Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-09-10

It was not for this he bought the clay
bank. He wanted clay for another pur-
pose. and the idea of making bricks was
an after-thought That was little no.
ton that would keep. First he must
prepare for tn deluge. Already four
weeks had pa sed without rain. The
dust in the rough streets was almost un-
bearable Three nights before, he had
seen suspicious glare on the far south
ern horizon, where the grass seemed to
meet the sky.
TIE day o. judgment Is loafn'
round somewhere. It's time the ark was
afioat."
The next day he hired a man and cart
to team clay from his new mine to his
land in the village The man shoveled
up wealth and did not know it, and was
content with two dollars day for self
and horse. As for Silas. he refused all
offers of work, and stald at home, busy
in one corner of his hand, we'll removed
from trees or other buildings. BY night
fall he had set up in the ground stock
ade of stout posts. making an Enclosure
almost thirty feet square, with mar
row opening at one side, which seemed
the stockade was covered with laths,
while birch brush was woven In be-
tween the posts in rude kind OF basket
work.
At nightfall the people gathered about
the structure with curious questions as
to its object. Was it house, pound, cor
raj. or what9 To all of which he would
only reply, Its kara which means
ark o. safety" He seemed to work upon
the thing with sort of mad haste, eating
his meals in the open air, scarcely sleep
ing at all, and toiling nineteen hours in
one day. By the third day heavy fiat
roof had been added, supported by
rough posts sunk in the ground within
the structure One narrow opening had
been left for door, and a square hole
near the roof seemed intended for win
dow. From carpenter he turned plas-
terer. The dry clay brought from his
pit was tempered with water, and with
big wooden trowel he plastered over
the entire structure, without and within,
with a heavy coat of clay.
Now were the people convinced the
man was insane. Even Nina, who had
watched the work from her fathers
house, was moved to mixture of pity
and doubt-doubt of her own feelings
toward so foolish man, and doubt per-
haps of the people, and dimly wondering
If it were not they who were insane.
Once, in the night, she had risen to wait
on her father, who was ailing, and had
gone out in the dark to draw some water.
1t seemed like the approach of dawn, for
there was rosy glow in the sky. BY its
uncertain light she saw Silas toiling in
frantic haste at his crazy scheme. She
stood watching unobserved for moment
and then heard through the stiffness Of
the night the refrain of some old Puritan
hymn.
Having covered the walls with clay,
and spread the entire roof thick with it,
he built a roaring bonfire inside the
structure More crazy than ever, the
people said. He even piled brush wood
against the walls of the structure, and
set fire to this also, so that the building
without and within seemed destined to
entire destruction Some Of the people
demonstrated with him, and said it was
dangerous to build such a fire in such
dry time, when the prairie was like tin
der, and the forests only kindling-wood.
He pointed to two large tubs standing
near, each filed with water that was
muddy with clay He would watch the
fire. 1t would do no harm. Many idlers
gathered near to see the thing burn down.
but to their surprise it remained intact.
BY night the fire burned out. and the
next day the curious mud -cOlored hut
had put on dull brick red.
The work was complete, and Silas sat
in his house taking much needed rest,
when one Of the older settlers, sharp
faced Yankee called at the open door.
'Been lookin' at that ark o. yours.
Gurus concern, but I guess she'll do.
Coin to charge much for storage o.
papers and valuables?'
you've struck my notion of things,
neighbor-onIy valuables received. Rents
will be high, and if wuss comes to wuss,
cargo will be liable to be thrown over
board to save life. Understand2n
mo. Storage and insurance is stor-
age and insurance. Didn't like the look
o. things last night There's smoke in
the air now. Got some papers o. vally
here, and if rents are not too high I'd like
to store EN- against fire. "
sThe kara was not built for cargo; it's
for passengers. I'll take your stuff, if
trouble comes, but it will cost you ten
dollars a day for every square foot of
space. and If must throw It out to save
life, out it viii 90"
Folks will never lock themselves in
that oven. It's only fit for paper and
the like"
s'Mebbe not Wen see-when it
comes.