Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-07

| this drift. And We might MS well starye
there as anywhere, for we haven't fifty
cents to buy n bushel of potatoes witt
till next January ~
And go to bed they did. And being in
bed, they went to sleep. and after GETTING
up in their wrappers to prowl round the
house two or three times. and findino
neither burglar, nor clearing weather
nor Tidy, nor anything, they returned &c
their pillows and the kindly oblivion
forced by fatigue and worry, and broken
many hours after only by the sound Of
the eight-day clock striking nine.
"lt can't be nine last night, and it cam
be nine tomorrow night, and so it must
be nine this morning." said Miss Betty,
with some indifference. when did We
ever sleep till nine in the morning be.
fore? 1t is Thanksgiving Day. md
ter.
|. Thanksgiving - said Miss Mowbray.
with as much bitterness as 80 gentle o
creature could gather. "What in the
world have we to be thankful for. with
the snow above the doors, and no fire.
and no food, and all alone, and Tidy
gone-Oh, where do you suppose Tidy
Tillingust is ?"
Shes safe, undoubtedly. If YOU ONLY
had a little faith" said Miss Betty. "yoi,
wouldn't feel so bad. Faith like grain
of mustard Seed"
81 have y said the elder lady 81
have p And it must be confessed that
she had, exactly like grain of mustard
seed. but faith won't feed you faith
won't keep you warm"
Love will y said sudden voice Mt
the door, and they looked up to see Tidy,
radiant and rosy, standing there and nod
ding MS If her head went by machinery
"Tildy Tillingust !" cried both the old
ladies in one breath, "where hare you
been?'
I've been i'll snow-bank," she said
beginning to take off her hood and peel
off the socks. "Thc fact is, job and I
started to come up night before last, and
1t was awful against the driving storm.
and We stopped in the church porch, Just
to take breath, and if you'll believe it, we
couldn't get ont Aud don't know as
wed have been ont yet il they hadn't
come to dig the doors out for morning
meeting. Aud then I told them about
yon, and Parson Keene and all the rest of
EN-, come up with us and helped to tun-
mel yon ont, reg lar tunnel, and there thew
hro now downstairs, awaiting to say good
morning."
"Iildy Tillingust - cried Miss Now
bray. snatching off her night-cap and
snatchinS on her wrapper. "Do you
mean to say that you've been all this
time IN the Westinghouse porch with
Job Ransom ?'
'Lor, yes, Miss Mowbray, with Job
and snowdrift and Susan Lowe and her
mother and Jobs dog"
IL don't care anything about where
Susan Lowe was" said Miss Mowbray,
with awful dignity, dismissing Susan from
the case. Betty, get on your wrapper
and your day-cap, quickly. Aud Tidy,
tell Parson keene and Job that l want
them up here directly p
Three minutes afterward her mandate
was obeyed, and the pnrson and Job were
gazing at her with eyes as round ms dol
lars.
Il will not waste any words or lose any
time, dear reverend sir, said Mowbray,
mhut If you will marry Job and Tidy
Tillingust at once
Marry job and Tidy Tildy's face
grew red and redder, and hersmiie broad
or and broader. But there was no time
for hesitation she turned to look at job
half a moment, and then she had taken
his hand and ranged herself beside him.
where he stood grinning like mask. And
IN remarkably short space of time for
such miracle there was no longer any
Tidy Tillingust, and the individual now
representing her was entirely rehabilita.
ted in Miss Mowbray's good opinion.
Il do'no,' said job, when it was ali
over, 'but it's rs we'll to hurry it up MS
to wait any. always thought 1 shouldn' t
mind il | only could take nitrous oxyd,
or sunthin'.
well, now job said Tidy. 1--WE
won't stop philandering round this place.
fom Jest go down and build fire and see
to the COW, and I'll find something to do
up here. You needn't think" she said,
rs the door closed behind him, chat I'm
aver gong to leave you for all the Job
kansoms in Christendom Perhaps you
won't mind, though, if Job comes up
here and helps me take care of you ?"
"Do you know, Tidy" said Miss Now
pray, so!emnly, 'that there isn't scrap
of anything to eat in this house 2"
"Oh. yes, there is" said Tidy. |
There's the crackers. They kept us all |
'iive in the porch, and they'll make |
lice sop-toast till the neighbors send |
something in. l heard Deacon Blish saw
hey wus goin to send turkey, seem 1 |
hadn't been here to see to things"
"Oh, sister - cried Miss Betty. "And
you said there was nothing to be thankful |
orr
"Well, and what is there ?" said the |
,wner OF the mustard-seed. There's no |
Jour, there's no potatoes, there's no meat, |
here's no money What is there to be |
thankful for ?"
There's Tidy Tillingust,-I mean |
Ransom, back ::again 4! And call that
to be thankful for"
And in reply Miss Mowbray burst into
ears. 'I'ma blind, ungrateful wretch |"
he cried. "Tildy Tillingust is some. |
hing to be thankful for y