
the sky light had blown off; the pretty
conceits Of silk and velvet, the unrivalled
conceptions of the dressmaker's brain,
the ribbons and lace and all the dainty
fnery there, had fallen a prey to the de-
vastation of the elements. 1t was all over.
Mollie was pale, but calm. She walked
down stairs again with a firm STEP. As
she went she heard familiar voice in a
subdued whisper. .l
''This floor is all right now, Mrs. Null
doom; the drain was clogged. Now Jack
and l will get at the kitchen stove"
It was tic voice of Dolph Dacre, the
sweetest melody the world held for poor
little Mollie Muldoon. Nothing could
have kept her then from descending to
the kitchen floor. 1t was wet and cold,
and feebly lighted by the struggling
flame OF a solitary lamp, but Mollie sud-
enly found it radiant: 1t was warm, it
was glowing, it was delightful. Dolph
stood there, in his shirt sleeves, holding
the kitchen stovepipc, while Jack was ex-
Treating the intruding brick. His luxu-
RANT locks were blown across his brow, u
bar of SCOT extended Dolph's mustache,
but, oh the invisible grace of youth !!
Mollie looked at Dolph with clasped
hands and pleading eyes.
''Hold on, Jack, 7 said Dolph, and drop.
ped the stovepipe.
whats the rowl' said Jack, and look
ing up, found Mollie clasped to Dolph's
bursting and exulting heart.
cts all over, Dolph, !" sobbed Mollie.
| did the best coitld, but cverything's
spoiled. And what's the usea All the
poor man can do is to get away, and stay
away forever"
f 9'1llgo for some conveyance for him, if
you say SO so,s Mollie," said Dolph, who
had compassionate heart.
s'If you only could, !" said Mollie. "a
And he did Mr.. Fithian was quite ill
for several weeks, and somehow in gain
ing one fever he lost the other. At all
events, when Mollie was married,
the other day, to Dolph Dacre,
among the wedding pcesents was q set Of
silver from Mr.. Fithian; and whether he
meant it for satire Or a religious exhorta-
ton nobody knew, but this inscription
was neatly engraved upon the coffee urn :
ga foolish man builds his house upon the
sand; and the rain descended, and tn,
floods came, and beat upon that house,
and il fell, and great was the fall Of it,.
Fans are now bought in all the Bayc-
dere stripes Of silk and satin and are
meant to match the costume. The chain
for the fan is tsl,ooed, and now every
lady carries her fan in her hand. You
see fashionable woman now on the
street and If Won notice cII,sfs1v discover