The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1880-10-23

some. Ii you are soclaDle with your
servants they always presume upon it,
and do SO love to talk.
Of course I watched the clouds with
interest. If it should prove fair at last,
Jasper would come home, and if it
rained he wouldn't.
Every now and then there would be a
pretense of clearing of, and I began to
hope for pleasant sunset; but it was
always false pretense, and at tea-time
it poured as though there we're going to
be second flood.
Biddy asked me, as it was so near the
Hudson, whether it wasn't likely to be
a-risin', and whether in that case "we
wouldn't be drowned?" And I said
eyes" 1t was too bad, I know, but it
was really some amusement on such a
day to brighten the stupid girl
I had nv tea alone-and I 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 connforta-
BILE as L could be under the circum-
stances, when [ bethought me of the
mornings paper. I called Biddy to
bring it to me, and she came to me at
once.
cts well 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 it."
"Of what ?" I CALCULATED /; and, though
I assure you I'm not the least nervous,
my heart was in my mouth for mo-
ment.
"Uf the house reakin', mum, and
how the thaves In the wurreld got into
Misther Dinsmore's house, that's situated
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,
GA bold and outrageous attack upon
the residence of Mr.. Dinsmore f." /
read it through, and then I said to my
self:
"Jerusha Jackman, remember your
presence of mind. Don't let it fail you
in cases of emergency. Should house
breaker take advantage of your solitude,
let him find you prepared" It was as
though some invisible what's his-name
had addressed me from the chimney.
answered, 81 will" and you can't i'm
agine how bold I grew at once. I re-
hearsed all that I should do in case
Biddy came to me in the night, saying,
"Missus, there's some one in the cellar p
all I should do if I found anybody in
the wardrobe when I retired, and I had
the satisfaction of feeling that I was
prepared. I 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" felt quite self
possessed and happy, though I was GER
tain-yes, morally certain that some,
thing remarkable would happen before
morning that I should be, as it were,
weighed in the balance and not found
wanting before the sun arose. I did not
feel like retiring early, and sat by the
fire till the clock struck II. Then, just
as the last stroke died away, Biddy came
down from her bedroom like red-fan.
mel ghost, with eyes and mouth wide
open, and something of Importance evi-
IDENTIFY on her mind. I put baby down
in her cradle and arose, drawing myself
up to my full height, and feeling that ]
was the only one to be depended upon
in this awful emergency.
Bridget" said 1, show many are
they? Is it one or more?"
"Mum ?" said Bridget
"The thieves. I mean." said I.
"Oh, it isn't thaves, num-" said
Biddy. cts only that thafe of wind
that's took the roof clane off the chick
en-house, and there's the wee bits "
chicks a-stharvin to death wild cowld."
"And in this dreadful rain, too, -
said I.
"It's clared off fne," said Biddy,
"and tho moons up"
So it actually was, and I began to feel
very brave.
"We must 60 out and put them in
the wood-house," said I. And so say
ing, tucked baby up in her blankets,
and, wrapping 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
SWee, s,oee, saDee-somewhere, and, Of
course, could not be SO heartless as te
forsake it. And at last there it was,