Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-09-25
II FIRE-ALARM.

How the Kitchen-Clock Happened to Get
Cleaned.
Up in grandma's attic, one bright,
sunny day, Lulu and Hetty were play
ing with their dolls.
1t was such a charming place to play,
with no end of old spinniug-whcels,
that the girls called their harps, and a
big loom that they called their pipe
organ, and chests full of funny old
dresses, that grandma allowed them to
dress up in to their hearts content and
bandboxes With the queerest old bon
nets.
Each kept house in one end of the
attic, and then visited each other back
and forth, and they always felt sure
that before tea-time Mittie, grandma's
help, would come toiling up the steep
stairs with q tray full of goodies for a
tea-party.
Lulu was sitting in an old, old rock
ing-chair, singing to sleep her youngest
doll, Bombed, for Bonnibel had scarlet
fever, with u touch of whooping-cough,
| and was very 'worrisome."
<1o Lulu 1oChCu AaA OuSh III ChS OAN
chair, softly singing daisy Dale" she
Glanced to glance up among the brown
r%afters, Il her eye caught sight Of a
thin place in a single, where the sun
' shone through, making a spot as red as
. blood.
"Hetty Warren" she said slowly and
with emphasis, ''this house is a-tre"
''Whcre? whereof" cried Hetty, rush
ing along from her end OF the attic,
leaving a trail Of dolls dresses and
clothing generally in her wake.
Cup there" gasped Lulu, pointing
with one trembling finger at the red
spot
Hetty looked up aud saw; then turn
ing, she fed down stairs as swift as q
bird, while Lulu came, painting and
breathless, after her.
Into the sitting-room burst Hetty,
surprising grandma, rs she sat there
sewing with the little girls two moth
ers, by the startling announcements:
1.-The house is afire! the house is
atire!
where? Where is it?" they all
cried at once, jumping up.
up in the roof" said Hetty, and
Lulu, painting in just then, added her
testimony: 1.-The house is all atire up in
roof; all red coals!' and Mittie came
rushing in from the kitchen to hear
what the tumult was about.
''Run out into the street and boiler
'Fire' Mittie." said grandma.
"Tell somebody to ring the fire-bell,
Hetty," said her mother, selling q pail
of water and hurrying upstairs.
Lulu's mother was one OF the kind
who faint easily, SO she dropped into a
chair and groaned, and famed herself
with a newspaper, looking all the while
as white 81 a ghost, and Lulu chung
tight to her apron.
Grandma took u China cup down off
the bracket, and, rushing out into the
backyard, set it down under a big APP
ple-tree, then hurrying in, went to tax
ing down the kitchen clock.
Mittie ran into the middle of the
street and stood there trying to scream
"Fire!" but though she opened her
mouth wide, the '.Fire!' only cam in
a loud, hoarse whisper.
Hctty went tearing along the side
walk, looking for some one to ring the
1ire-bell. The first man she met was
old Judge Brown.
30 MIR. Brown!" gasped Hctty,
won't you 60 and ring the tire-bell?'
"'What's a-tire?' asked the Judge.
"Grandma's house is attire, and
grandma's away, and I don't know
what we shall do"
Judge Brown stared hard at the house
with nc traces of smoke about it, and
looked puzzled.
".Where is If a-frepn
up in the roof-it's all live Goals
red as blood"
"Ill run along where 1 can see the
other side of the roof" said Judge
Brown, and along he ran as fast as iis
age and flesh would allow, with Hetty
still ahead. He ran clear around the
house, watching the root, but no sign
or smell of fire could be discovered.
"Must be inside" he said and went
in at the front door, and there was Het.
tvs mother coming downstairs laugh.
ing, with the pail Of water in her hand.
She explained to the Judge how the lit
tie girls at play in the attic had seen q
red spot in the roof, and thought it wa:
fire.
Come in, Mittie!' she called to the
girl, who was now leaning against the
fence. all in a trcmble. '.There's M
tire, after ALL"
"Well," said grandma, when they
brought the good news into the kitchen
"lve got this clock about taker
down, SO III finish the job, and send i,
on to be cleaned. 1t hasn't run for F;
year."
FAD that was how the k%itchen-clocl
happened to get cleaned.-Iouth's Com
Pdni0M