The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-12-26

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which should prick her at the hour of 10
or II. Nor had she passed her word to
any fairy godmother that she would return
at II and three quarters.
There are disadvantages in not having
fairy godmothers. And certainly this poor
child had none, nor had she ever heard of
a girl that had. But there are certain adj
vantages as well. To Mary the advantage
was that, as no one had told her that she
might go out, no one had told her when
she must come home.
Like Red,jacket, she had all the time
there was And she used it with his
freedom.
She came home precisely when she was
so tired that it was no longer a pleasure
to skate-that is, she chose her time, as
a gull chooses his time to rest upon the
sea.
She took off her skates, carried them to
the carriage house, and walked slowly
across to the "elP' of the farm house,
where her sheet still waved in the wind
With that general survey of the prem
ises to which all savages are trained, the
wild creature scanned the whole establish
ment.
Her quick eye caught cloud of smoke
rising outside the kitchen chimney from
the shingles of the roof
She screamed with all her might, "Silas!
Silas! Miss Shepard" And without wait
ing for an answer she dashed into the
harness room, threw down her skates,
and brought out the short ladder which
lay there. 1t taxed her full strength but
she was not made of very frail timber, and
she was equal to the burden.
1t was not so easy to get it up; but the
girl was handy, and after two failures she
saw it well in place not quite reach
ing the caves.
She did not falter an instant; she filled
at the cattle trough a tin pail and meal
bucket, carried one up and set it in the
gutter, and then the other She then
swung herself upon the roof, still scream
ing "Silas" and Miss Shepard!'' but with
no reply.
She husbanded her water. The smoke
about stifed her. But there was no fame.
She spattered with her hand the contents
of each vessel over the shingles, and these
were so hot that steam rose instead of
smoke. She threw both pail and bucket
to the ground and slid down the ladder.
This time she carried up the tin pail and
returned for Silas axe.
One skilful blow opened little hole,
through which torrent of fame spurted.
But the girl was read dy for it, and tor
rent of water quenched it. Another cloud
of steam, and she stepped to her ladder to
descend for more supplies.
Alas her weight came wrong upon the
gutter Who shall say why? The whole
of it gave way The ladder fell, Mary
fell, the gutter fell upon her, the ladder
fell upon her.
She felt no pain. But she screamed, as
before, ''Silas Silas Miss Shepard
Miss ShepardP' p
And when she tried to pull herself out
from the wreck she could not What has
happened? Her foot was all tangled in
the rounds. She could only paw with her
arm in the snow
"Silas! Silas Miss Shepard p No
answer.
The brave girl raised herself on her ell
bow. She made SNOWFALL from the snow
her water slops had softened She fired it
skillfully through Mrs. Shepards window.
"Miss Shepard p for the last time
"Miss Shepard"
This time-and very quickly-Mr Shep-
ard appeared.
"Who's there?
"I'm here-Mary Martin. The house
is a-fre and 1 can't put it out. I've got
the ladder round my legs and l can't
stand"
Mr. Shepard made scant toilet. Mr..
Bangs made as little. Silas made none.
In sixty seconds poor Mary was relieved.
George Bangs ran up the ladder and pro-
nounced that her work had been thoroughly
done. Nothing but steam assembled now;
and, as he cleared the wreck, few hand
fuls of snow were enough to extinguish the
embers he found in the roof below.
As tenderly as if she were baby Mr..
Shepard carried Mary up to his wife's
room.
1t was only too clear that her leg had
been broken in the fall.
But she shed never tear; and when
Silas came in with the glad news that there
was no danger she only said, "Mr. File
brown said that when the roof was a-fre
we must not waste our water"
Silas was fitted out in the cutter to bring
) DIR. Woodward to set the broken lee.
As for Mary, she fell asleep, really feel
ing but little pain.
When she awoke there hung over Mrs.
Shepards chimney-piece long red stock
ing crowded full.
The girl lay quietly enough as DR.,
Woodward fastened on the splints, and
when he said to her, good-naturedly, "We
will not keep you in bed very long," she
said very prettily, "I'am glad l was not
shut up before the fire came"
doctor, would it hurt her to have her
Christmas presents?"
"Hurt her? No, indeed should
say she had earned them"
''Do you think it was Santa Claus pipe
which set fire to the shingles p
"Sally," said Mr.. Shepard, as he cut off
slice of the turkeys heart to send up
stairs to Marys dinner, "that girl is awful
spry.''
"She is, indeed, said Mrs. Bangs, "Do
you think that perhaps she learned how to
use her hands and feet in the same place
where she learned to swear ?"
"Maybe, said George Bangs.
"Well," said Mrs. Shepard, 1--WE cant
have everything. l told Mrs. Metcalf [
did not expect an angel
u don't know as angels know how to
handle axes, though they can go up and
down ladders,
Useful knowledge can have no enemies
except the ignorant; it cherishes youth,