Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1885-06-04
Miscellaneous.
In Haste.
\ STORY or THE FLOOD,

II was when postage stamps were three
cents apiece, and eggs twelve and a half
cents dozen that Mr. Hugsins. the pro-
pfIetor Of the little counr, store at EIkton.
sat a, his high desk, one dreary afternoon.
with his he al s,udiously bent over his book
makihg out an account Of sales.
Please slr," suddenl, interrupted a thin.
small voice proceeding from the space IN
front of the desk, will YOU give NE a stamp
flr these three eggs. and YOU needn't mind
the change"
Mr. Iiugsins slowly lifted his EYES from
the bag book, To look for a small speaker
below him.
Il was mite Of girl. not more than six
Wears Old. who held letter in one hand and
with the other tightly gra>ped her apron
gathered together tur the safe Keeping OF
three eggs ying within.
Mr.. liusgins' senses had been so absorbed
.a The difficulties of his long sum III ad!i-
ton, THAI Il VAS several moments before he
could rec3.. them and bring them d ,an - a
l,Sel with the l,tlle head lifting itse.f eager.
Is up TO him bat reaching out his hand
mechanically. he took the letter and sup
posing he would immediately tax, the eggs
also The i.uIe girI incautiousy opened her
apron. when, alas. with PIP pip pip a,
though the, were X sing each other hast,
good bye, out rolled the eggs, and WITH 4
smash smash smash lay on the floor a
medic, of gold aud SILVER, and i,or, shells :
For one nIomen, the poor iittle mcsscn-
ger stood >icn, with dl>may. au,l thcu hCt
ing her distressed fne to that OF Mr.. Hug
gin, She burst into a wall 50 piiifu! that the
,
compassion
'Why. aha; on earth L!I You open Your
apron fof. .u.c gal .a3d he by va, of
soothing her.
"lo-lrt YOU set-the-e.ss. ,obbrI
TIE child. Il thought lou were going lo
take them"
And 50 was" be an,uerrd, .hut Won
ought not 10 have le; 20 Your grip TIL hla
hold Of them. Wei. we'll. they won't hatch
BOW. that's certain he continued with 4
ioach q philosophy IN hi, TONG, -.aut there,
d" mote use crylue over SMASHED egg, than
over spi,l Eli.k You ought to be gia! tLe,r
were - few Of them; and wha, were you
asking ne to 10 With them 5'
IL give me stamp, p.eAsp. sir Bui
oh, What viii mother DO nov Her letter
can't g, and Size sad il WAS 10 start al
once, and 20 IN haste -
The spbs grew louder a, the lttie gif.
SCENE! to realize more and more the exien,
Of the disaster.
'lo 20 IN haste, repeated Mr. fIusgin.
with a smile Of superior know ledge "ie.
| see, She has written on IL IN haste. N
haste Well that NIGH; have done some
good. perhaps fifty Years ago. wnel letter.
we're carried about the coun,r, on horse.
back | doubt il II viii hurry up the steam
. cars very much. But for mercy sake. I,,l,
gal, do stop cr,ing :" he circulated sudden
/, as the deepening sobs smote his hear
, anew. and brought him back 10 the hu,ines
on hand. Didn't | tel YOU there, no US.
: cf,lug over smashed eggs So look up now
, and tell me what is the great haste aboar
th> particular letter p
/ "Oh, don't kno. zlckly, sir" answeres
1 the child tratiuily. hut | Know i, j, some
thing very particular indeed, and it vii
1 break mothers heart most 10 know /
hasn't gone 0u SEE. she had Jeen over t,
, Mis-, RIcys and she come back with In
! tears all running down her cheeks. and n,
! hunted round tai she folnd this PAPER anl
pencil aud wrote the letter with her han,
all IN trembe. Bat after II wa, all don.
up, she just remembered that She hadn't
I stamp and | ran a. fas, as | could 10 VI
b Rlie, ), but She hadn't one, nor any none
. either. and mother Just sank down an,
cried as II her heart would break. and then
sir-wasrI't ii lucky l knew stamp co,
,hree cents. and just thought of nv o.,
: hen, Buff. who was la,ing eggs that want
, ed so to hatch. and there was just three il
! the nest. but coudn't see mother cry so
. and ran ont and brought them in TO her
( and she was so gisd--weII. wish you coul,
e have seen her-and she said, Thank Co
I for The eggs. Jess, and run as fast a yo
can, for this letter must go in haste. Il
haste that's just what she sait! but oh. III
, eggs are all broken now, aud what wi
mother do -
= = The long story came 10 al abrupt en-
: with fresh wall Of grief
We'll, don't take il SO to heart. child.
said Mr.. Higgins with his gruff kindnes.
r There's no great harm done the ette
i cant go till tomorrow any how. for Ii
{ mail has been gone these three hours
e "To-morrow repeated the little giri, i
| disnlay. "Oh. sir, mother won't sleep
!, 7 wink Tonight if she knows that; she said
day might make it too late. and that if 70
would read it, you would know ii must .
in haste
But that's all nonsense, chll,r said Nj
Higgins. beginning 10 lose patience
There's no such thing these days; letter
all 90 one way and in one time, and that
a deal quicker than they once did. b.
you run home now, and If YOU like 70
needn't tell your mother anything about th
. waiting, nor the eggs either. III put
stamp on for you and send it as soon as
a can.
e The little eyes beamed like stars throuy
! the falling tears. ''Oh. sir, if you would .
e she cried. "and when my hen LAYS thre
:. more eggs | will be sure to bring them l.
you"
+ She turned quickly to the door, bu
n pausing there as if with an unconquerabl
impulse, she looked back, saying, ..And
: YOU please, sir, do make it go fast, for that
what she said-iu haste
THAT child has go. more heart tha
head" thought Mr.. Huggins to himself, a
he silently watched her depart without max
ing further efforts to explain The mail regu
latlons He knew the little customer quit
well as the child Of Widow Carson, who ha
come TO the neighborhood just after th
frs, of those terrible floods that had sent 5
many homeless ones back from the banks &
the ireacherous Ohio. Il was said that he
husband had pershed in the waves afte
placing his wife and child in safety, aud her
she had lived ever since in little log cabi
not far from the store, where with her sma
patch Of corn and potatoes she supported
as hest she could, herself and Jess and th'
little yellow dog. But only few day
previous TO this, Mr.. Higgins had felt com
pelled to refuse her any further credit. I'll
the bill slowly lengthening on his big book
was paid up, and it was doubtless because Q
this that she had not sent TO him at once t
ask tie advance of a stamp for this all i'm
portant letter.
Meditstively he looked at the envelope