The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-06-02

beef and bakers bread.
cit seems rather lonely here" said
the little old spinster to herself. ." and
the rooms are very large and dreary-
looking; but / dare say can hire a
little furniture in the village, and the
garden is really superb. / never saw
such tulip roots in my life. And the
little brook twinkling at the foot of the
wall is an idyl in itself"
Miss Briggs, who had good deal of
poetry in her starved soul. set down
the can and reached over to look out of
the window at the golden, western sky.
$50 quiet, toor' said she; 80 Sc
cludedin
But, to her amazement, even as she
looked, she perceived the figure of a
stout old gentleman, bald and spec
tacled. and carrying an immense fiat
travelling case under his arm, who was
picking his way among the rose-briers
that lay prone across the path, stopping
here and there to examine the growth
of silver-green houseleeks on the garden
wall.
Miss Briggs, whowas somewhat near
sighted, jumped at once to the conclu-
sion that this interloper was a tramp.
She hurled the tn can recklessly down
into the budding currant-bushes.
s.Go awayr she cried.
Mr.. Hyde peered upward, with one
hand back of his ear. "EhP' said he.
"Or FL set the dog on you,"
squeaked Miss Briggs, encouraged by
the shrill bark of the terrier.
"Woman," said the scientist, who
are you?"
"rn let you know" said Miss
Briggs, waxing more and more excited
in her indignation. How dare you
trespass on my premises?'
"How dare you trespass on miner
retorted the old gentleman, curtly.
Hes a madman," thought Miss
Briggs; and she remembered, with a
thrill of terror. that there was no key
to the big front door, and the bolt was
rusted into two pieces.
At the same moment the sound of
whooping voices was heard through
the wide, echoing halls. and three
chubby lads rushed hilariously in, tum-
bling over one another rs they came.
"Hurrahr' they shouted; "hurrahl
Amt this q jolly old cavern Of a
house! My! here's a fire! and here's
an old womanr'
Miss Briggs, who had drawn her
head in from the window, stared at the
three cherry-cheeked invaders, who re-
turned her gaze with interest
"Boys," sad she, severely, "what
are you doing here?''
why" said Master Bruce Bellairs,
gtdt eleven, "it's our house. And pa
and ma are helping unpack the cart al
the south door. And I've got red
bird, and Johnny's got a brood OF
Brahma chickens in a basket. and
Pierre has monkey"
But, boys" said Miss Briggs. with
little hysterical gasp, this is nag
house"
"No, it amt" said the three Mas
ters Bellairs in chorus; "it's ours.
We've rented it for a year, and pa and
ma are unpacking down stairs"
els that your pap said Miss Briggs,
with a sudden inspiration, as she point
ed to the old gentleman in the garden,
who stood stock-still, like the Egyptian
obelisk.
"No, indeed" said Pierre, CON.
temptuously.
Nothing of the sort" said Johnny.
"Our pa amt such q guy as that
chuckled Bruce.
81 think must be asleep and dream
ing" said Miss Briggs. as the door
opened, and stout, blooming matron
entered upon the scene, with q kerosene
lamp in one hand and basket of care
fully packed china in the other. while
from her finger depended n bird-cage.
my good woman" said the Rev.
Mrs. Bellairs, al suppose you have
come here to see about a situation. II
You can bring good references as to
character"
s.You are entirely mistaken, madam, !"
said Miss Briggs. with energy. 81 am
here because"
But at that moment Mrs. Ripple her.
self. with Dorcas. her maid, entered the
room. She was q tall, handsome
woman, dressed in elegant mourning,
and she used an eye-glass as she talked,
and somehow she seemed to take up 9
good deal more room than anybody
else. Mrs. Bellairs set down the kero-
sene lamp and the bird-cage, Mis-:
Briggs's terrier stopped barking, and
the three boys instinctively retired be
hind the starch-box.
WHO are you alp" said Mrs. Ripple
surveying the scene through her eye
glass. "And how came you to bt
| here?'' 49,
81 have taken this house." said Mis-
Briggs, with dignity. -.
$50 have we,n said Mrs. Bellairs.
$50 have l." declared the bald
headed old gentleman, who had by thi
time made his way up into the rub,
light of Miss Briggs fire, and stooc
there, closely hugging his fat travelin.
case, 5,-- ~ ,-i.lt .st7 r.ar
dear mer' said Mrs. Ripple; ..thi
is very singular. And have com
here because the house wasn't rented a
all.
And then ensued q general chorus O
explanations, laughter and depreciation
whose general effect was heightened b
single combat between Master Pierr
Bellairs' monkey and Miss Briggs
terrier. -..,---s-
What are we to do?' said Mis-
Briggs, plaintiyely looking at the hal
trunks studded with brass nails.
"Do?n said Mrs: Ripple, briskly-
"why, there is but one thing to do tha
I see; the house is big enough for u:
and half dozen families to boot. LIE
us all live here together"
q am sure j have no objection 8
: ALL" said Mrs. Bellairs.
ssNeither have 1. said the old ger
tleman, setting down his fiat travelin
case with sigh of relief.
!. L III lbllO hCSbo dSNCOs
| quoted the Reverend Mr.. Bellairs, VIII
had by this time entered upon the scene
. with one joint of bedstead balance
/ across his shoulder. ''And it reall
seems to me as if we might do the sam
thing"
So Ripple Grange was let. and gooC
earnest Mrs. Ripple and Dorcas estat
] lished themselves in two sunny room
! looking to the south, where the app
! boughs brushed against the lozeng,
shaped panes of the easement. The Bel
airs family settled down all over the re-
of the first floor, in q miscellaneou
, cosmopolitan sort of way, mixing U
. birds, old china, sermon-paper, patel
, work and theology in manner whic
! amazed the precise soul of gentle Mi
Briggs. The scientific man perche
himself on the top floor, where