The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-07-11

not less he gifts In the way, when he'd
better be out Of it, says Tom, with a
grin. But II the plaything he's SO
tiokled over jest flies to flinders some
day, and the noise .scares him so that he
gives it up and runs home, it'll DO the
best thing for him and all the rest of us,
"Seemed like nobody doubted he'd be
easy scared, and so the whisperin' and
blacks looks and secret meetin's went
on.
some day in summer box was brought
into the room where we worked. shall
always remember that day, just how
everything looked 1t had been bright,
warm mornin', but about noon it clouded
up slowly, and every breath of wind died
away. Not a leaf moved on the trees,
and everything was still, like as if the
world was holdin' its breath and waitin'
for somethin'.
"Inside the mill everything looked
darker and gloomier than usual in that
queer gray light. Great piles of castin's
throwed black shadows over the slippery
floor; the long iron shafts was like hun
cry arms forever reachin' down and
drawin' dack empty, and from under the
brick archway the round door of the fur,
mace seemed glarin' out like big red
eye. There's times when common things
don't have common look, and it's most.
ly them kind of times that git burned
into your mem'ry, somehow.
"Nothin' seemed to go that day the
way folks had calculated. The miser'ble
little box had no sooner been set down
in the room than somebody called: Hist
Look out' and there was Boss Darlin'
comm back from his dinner at an on
arthly hour when he'd never been known
to come before. He had rose stuck in
his button hole, and looked likes dancin
master goin' to party as heard Bob
mutter, as he slipped the box out of sight
under pile of stuff at the end of the
room. They couldn't carry out their
plan then, so there was nothin' left for
'em but to hide it.
"The boss looked round kind Of
smilin' and pleasant like. He'd got that
model he was busy with obout into work
in order, and he was wonderful pleased
over it. And what did he do, that day,
bue have it brought out into our room
because, the weather havin' turned gloomy
like, there was better light by big
window there. So there he stayed fussin'
over it, just as if he was on gnard.
"Then it began to thunder, and there
was sudden dash of rain, so that Jim
Bryce's little girl, who had come down
with his lunch-basket, couldn't go home.
Jim was piece worker, and always said
he could do twice as much work in an
afternoon If he had snack bout three
o'clock.
"Jim looked sort of uneasy, now and
then, when little Jinny'd get off to the
back part of the room anyways nigh
where the box was. But he couldn't say
nothin', and maybe there wasn't any
danger; only I was sure he didn't like
her round there, and was glad when she
wandered off into the room beyond-a
store-room where she was let stay some
times, while she waited for her fathers
basket.
''The storm grew heavier instead of
lighter, till we could hardly see to work.
All at once there was blindin' flash of
light and crash as if the whole earth
was a-tearin' to pieces, and we all started
and tumbled in every direction. The
minute we could get our senses and look
round we found that the whole end of
the room was blowed off, and gully
plowed way down to the foundations
like as if a bomb-shell had tore
through.
"Beyond that ragged openin' the
great brick wall was still standin', but
we could see that it was swayin' and
weavin' just ready to fall. I've never
seen anything look so awful as that
tremblin' wall did; for over on the other
side of it run another buildin', where the
fnishin' rooms was, and all hands at
work.
~ s'pose the same thought struck us
all at once-that the only hope for 'em
was peal of the bell that would send
'em all flynn to the entrance at the far
end of the buildin' Twas in the old
days, you see, before the new part of the
mill was built, or we had any alarm
connection with all the rooms. There
was only the big bell, and the rope to 1t
was danglin' beside the totterin' wall.
"You can't tell about such things as
quick as they are in happenin'
"'The bell!' says somebody, but there
wasn't chance to say any more, for the
boss sprang past us with just a word or
two, short and quick, as he pushed us
right and left.
"'Back, men, backl That is my
place. You have families
sin minute he was leapin' down over
the piles Of rubbish, and almost before
we was sure what he was amin for, he
had reached the place, and the white
hands strong and steady, had hold Of the
rope and was maxim the old bell shout
danger if ever bell did.
"We hardly stirred or breathed while
we watched him, till he started toward
us again. Then long, shivering breath
ran round the crowd.
81 b'lieve he'd have made it to get out
then if it hadn't been for little jimmy
Bryce. That youngster was naturally
scared nigh to death at the uproar, and
instead of stayin' where she was safe,
what does she do but come creepin' out
Of the store room-it was off to the right,
you understand, and considerable torn
up, like ours-and to try and make her
way over the ruins to her father.
'The boss heard her cry, turned back
like flash, and catchin' her in his arms,
began to climb over the rubbish piles
again.
"'Catch her! he called the minute he
was near enough, and tossed her over
into her fathers arms. But the move
ment made him lose his footin', and,
though dozen Of us had our hands
stretched out to catch him, he slipped and
rolled back down among the dirt and
stones.
~ s'pose it hadn't needed but the
least little jar-or maybe it wasn't the
jar at all-but anyway the next minute
fbora urac n .roch and fbo o. IS 80,