Little Falls transcript., 1886-11-26
/ Cl,ssy was silent for two minutes.

-
Then she said: s La s 1. .I<*5E.t'#.
"A beautiful, sensitive plant grows
Wild here; it is a briar; perhaps we car
find one here
;, II shall be delighted" ( replied
family. When we reached the yard
fence, AL cried in anlazement
.Where's the barn?'' And sure as
am telling it, that vicious little mule
had kicked it down. a.
1t was what they call a Kansas
barn. made of poles, with a straw
roof, tied down, to keep it from blow"
ing off, and the beast was eating The
root. When Conrad went up to see
about it, he was sent flying heels over
head. and laughed; he never forgaye
me, either.
1t rained that afternoon, and we
helped Clissy cut carpet-rags for a
kitchen carpet. We were afraid to go
down cellar on account of the enor-
NOUS rats, SO we stood in the stairway
and passed milk and meat to and frcm
the invincible Conrad. He set the three
gaping steel traps, and we retired the
second night in the blissful fancy that
ward morning we were awakened by
an oder that would have made those
stenches of the plague-stricken Egyp-
tians seem as perfume by contract.
Poor Clissy sat up and gasped. Al be-
gan to cry, as usual, and | wished that
| were man long enough to swear.
It would be two hours before Conrad
came to Investigate, and we should all
die in that time knew.
What could it be? Several things
were suggested, but the solution was
not satisfactory until AL sprang up from
her cot 1--WE only had one bedD and
screamed. ''Oh, 1 know; it's natural
gas. Your bored we'll has struck it.
We shall light the town and make our
fortunes. Hurrah for old Clissy Now
you must dc the handsome by us l
will take diamond necklace for my
and you can build a
house ia town and we'll live with YOU"
1t seemed SO probable that even
Clissy forgot her usual caution and
planned a substantial barn on the pos
sibility. We we're sure that we heard
a rat dragging the trap down cellar.
stairs in the gray dawn and peeped
down. The natural gas, the supply OF
which was apparently unlimited,
seemed to emanate from the cellar,
and was so stiff ng that we could not
investigate long at time.
"G!rls,' said Al, st S NOT {: rat, but
the dearest little black and white crea-
ture that you ever saw. It's caught by
the foot. Where's your book of natur-
al history. May be I can tell what it
is"
Il take him in von bag und gill
him. said the manly tones Of Conrad,
coming up just then.
L schmell him half-milc away Meiu
Gott, how ever / dakes hin, out Won
dotp'
"Girls,' said Clissy, from the other
end Of the porch, lit y the most beau
tiful sunrise ever saw. Only see the
crimsonH'
Perhaps you won't believe me, bu:
we didn't get that odor out OF the
house for three months. or ont Of our
clothes either, although we almost
bought CAT the Lubln' $ extracts from
the Sparta drugstore.
The day that followed WAS the most
heart-rentiiny Of all. We couldn't cat,
and were SO faint that We could scarce
ly work. We resolved that no chance
visitor should be admitte / to the house
upon pain Of death to the offender.
l was learning to make "A shortcakc
when 4 scream from Al made me look
up.
somebody is coming. What shall
we do? Go and meet him, Clis, and
keep him from the house,
"He's only q tramp, and I think he
is drunk, too. I'd better call Conrad.
In afraid OF drunken man. Sho
walked timidly to the end of the porch
and met the intruder,
IL beg your pardon, but as I was
crossing your field IN my walk, one oil
your rams assaulted me, and made mo
so unpresentable, that l must ask for
some soap and water, and aneedle and
thread. l am a clergyman from the
village, madame. "
"Ccrtainly,'' said Clissy," Il am
very sorry that anything SO serious
should have happened to you npon my
place" and she showed him into the
sitting room ald gave him the necessary
articles. He staggered as he walked,
and l saw that the blood WAS dripping
from his l'air. He was hurt more
seriously than he would confess. When
he had been there an hour we thought
we had better peek, and we did.
He had got to the lounge and fallen
upon it. The blood from his head was
dropping upon the floor, and his face
was as pale as death. We forgot all
about our modification at our plight,
and flew about in great distress. Clis-
sy is so motilcr]y and knows so much
about every thing that she soon brought
him around; bandaged his cut and rub
bed alnica upon his bruises. He was
so modest and pleasant, and SO pat cnt
i knew he Was suffering dreadfulIy--
that we couldn't help admlrjng hin
and it was such a surprise to him to
find three ladies in that dcsolate little
house, and it was such surprise to US
to find a gentleman in one who looked
SO like tramp. And Clissy cleaned
his coat-it had absorbed great deal
of sticky mud from the rain of the day
beforehand took him home in the
evening in the horrid spring Wa gon.
drawn by the mule.
Well, nothing would do, when he
called the next week, but that we
should come to church and take class
es in the Sunday school and attend
the socials. And we found that the
people were pleasant and the country
beautiful, and Mr.. Haven-oh, we'll /
shall not say one word about hiin--ol
you will guess-but then, who cares il
you do?'--L,zzie Hyer Ne9; IN 2Aa
(2zrre7st.