Ellsworth American., 1881-01-20

and let's think what to do said their hos
tess. That Mark Coffin's a regular high
ilier for spirits. Did you hear him laugh
Draw up closer, Miney. You'd better; you
look half froze.'
Miney, or Jessamine, obeyed with a little
| shlver. She was delicate, pretty creature,
with fair hair and sweet blue eyes, and
looked quite unfit for the exposure and chill
of the early walk
How'll we manage?" pursued Mrs. Ann.
There's the cellar; that's the thing. I'll
fix you up there. It'll Just hold YOU, and
the boys won't be likely to suspect. cause
| there want none till last summer. | had it
dug in June"
| Cellars, be it known, are not the custom
airy and matter-of-course things in Nantuck-
ct as elsewhere. Many houses dispense with
| them altogether; in others the cellar is
merely small pit or cave dug beneath the
kitchen for the storage of butter and other
| perlshable commodities, while the walls of
the house rest upon the ground, or on piles
connected by lattice-work. Mrs. Dustn's
| lowbrowed cottage was of the former de-
| scrip'ion.
A trap-door and ladder led to the cellar,
which was about eight feet square. Lifting
| the trap, Mrs. Dustin, now proceeded to
/ line the space with feather-beds hastily
brought down from the second story. Va
| rious quilts. comforters. and a couple of buff
| falo-robes were tumbed in; hasty forum
Of tea was brewed; and fortified thus by
warmth and food, the girls descended the
ladder, well wrapped in blankets, and
crouched, laughing heap, in the pillows of
| the friendly teatherbeds. Mrs. Dustin saw
them well established, then with a nod re-
closed the door, drew square of carpet
over it, set her sewing machine thereon,
hastily cleared away tea-cups and plates,
/ frightened the fire, washed her hands, un-
| bolted the door. sat down. and began to
stitch vigorously. As she did so she glanced
e. the clock. 1t was exactly six.
| Half second after came another quick
knock, and without waiting for an answer
the door was dashed open. and three Young
men hurried in, and with u rapid Excuse
me- Mrs. Dustin, we're after those girls"
/ spread themselves over the premises with a
rapidity and thoroughness born of long prac-
/ tice. Mark Coffin. handsome fellow. with
daring CLINT OF fun in his eyes, hurried to
the attic. Sam Mayhew ransacked the but
terry, and opened all the cupboard doors.
while lssachar, or Gar" Pike dived into
| the secret recesses of Mrs. Dustin's own
/ bedroom. Ten minutes sufficed to ranSack
the small house each bedroom was searched;
every closet the dresses on the wall were
shaken and pounded; the logs of the wood
/ pile dislodged and thrown aside; Sam even
/ lifted the lid off the churn and peeped with
| in. All was vain, and the discounted
/ searchers returned to the kitchen, where the
mistress of the house still piled her whir-
ring treadle. and slipped the long white
seam beneath the glancing needle She
/ looked up as they entered, and remarked.
| dryly Il hope you're satisfied, and you'll
please pile that wood up again just where
I you found it
IN VI wAheh n Ne yfh fhrsi stfa Came N' '' 900 =
Cause 'twasnt SIN
! AT that moment Mrs Dustin's quick eve
/ perceived that Cars BIC foot had turned up
/ a corner of the carpet, thus leaving visible
one hinge of the cellar door. With rapid
movement Of her own she replaced ii, still
sewing steadily on, and fixing as it were, the
| gaze of her visitors, while she added "Old
ways is old ways. There's difference of
opinion how good they be; but if six is the
| hour, keep to six; so 1t amt no use COM
/ ing aknocking at my door at twenty minutes
past five, and that you fellows can remember
1 another time.
! "Well, that's no more than fair" declared
! Sam Mahew with laugh. The three stood
debating for a moment; then, Come on,
we'd better try the houses down to Trot
Hills next" said Gar. They moved toward
the door, Mrs. Dustin watching them with
! secret satisfaction. On the very threshold
the astute Mark paused, and queried, Has
this house got round cellar to it ?'
Mrs. AIMS heart stood still for the space
of one second, then her answer came readily
and bold: NO it hdint." And no lie
either" as she afterward explained, a cause
the cellar was square"
Another pause Then, Come along"
| The gate clicked, they were actually gone;
and after a few minutes delay to make
sure, Mrs. Dustin pounded cheerily on the
trap, and called, "All safe, girls to which
burst of laughter responded from below
There was no question Of leaving the Gel
lar all concerned were to wary for that
and this prudence was justified when, an
hour later, shadow fell across the sewing
machine, and Mrs. Ann, turning. caught
glimpse of Sam Mayhew's head retrcating
noisel 4ssly from the window. Evidently
the searchers were still on the alert, and it
behooved the sought-for to be cautious and
circunspect.
Some dinner found its way down the lad
der at later hour, and during the course of
the afternoon the girls ventured to steal out,
one by one, for warm at the kitchen fire.
Still they were chilled and cramped enough
when, at last, the safe hour of six having
arrived, they emerged from the underground
retreat, and made ready for return to their
homes. Jessamine looked very pale, and
Molly Greenleaf, with many yawns and
stretches, declared the game not worth the
candle, and protested that this was the last,
the very last, time she would join in the
like.
That's nonsense said Susy Lock
you'll forget, and be as crazy about hiding
as ever by next week That the way Lucy
used to 20 on before she was married but
she hid just the same; she never would lose
a chance"
well, perhaps SHALL" admitted Molly
with another yawn. "Girls we must never
let on where we've been to-day, not even to
the other girls. Miss Dustin's cellar is such
a good place. well just keep it to our
selves"
"We may come again, mayn't we?' pleaded
pretty Jessamine.
"Law bless you! yes; come Just as often
as you like Miney. Tain't might Of
trouble to hev you. I've been young my
self, and know what girls be-"
''Oh, thank you; that's first rate !" aud
with sudden impulse Jessamine ran back
and kissed the widows comfortable cheek.
"Well be sure to come," she said.
'That's right, Miney; see you do"
Mrs. Dustin rather built on this promise.
More than once, when calculating her days
provision, she said to herself, "I'll get anoth-
er pound; them girls may be along" But
November waxed to the Christmas-tide, and
New Year gave place to March, and still the
promise remained unfilflled, till at last
Widow Dustin ceased to expect.
1t was late on cold night in early April,
and she had been long in bed, when at last
the summons came, in the shape of tap so
faint that it was thrice repeated before it
reused her. She threw ON shawl and hur-
ried to the door.