Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-05-14
An Eventful Day.


fear" said jamie, brightly. Don't
fret. You'll see that things will come
all right"
Mrs. Barr went to the parish sewing
society that afternoon.
Col. Addison, from the Valley Hotel,
who was paying his addresses to Mrs.
tied horse and buggy to take her to the
sea beach.
"Now is my time" said jamie, exult-
antly, to herself.
But Mrs. Lepell came back before she
had got twenty-five yards away from
the house.
"Janie," she said, 81 forgot to tell
you that left my three diamond rings
in the little left hand drawer of the bu-
reau. might lose them in the water.
l thought would tell you in case of
fire, you know, or any other accident" "
"Yes," said jamie, "but there won't
be any accident"
Mrs. Lepell laughed and ran back to
the carriage and the impatient colonel.
And not until then did jamie perceive
that tall, half-grown lad, lurking be-
hind the porch rails, was waiting to
speak with her.
"Who are you ?' said jamie, briskly.
"What do you want? No, we haven't
any old clothes. If yon really want
work, you had better 60 on to the new
buildings, about a mile up the road. l
dare say they can find something for
you to do there"
The lad inumbled out something,
whether thanks or otherwise jamie
could not discriminate, and shutfied
away. And our heroine, slipping on
her hat and bolting the front door, ran
across the back meadows to Ralph Par
sons carpenter shop, some quarter of a
mile by wood path.
II want few shingles" said she,
land a pound of shingle nails"
"What for? asked Ralph.
"No matter" calmly retorted jamie.
She nodded goodbye, and hurried
away under the canopy of pink apple
blossoms.
Ralph looked admiringly after her.
"She's regular clipper of girl, that
jamie Barr" said he. "If ever Pm
able to support wife, that will be'the
one I'd choose"
Light as a thistledown, jamie hur-
ried back with her precious bundle of
shingles, and the pounds of nails in her
pocket.
"Now I'll show him whether / can
mend the roof or not" she said, as with
hammer added to her stock in trade,
she assembled to the garret and climbed
an odd little ladder that led up through
the rusty trap-dOor to the steep roof.
The slant was abrupt, the old shingles
were wet with the recent rain and Slip
perry with green moss incrustatiOns, but
jamie Barr was not one lightly to be
discouraged, and presently she found
herself neatly balanced, with her feet
braced against the broad gutter, one ell
bow leaning on the roof, and the hand
busily tearing away the old shingles
and replacing them deftly with over
tapping rows of new, fragrant wood.
The click of the hammer, the ring of
the nails was like music in her ears.
Suddenly, however, as she sat perched
like q squirrel on the slanting roof, the
sound of voices struck on her ear. She
paused to listen.
"Three diamond rings! 1 heard her
say so herself. In the left hand drawer
of some BUREAU" said the same accents
which half an hour ago had asked her
for charity. "And no one but wo-
man in the house."
"Sure of that ?" said deeper voice.
eyes, plum sure" was the answer.
"And wouldn't wonder if there were
other things for the picking up"
"Come in, them" said the other one,
'and step lively. We can't stand here
iawing all day. The door is .bolted, is
it? Wait a minute; I've got little
joker here as would start any staples
this side of Denver"
jamie had listened in breathless hor-
pretended the full danger that men
aced Mrs. Lepell's treasured gems-the
three diamond rings, that the boarder
had told her were worth thousands OF
dollars. And here she was alone and
helpless!
jamie Barr was not one to hesitate
long. While the thoughts yet careered
through her brain, she sprang down the
caves into the blooming boughs of the
great cherry tree which grew so close to
the house that its branches scraped the
roof on windy March days.
1t was hazardous thing for any one
to do who was not swift of limb and ac.
curate of eye, but jamie alighted, like q
cat, in the fork of the tree, climbed
lightly down until she redched the
lower bough, and thence leaped breath
lessly to- the ground, springing swiftly
across the meadows to Ralph Parsons
carpenter shop.
Jamie, what is it"'
Ralph Parsons himself rose up out OF
the green hedges, directly across hel
path.
II was just drinking at the ice-cold
spring." he said, "when I heard your
footsteps. What is it?"
She told him the story as we'll as she
could, for she was excited and breath
less.
"Come," she cried. "Oh, do make
hasteW
He paused only to blow a small will
low whistle which hung on his steel
watch guard.
'That will bring my workmen," he
said. "It's a signal we have agreed
upon, among ourselves. for just such
emergencies as this. You and Jones
jamie, shall 60 around to the back door
Hall and Robbins will watch the front
and I'll on I'm and settle tha fn1lowa ~