The Springdale news., 1889-12-20

the house while this here powwOw was goin' on. He's been like a fish out of water ever sence he knew it was goin' to be-
 "Pore man. pore manr' said Mrs. Moll. 'Itll be hard on him to give me up, but he's got it to do. My stren'th is goin' faster and faster every day. l wisht you'd tell Pliny l want him, and then I'd like you to make me some billed apple dumplin's and bile me a piece of cabbage. I'm so Jagged out I've got to have some- thin nourishin' for dinner. "
 There stood in the meadow lot a sol itary oak tree, to the shade of which Pliny always withdrew when he was in the mood for solitary reflection, and he always came thither in his hours of deepest dejection. He seemed to find sympathy and strength in the sheltering arms of the oak tree, and it had been told all the joys and sorrows of his life.
 
 himself on this bright and peaceful June day. There was something so ominous in the presence of those three grave and gloomy-faced doctors that Mir Moll could not stay under the same roof with them. and he had fled to the oak tree to remain there until they had gone. Never had he been more depressed in regard to Mrs. Moll.
 I'm afeerd they'll do her no good. :" he said, with his handkerchief to his eyes as he lay under the branches of the tree. 'sNothing but a maracle will help Becky now, and the age of. mara cles is gone Poor Becky" and little Mir. Moll was weeping softly in his red cotton handkerchief when Aunt Cindy found him.
 Aunt Cindy was a woman of no lit tie force of character, and she thought that there were not many occasions when a man was justified in giving way to tears. She certainly did not regard this as one of these rare occa- sions, therefore she said, sharply:
 Well, PIiny Moll,you ain { bellerin :? What for? If there's any thing to cry fer aint seen it nor yit heered itG'
 70 sCiady!a was all Pliny said in reply to this. "What do they say bout Becky. Has she lived through it?''
 "Weu, she's alive enough to want cabbage and dnmplin's for dinner, so reckon there's little ritality left The doctors are powwouin' out in the orchard, and Becky wants you.
 Aunt Cindy had not come directly from the house to the meadow She had stopped at the barn to see if she could find some new-laid eggs for the pudding she intended making for din- ner; then she had stopped to dig open a hill of early potatoes to see if they were likely to be large enough for a Fourth-of-July dinner. 90 that some little time had elapsed since she left the house.
 " ou better come right in,' she continued to Mr MoIl, "and if was you, Pliny Mou, Td-for the land, : sake"
 Aunt Cindy had suddenly thrown ub both arms, and sine clapped her hands together as she cried out: Tho house is on fire, as sure as I'm liyin' woman@
 Mr Moll rose to his feet with a bound, and ran madly after the fleeing Aunt Cindy. They met the doctors at the back gate, and all ran into the house, Mr. Moll crying out:
 "SheIl be scared and burned to death! Git Becky out first thing, We're comin', Becky, Keep ca m we'll save you.n
 The whole party rushed into the front hall of the house, and there they beheld q singular and unexpected sight. It was Mrs. Moll halfway downstairs with huge feather bed on her back
 Becky Moll!a gasped hee amazed husband. Why, Becky, you'n-'
 Now don't you lose your witsr .ttr tlmo when You need 'em ta16 most Pliny, said M(s. MoII, slhai.ply. "Pl manage this fAqthe&-bed. and you 2 up and begia|throwin' things out Q the wiea-ers. Don't you forgit m i black silk dress. You doctors bette pull up the carpets, and 'Cindy. yot git my gold band cbany tea-set out al right. I'll come back and tend to m, silver spoons and forks soon as I ee this new feather-bed out. Fly around all of you There ain't no time t, lose.'
 During the next fifteen minutes Il, one flew around faster than Mrs Becky Moll, notwithstanding the fac that she was still clad in long. white nightdress, with her feet thrust into 4 pair of PIiny's old carpet slippers.
 After carrying the feather-be bed across the road, and pitching it over the fence of a field in front of the house. she ran back and personally directed the moving of the other things in the burning house.
 Get my winter cloak, Pliuv.o she