Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-11-30

ODSoTNdUle Ill AuuG ASdGna s dealings
with the poor folk whom she visited. It
would have been difficult to say exactly
what it was. A more frequent touch of
tenderness, a greater readiness to make
allowances for the circumstances and diff
ficulties of EACH A greater readiness to
help there could not be, but there was
less readiness to scold.
Sometimes, in the course of her indie
fatigable rounds, she would meet with
and have pleasant converse with the rec
tor, and would come quite radiant with
pleasure. At other times she only heard
of him as having been the life and soul
of some party, rowing Miss Triple and
her friends down the river, organizing
picnics, and other frivolities on which
Aunt Agatha looked with scant tolera-
ton.
"That man, she remarked one day,
might put new life into the whole par
ish, and he's becoming mere butterfly.
It's bad enough now; what will it be
after he gets married to that shallow,
worldly minded woman, Heaven only
knows"
One day in early autumn, as Aunt
Agatha was moving softly among her
asters and chrysanthemums, musing
probably OF these matters, a harsh crash
ing noise and shock as of earthquake
rudely broke the current of her rehec-
tions. She turned in the direction from
which the sound had come, and there,
where Miss Payne's Haunting eyesore of
red-brlck upper story had been, was a
cloud of dust, momentarily thinning, and
leaving q clear blue of bright October
sky.
GA good radiance Of bad rubbish, -
was Aunt Agatha's brief exclamation;
but then, the possibilities involved sud-
denly flashing upon her mind, she
added: "Heaven forgive me! Why,
the woman and that poor little half
starved Lucy Chalk may be buried in
those ruins p
In an instant she was rushing out of
her garden, bonnet flying behind her,
quite unconscious of the amazed look of
the butcher over the way, the group of
milliners OF Miss Firmin's, and the port
ly landlord OF the Red Lion, who, igno-
rant as they were of what had transplred
at the rear of Aunt Agatha's dwelling,
were half amused and half curious about
her deshabille and her haste.
"Here hi p she called to two men
who were passing. "Jobson, Tyler,
come with me to Miss Payne's directly.
There has been an accident there; the
new story has fallen in"
Fastening with them around the cor
ner OF Horn Lane, she came upon Miss
Triple, escorted by the rector, with
whom she was gaily conversing.
My dear Miss Gayfer p said Miss
Triple, advancing with her everlasting
wintry smile.
"What is the matter, Miss Gayfer?"
asked Mr.. Jordon. "Can [ help you 2"
Just then small boy came running
by, and thinking he might be useful to
run errands, and Agatha impounded
him by clutching the collar of his jacket,
piece of his ear, handful of his hair,
holding him in firm grasp while she ex-
planned to the rector briefly what had
happened.
'You may as well COME" she added,
though l don't know you can do any
thing. Better lame foot than none"
And without further parley she hur-
ried on.
Miss Triple, who chung to the rector's
arm, and with soft invincibility de-
clined either to hurry her steps or to be
left to herself, SO impeded his motion
that Aunt Agatha, with her followers,
was out of sight In no time. When at last
he came up, half dragging the reluctant
and shrinking Miss Triple. whose strong
objection to imperilling either her per-
son or her millinery quite overmastered
her curiosity, she heard Aunt Agatha's
voice ringing out from the dusty confu-
sion with anything but complimentary
exhortatiOns to her recruits, who were
pausing irresolute at the entrance.
"Don't you go in, Miss Agatha-now
don't you," shouted one of the men.
"That amt safe, really"
You cowardly loons," said my aunt,
Would you let the woman die without
help"
'Don't go, Frank" said Miss Triple.
"You hear it amt safe, and you'll get
your coat all over dust"
Mr.. Jordan firmly, but not urgently,
removed her grasp.
"Where there is danger and distress,
there is the parsons place." said he, and
in another instant he had followed Aunt
Agatha, the men timidly initiating his
example, leaving Miss Triple alone with
little Job Chalk, of whom she did not
condescend to take any notice.
The rickety building was heap Of
ruins. Some village wiseacre had super
imposed on a lath and plaster basement
brick upper story. This angle of the
building had fallen in, and in it's fall
had dragged with it other portions of
the building, so that now timbers were
sloping in all directions, and what had
not actually fallen seemed totterlng to
it's fall. Amid this dangerous debris
Aunt Agatha has making her way, when
some of the boldest of those who were
following her started back with shout
of alarm. A thin blue smoke, followed
by hungry, vicious-looking tongues of
fame, was apparent, and even Mr.. Jor-
dan and Aunt Agatha, who were now
side by side, paused for an instant on
seeing these evidences of peril. The
hesitation, which was but momentary,
did not survive the stihed sound of
moaning that broke upon the ear.