Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-05-18

New Year. For few mornings there
was strife as to which of the twins
should be down stairs first, then they
began to indulge in just one little nap
more, and there was soon no sensible d.
minutiOn in the number of Grandma
Pearson's steps.
As to the money, Will set about max
ing an Oblong box, with the top firmly
nailed down, but with hole in the lid,
where coins could be dropped in; and
Milly Immediately spent fifteen cents
for. silk and beads, to net a purse, in
which to keep her change. But week
or two later, Mrs. Pearson found in the
kindling-basket the broken pieces of a
wooden box; and she noticed that the
purse, when finished, did not jingle very
loudly. f
She said nothing; but one day, when
they came home from school, sheet of
paper hung upon the wall of the dining
room. Looking closer, they discerned
the heading-"A New Years Present
for Mother'-and read with shame the
broken promises. Then they began
again to try to keep them; but l don't
know as they would have succeeded any
better than before, if it had not been for
what followed.
When they came home from school,
the second day after, the house was in
confusion and a trunk stood in the hall.
"What is it?' they cried, in breath.
"a telegram" answered Grandpa Pear
son. "Your Grandmother Rowland is
but Just alive and your mother is going
to Minnesota on the next train"
At this moment there was knock at
the door and brakeman handed in a
slip of paper.
at came on the train going east and
was to be delivered very particular" he
said.
Upon reading, it proved to be bur-
ried note from Mrs. Pearsons sister,
who was teaching two miles from a
railroad station, further west. AS there
was no telegraph near, she had written
this hastY message:
my Dear Sister:--I will join you on the
O'Clock train going west this P. M. l must
see mother once more. All ly, CLARA.
What should be done was now ques-
ton, for Mrs. Peason had intended to
go on the o'clock express. After a
| few moments discussion, it was decided
that she should start at the time she had
proposed, and then stop over at High
bury, the station where her sister was
to meet her; for, perhaps, as Grandma
suggested, she could help Clara pack or
aid in finding a teacher to supply her
place during her absence.
So the twins bade her gOod-by at the
railway station, and stood, With tears in
their eyes, waving their hankerchiefs
after her till the cars were quite out OF
sight. Then they went sOrrOwfully
home, where they found that Grandma
and Nancy Pendleton--the girl who
looked alike, as Milly called her-Were
putting the house in order.
Such long, dreaIy evening as II
seemed.
~ believe, as that boy said, Mothers
smile would furnish house. without
anything else but tables and chairs
sighed Will, dolefully.
at would need knives and forks and
plates and beds, also, if you were to live
in it," added the practical Nancy, who
was an excellent hOusekeeper, notwlth
standing the fact that she pronounced
shone to rhyme with John, after the
manner of elocutionists. AS they sat
and talked that evening, how little they
dreamed of the tidings the morrow
would bring.
1t was about eight o'clock the next
morning when 'Bijah came in. with
pale. terr0r-sLrieken face. -
Nancy" said he, as be entered the
kitchen, "send Grandpa right out to me,
and don't you let them children know
ANYTHING aoout it. The papers say there
| was a dreadful accident last night on
the eight o'clock train. A bridge broke
and the cars was thrown down an en-
bankment, and twenty-seyen lives lost
and lots of people injured. If their
mother had ben alive, she'd sent tel,
egraph dispatch right back,and so would
Aunt Clara. l don't see no way but
that they are both dead"
What day that was that followed
Grandpa went on at once to the scene OF
the disaster and Milly and Will spent
most of their time walking to and from
the station, for news.
"Ohl if anything could happen to let
me know that mother was alive and
well, 1 believe should never do wrong
thing as long as lived" cried Will.
In the afternoon came a telegram
from Grandfather Pearson: "Can find nc
trace of either. Shall stay till to-mor-
\ row."
"Wall," said 'Bijsh. calmly, "your
Grandfather has told it all in exactly ten
words. That is just the number the tel
egraph company allows. You have to
pay extra for every word more.
Milly walked indignantly from the
room and had a good cry up stairs. The
idea of 'Bijah counting words at such
time as that.
i The night was one of broken SLEEP
and CHASTITY dreams, and in the morning
tired and unrefreshed, they gathered
4 round the breakfast table; but no one
ate the good things that Nancy had pro
J yided. In vain had she prepared the
tender steak, the snowy biscuit. the
fragrant coffee. In vain did she place
before them the hot buckwheat cakes
and maple syrup. Milly had put on
black dress and Will tie of the same
color and as for Grandma Pearson, hel
hands shook so that she could scarcely
, handle her knife and fork.
, "a believe day now is longer than
year used to be-" sighed Milly, after thu
! ceremony of breakfast WAS over. IL
seems every minute as if the clock wa!
, going to stop, it ticks so slow. 'Bijahi
, tbeen advising me to get up stairs ant
try to get nap. Sleep is panicky TO
( ali Ills he says. 1t is just like him t.
, be talking about sleeping when perhap
: my darling mother is just dyingF Ant
the tears fell thick and fast.
At least half an hour before time TO
D the mail to be in the twins were both a
the postoflice. When it came, there wer'
: five minutes of breathless suspense, a
: the postmaster opened package afte
3 package of letters. A group of sympa
t thizing neighbors gathered round scarce
q iy less interested than they. Then II
the silence, broken only by the rustic o
e paper, the postmaster pushed a lette
n through the lattice, directed to Th
n Twins, Box 104.
N ar. a; l.; ,,>o.har,s bopd ur r;tino ond