Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-12-09

be second flood.
Biddy asked me, as it was 80 near the
Hudson, whether it wasn't likely to be
a-risin', and whether in that case eve
wouldn't be drowned% And 1 said
"Yes." It was too bad, know, but it
was really some amusement on such
day to frighten the stupid girl
had my tea alone-and 1 do hate to
have tea alone If any woman in the world
hates it-and then I put baby to sleep
in her cradle in the sitting-room, and
took my knitting, and was as comforta-
BILE as [ could be under the circum-
stances, when L bethought me OF the
mornings paper. I called Biddy to
bring it to me, and she came to me at
once.
"It's we'll thought of, missus," she
said, as she laid it in my lap. cts
yerself will be interested wild the raid
in. There's accounts of the house
breakin' in il"
"Of what ?" calculated and, though
assure you I'm not the least nervous,
my heart was in my mouth for mo-
ment.
"Of the house-breakin', mum, and
how the thaves in the wurreld got into
Misther Dinsmore's house, that's sitiated
the same as this, neighboring nobody,
and tuck all they could lay their hands
on, to say nothin' of half murderin' the
ould gentleman The saints be above
us this night"
There it WAS, sure enough, headed,
"a bold and outrageous attack upon
read it through, and then said to my
self
"Jerusha Jackman, remember your
presence Of mind. Don't let it fail you
In cases OF emergency. Should mousse
breaker take advantage of your solitude,
let him find you prepared" 1t was as
though some invisible what's-his-
had addressed me from the chimney. 1
answered, 81 will and you can't i'm
agine how bold l grew at once. l re-
Biddy came to me in the night, saying,
" Missus, there's some one i'll the cellarW
all should do If found anybody in
the wardrobe when i retired, and had
the satisfaction of feeling that / was
prepared. l might wake up to find the
spoons gone-I might be murdered in
my bed; but it would be unawares, and
they would inscribe upon my tombstone
the words, "She showed her presence
of mind to the last" l felt quite SELF
possessed and happy, though I was Ger
tain-yes, morally certain that some
thing remarkable would happen before
morning that should be, as it were,
weighed in the balance and not found
wanting before the sun arose. did not
feel like retiring early, and sat by the
fire till the clock struck IL. Then, just
as the last stroke died away, Biddy came
down from her bedroom like q red-han-
mel ghost, with eyes and mouth wide
open, and something of importance evi-
IDENTIFY on her mind. 1 put baby down
in her cradle and arose, drawing myself
up to my full height, and feeling that L
was the only one to be depended upon
-f,,l
Bridget" said l, chow many are
they2 Is it one or more?"
"Mum ?" said Bridget.
"The thieves. mean." said 1.
"Oh, it isn't thaves, num-" said
Biddy. "It's only that thafe Of wind
that's took the roof clane off the chick
cn-house, and there's the wee bits iv
chicks a-stharvin to death wild cowld."
"And in this dreadful rain, too"
said 1.
"It's clared off fne," said Biddy,
"and the moons up"
1--WE must go out and put them in
the wood-house," said I. And so say
ing, tucked baby up in her blankets,
and, wrapping q shawl over my head,
went out into the night air. 1t had
grown very cold, but it was clear, as
Biddy had said, and we padded round
in the mud catching the poor little
chickens. We had them all at last ex-
cept one. and we heard its little voice
s,Oee, ssoee, stDee-somewhere, and, OF
course, could not be 80 heartless az to
forsake it. And at last there it was,
tangled up in some dead vines, and as
cold as lump of ice. By the time we
gave it to its mother, who was very glad
to see it, the clock struck IL. Baby
had been alone three-quarters Of an
hour.