The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-14

tue SuOkG IrOm the olSIepuLaULG Stove
pipe poked through the roof of the shanty,
rose daily in the winter air, and the goat
vas occasionally seen foraging on the
leafless shrsbbesy along the railway track,
and the remnant of the Delaney poultry,
embroidered by the claiming of the dog,
sometimes came up to the very back door
of the Pettigrew house.
Mid December brought Guild weather,
which held and increased until on the
morning of the eighteenth day of the
month the air was like sharp needles.
though the day was bright and clear, and
the floor boards of the verandahs of the
Pettigrew house cracked loudly as the
cold drew them away from each other,
and the wheel of the chain pump refused
to stir when Miss Benson endeavored to
draw bucket of water.
"Snappin' cold this mornin', ! tell We, /"
said Eunice to Mehetabel, as she put the
empty pail in the sink, and unwound the
long white wool comforter with which
she had fortified her ears before going to
the well. "'Bouts cold s ever I seen il
an | guess them Delaneys has gone at
last. didn't see no sign of smoke out
the stove pipe chimbly; rather chilly
kind " day not to hev no FIRE, seems to
me, if thay's any one there"
Mehetabel walked to the window. The
hour was about nine in the morning. The
sun shone with white, cold radiance,
and glittered on the fringes and feathers
of frost crystals, which stood out from the
twigs and surrounded every CIevice. The
tracery on the window panes had thawed
away at the top, where the suns rays
struck them directly, and through one OF
these oval spots Mehetabels grey eyes
surveyed the Delany shanty, smokeless
and lifele:s, at the bottom of the hill, the
black lines of rails and the frozen river,
beyond which rose white hills fringed
with the black stems OF the naked trees
sharply outlined against the chilly steel
grey of the winter morning sky. A small
figure carrying board struggled into
view climbing the river bank with un-
certain steps, the little toiler crossed one
track, stumbled at the next, fell, and then
partly rising, sat on the SHINING black
rail-
"Wy, what in time makes that boy sit
down on the track, I'd like to know!" ex-
claimed Mehetabel.
"What boys settin' on the railroad
track, sech mornin'z this p said Eunice,
joining Mehetable at the window. "Wy,
it's that Delaney boy, amt it? For the
lands sake what's he a-doin' there
He'll git run over if he stays there long,
guess-'bout time for the mornip' train,
amt it?"
TIE little figure remained motionless
mn he AA A.
knees, and the board lying where it had
fallen. Mehetabel turned from the win
dow, and began to array herself in va
rious outdoor garments, including the
white comforter, pair of rubber boots,
and thick mittens.
Be you goin' down thereP" asked
Eunice.
"I guess amt goin' to have no boys
killed nor froze to death on my premises, :"
said Mehetabel, as she opened the back
door, letting cloud of steam into the
singing air, aud closed it behind her
with bang, fastened down the hill past
the black trunks of the spreading apple
trees, and down the steep bank to the
track.
Terrence Delaney saw her coming, and
preston of abject terror as Mehetabel
swiftly approached him, but he made no
sound-he only stared at her with his
big pitiful blue eyes, and did not offer to
stir.
"What are you doin' on that rail
freezin' yourself to death ?" said Mehet-
able. with fierce voice. Terence made
no reply, and Mehetabel grasped him by
the arm. The sleeve of his ragged little
jacket was frozen stiff, and as Miss Pet
tigrew gave him a powerful witch up
ward, Terrence parted from the rail,
leaving large portion of his frail neither
garment on the metal, and rose in the
air like cork in water.
"W'y, you're froze stiff. amt you. Ter
renee 2" said Mehetabel, as the scrawny,
ice-clad figure landed in her arms "Hev
you tell in the river p said she, glancing
at the icy board beside her" Well /
neverp And with this Miss Pettigrew,
having Terrence on her left arm, seized
the board with her right hand and
walked rapidly to the Delaney cabin,
opened the low door and entered.
Mrs. Delaney sat before a freless
stove, with little wan-faced baby in her
arms, and her feet on the goat which was
curled up on the floor in front of her.
Two or three disconsolate fowls were
huddled in one corner of the room, and
in another stood the bed, occupied by
little Nora, younger than Terrence, curled
up under the clothes in that torpor which
nature kindly sends to habituaily under
fed young animals. The one room was
not more untidy than might have been
expected, but the odor was indescribably
sickening to Mehetabel, who was nota-
BILE housekeeper, and gave "dirt" first
place in her long list of things hateful.
But the horrible fragrance of the interior
did not hinder Mehetabel from kicking
the door shut behind her, and as she
stood for moment with Teddy on her
arm, the short icy board in her hand, and
surveyed her surroundings, Mrs. Delaney,
who was shaking violently with an ague
chill, looked at the enemy of her house
hold with pitiful upward glance hardly
less terrified and imploring than that
with which Terrence had recarded Me.