The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-12-24

delight, almost like that Of flying q .
quick push up the pond, directly toHErd the
face Of her only companion, tho good
natured moon,
No Eily-ho Emma, kindest of the readers
of these linss-I say with distress that no
touch, even the slightest, Of remorse en-
Uttered the fight. 1t was clear, sheer
Aryan delight in the open a~ir-shall I say;
in the world of Coda Thu confinement Of
eight hours had made it perhaps, the more
delicious.
The poor-house, which to this child was
heaven and home, stood by a great pond.
Three or four villaihohs pairs Of skates, Or
half pairs, were a part Of the equipment
known to the youngsters, and concealed
with VOWS and solemnities from year to
year. Whatever favprs that home had to
give Mary had shared; SO she could skate
easily and well.
And while she should have been ahject
in sin, she was triumphant in freedom.
Nor had she any stop-watch to trouble
her, Araminta; nor bracelet on her wrist,
which should prick her at the hour of ten Or
eleven. Nor had she passed her word to
any fairy godntother that she would return
at eleven 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 ad-
vantages as we'll. To Mary the advantage
was that, as no one had told her that she
might go out, nc one had told her when she
Like Red-jacket, she had ell the tims
there was. And she used it with his free
dom.
She came home precisely when she was
SO tired that it was no longer q 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 "ell' of the farm house, where
her sheet still waved in the wind.
With that general survey of the premises,
to which all savages are trained, the wild
creature scanned the whole establishment.
Her quick eye 'arght q cloud of smoke
rising. outside ths kitchen chimney from
the shingles of the roof:
She screamed with gu her might;
''Silasl Silas, Miss Shepardr" And, with
out waiting fer an answer, she dashed into
the harness room, Threw down her skates,
there. It 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, n after two failures, she
saw it well in place,-alas, not quite reach
ing the caves.
She did not falter an instant; she filed at
the cattle trough a tin pail and g. meal
bucket, carried one up and set it in the
herself upon the roof, still screaming
'Silasl' and miss Shepard! ~ but with no
reply.
She husbanded her water. The smoke
about stifed her: But there Yves no FAINT
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 Town the ladder. This
time she carried up the tin pail, and returned
Tor Silas' IKE
One skillful blow opened a little hole,
through which a torrent Of flame spurted.
But the girl wa ready for 1t, and a torrent
Of water quenched it. Another cloud Of
steam, and she stepped to her ladder to
descend for more supplies.
Alas her weight came strong 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
She felt no pain. But she screamed, as
before: 'silasl Silasi-Miss ShepardI Miss
Shepard.
And when she tried to pull herself out
from the wreck, she could notl What had
happened He foot was all tangled in the
rounds. She could only paw with her arms
in the snow.
'Silasl Silas! Miss Shepard!" No answer
The brave girl raised herself on her elbow.
She made a SNOWFALL from the snow her
water slops had softened. She fired it skill
"Miss Shepard !" for the last time-"Miss
Shepard"
This tims-and very quickly-Mr. Shop
ard appeared.
"Who's there?"
.I'm here-Mary Martin. The house is
ladder round my legs, and I 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, a few hand
fuls of snow were enough to extinguish the
embers he found in the roof below.
Shepard carried Mary up to his wife's room.
It was only too clear that her leg had
been broken in the fall.
But she shed never a tear. And when
Sifas came in with the glad news that there
was no danger, she only said: "Mr. File
brown said when the roof was ATTIRE we
must not waste our water"
Silas was fitted out in the cutter to bring
DR.. Woodward to set the broken leg.
As for Mary, she fell asleep, really feeling
When she awok there hung over Mrs.
Shepard's chimney-piece a long red stock
ing, crowded full.
The girl lay quietly enough as Dr.. Wood
ward fastened on his splints. And when he
said to her, enthusiastically: eve will not
keep you in bed very long" she said, very
prettily: I'm glad I was not shut up be-
fore the fire came"
doctor, would it hurt her to have her
Christmas p~resents?"
Hurt hers No, indeed, 1 should say she
had earned them"
sDo you think it was Santa Claus's pipe
which set fire to the shiuglesw
sally" said Mr.. Shepard, as he cut of a
slice of the turkeys heart to send upstairs
to Mary's dinner, shat 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?'
May be,' said George Bangs.
"Well," said Mrs. Shepard, "we can'thave
everything. 1 told Mrs. Metcalf I did not
expect an angel"
II don't know as angels know how to
handle axes, though they can go up and
down ladders ."-EdDdrd Z. Hale, in Boston
Trdueler.