The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-02-25
A Lesson in Obedience.
BY HELEN FOREST GRAVES.

practical experience before. And now ~
III these wild woods, the helm of domesti,
affairs was unexpectedly placed in hel
hands, and hers alone
She liked the woods and the river: tbs
meadows all starred with daisies: and the
ong, low farmhouse, with its red brick
chlmney-stacks; its trellises all bend ng will
the weight OF vines; the old stone walled
garden, where ripening currants hung like
ruby fingers, and the green gooseberries
seemed 10 ausurD Tue very sweetness Of the
sunshine into heir translucent hearts.
To her mind it was deal nicer than the
city-fat, with the milkman yelling, the
hand-organ droning, the eve, lasting clouds
of dust. And to-day, when Aunt Themis
wanted TO go to hear her favoriLe elder hold
forth at camp meeting, Dotty volunteered To
stay and get the dinner for Reuben and
Rankin, her TWO tall cousins.
LA, childP' said Aunt Tbemis; "you
don't know nothn' about cookin'.''
but indeed do" asseverated Dotty.
81 can make chicken fricassee as well as
you, Aunt Themy | watched the way YOU
did it last Saturday; and know can tuIn
out firsl class cherry tart.'
"Weli, said Aunt Themis, little doubt
fully, anyhow, there's plenty of good rye
bread aud new milk, and nobody needn't 10
s.arve on that. And be sure, Dotty, you
keep the doors bo ted and don't let ramps
in, and don't forget that brood of yong
tn keys in the barn chamber. and blow the
dinner horn at twelve precisely; and don't
on no account ieave the milk room door
open, for that new cat is the thievingest
creeter you ever did Sc :"
"Oh, I'll take carep' said Dotty, with the
reckless audacity of ignorance. EVERY
thing Shall be quie-quite right. You'll
see, Aunt Thems."
And after the Old lady had departed, with
many mlsgivings, DOtty drew long brea b
of rapture, aud executed an impromptu
dance in the middle of the kitchen floor.
"Only hiHkr' she said. addressing the cat
in he cor er-''the whole house all To my
selfl Won't get a superb dinner for Reu-
ben and Rankinl Phi make neringae tar,
aud ice cream, and vanilla putfs, aud choco-
late cake, and I'll try my hand at rock
turtle soup, aud cream candy, and black
coffeei And how | viii surprise them!
Aud as for boiling the doors, how utterly
ridc llous it would be to shut out the beau
tiful sunshine, and the butterflies. aud he
sweet scented arp This house a,ways
smells like blue mold when Aunt Thenis is
here; and of course nobody could get in
while am hereP'
s. Dottv SKINNED the pans for cream to
make he ice cream, aud stirred up the va
nilla puffs, and grated chocolate for the
cake, and put the two fat little white chick
ems into the pot for the fricassee; and then,
friskt d away up s. airs 10 make the beds.
But there was no question of beds, when
once she was up stars, where huge old
chest of some dark stained wood stood Open
near the landing.
s'rbe old oak cbestP' cried Deity, who
was full of remorse as white clover BIOS
som IS of sweetness. '.And 10 think
Aunt TheWis never let me ook into it be-
forer'
There was nothing very particular after all
in 1t. Only stuffy-smelling blankets, mo h.
eaten gown or two. the brass butoned mill
tary coat in which Uncle AnaDiah-dead
these ten years-Dad been wont 10 rally"
on training days.
s'Pshawr' said Dottv. "There ought TO
have been forgotten will there, or a skele-
ton, AT the very least. It's a humbug, that
old chest"
Just as this reflection passed through her
mind, whining, nasal voice sounded at the
bottom of the little wooden stairway, which
wound up like cockscrew from below.
"Any d clothes to exchange for beauti-
full china vases, lady? Any cold victuals for
a poor manY'
He was stalwart, black-browed fellow,
with viiIainOus, s'i'-like eyes, and tattered
velveteen suit; and D)tIy's heart stood still
with terror for second.
Oh, if she had only obeyed her Aunt The
mis- and locked up those doors!
mop she said, shortly 600 away"
Don't be hard on poor fellow, missP'
whined the man.
And Doity was quite certain that she saw
the spout of Aunt Thems's old solid silver
cream jag protruding from the flaps of his
ragged velve cen pocket. At the same mo-
ment he began ascending the stairs with in
solent elaboration.
In an ms ant all the doubts, the breads,
the possibilities, the horrors of the situation,
glanced across Dotty's mind.
Reuben and Rankin were in the distant
meadow cutting grass; thu tin h,rn, by
means of which she usually summoned
them, was hanging up down stairs at the
back of the kitchen door.
Not a neighbor lived within SIGHT or call.
And here she was at this stealthy-faced
brue's mercyl Would he gag her? Would
he murder her? What was to become OF
Aunt Themis's gold heads and Reuben's
new breast-pin. besides all the niee old silver
which had descended TO them from Grand
mother Buffet?
NO" sad Dotty to herself; "for myself
do not care. But the silver shall be pro-
tectedr'
Via quick glimpse of inspiration, she
ad gapced toward the stumbling fellow with
the sinister face.
There are some old garments in that bis
chest" said she. ''You may look at them,
perhaps they will be what YOU wantp'
TIE eyes of the sinister man, who had by
this time reached the top of the stairs, glis-
tened. He promptly advanced, and bend
log ever the side of the monster chest
peered into its depths.
'"Most anything'll work in my trade, >
said he. Il amt noways pa ticker, be
cause"
Now was Dotty's time. AS he bent over
with at least two-lhirds of his body in tn,
old chest, she sprang alertly forward, ant
bundled the other third into the sluffy re
cess-s.
The tramp dropped like huge overgrowl
kitten into the flannel blankets. In "A sec
ond Doty had the lid shut down, and ha,
turned the key.
Now Pve got you," said Dotty. all tri
umphant, though dishevelled. "Oh, yes
kick aud pound all that you like, but yon'l
not get Out until ReubeR and Rankin ar
hereP'
Aud flying down stairs, she seized the oil
tin horn and blew blast which echoed Lib
the Horn OF ROncesYalles" over hill an
dale.
Reuben, swinging bis scythe on the sid
hill, stopped to listen, Rankin dropped bi
MILESTONE, and Miles Ruggles, the hire
man, cried out:
''Je-ru-saleml it amt twelve O'Clock yet 7
There's something up, anyhoww erie
Reuben, making grasp at the linen Goa
''Mother amt home, and Dotty is al
alonep exclaimed Rankin.
"Wal, ef there's anything extraordinar
on the carpet" declared Miles, 81 ain
agoin' to be left out in the cold"
Up bill aud down dale, over log-bridge
streams and across hummocky swamp ha
tened The three brave recruits. without ol
of time, and rushed, all abreast, into II
kitchen door.
Doty stood there with the broom in or
hand, and a saucepan OF boiling water In Il
other, pale but resoluie.
Dorothy cried Reuben, "whst on earl
is the matefY'
"He's up stairsp' gasped Dotty.
"Who is up stairs?" demanded Rankin
he reached down loaded revolvel from II
very top shelf in an odd little three-corner'
cupboard
"And think he's kicking through Il
side of the Chest" faltered Dotty, cingil
to ksnkn's arm.
"Je-rnsalemp' again remarked Miles Ru
giles under his breath.