Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1890-01-08


from the house TO the meadow. She
had stopped at the barn to see II 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 sec if they
were likely to be large enough for
Fourth-of-July dinner. SO that some
little time had elapsed since she left
the house.
You'd better come right in" she
continued TO Mr.. Mol, "and if / was
you, Pliny Moll, rd--for the lands
sakai"
Aunt 'Cindy had suddenly thrown up
both arms. and she clapped her hands
together as she cried out: "The house
is on fire, as sure as I'm livin'
womanr'
Mr.. Moll rose to his feet with a
bound, and ran madly after the fleeing
Aunt 'Cindy. They met the doctors
at the hack gate, and all ran into the
house, Mr.. Mol crying out:
"She'll be scared and burned TO
death! Git Becky out first thingl
We're comm, Becky Keep CAIN
We'll save your
The whole party rushed into the
front hall Of the house, and there they
beheld a singular and unexpected
sight. 1t was Mrs. Mol halfway
downstairs with a huge feather-bed
on her back!
Becky Moll!' gasped her amazed
husband. "Why, Becky, you'll"
"Now don't you lose your wits at
time when you need 'em the most,
Pliny," said Mrs. Moll, sharply. cpl
manage this feather-bed. and you go
up and begin THROWN things out OF
the winders. Don't you forgit my
black silk dress. You doctors better
pull up the carpets, and 'Cindy, you
git my gold band chany tea-set out all
right. I'll come back and tend to my
silver spoons and forks soon as l get
this new feather-bed out. Fly around,
all OF you! There amt no time to
lose!'
During the next fifteen minutes no
one 'few around" faster than Mrs.
Becky Moll, Notwithstanding the fact
that she was still clad in long, white
nightdress, with her feet thrust into a
pair OF Pliny's old carpet slippers.
After carrying the feather bed across
the road, and pitching it over the
fence of field in front of the house,
she ran back and personally directed
the moving of the other things in tn
burning house.
"Get my winter cloak, Pliny," she
shouted up the stairs. Its bran
new, and it's got to do me five years
yit! Here, Dr. Philbrick, you and
Dr. Peevy carry out the parlor sofy!
'Cindy, 'Cindy, fly around! Get
ev'ry thing out of the pantry!'
When the nearest neighbors arrived
the whole second story OF the house
was in flames, and it was unsafe TO
enter the lower part. Mrs. Moll had
been tho last TO leave. She came
rushing out with family heirloom
Il big blue-edged platter-in one hand
and pewter teapot in the other. Car
rying them to q place of safety, she
climbed over the fence and dropped
down on the feather bed, saying as she
did so:
''Pliny. bring mo quilt or some.
thing to throw over me! | look scand'-
lous! I'm afeerd this'll give me All
awful back set! Well, DR.. Philbrick,
what do you make out is the matter
of meP"
There amt nothing the matter OF
you, Becky Moll; that's what there
aiu'tr' said DIR. Philbrick, tartly, as
he mopped the perspiration from his
crimson brow. "Ain't that so. Dr.
Poevy?"
Eyes, it is" said DIR. Peevy, briefly,
as he gathered up his saddle-bags.
"Hobbson thinks so, too, don't you,
HobbsonP"
'Of course l do!' replied DR.. Hobb-
son.
This was far from the conclusion at
which the learned doctors had arrived
while in the orchard; but the opinions
to change. They had made some new
discoveries as to the patients condi-
tion-revealed by the events of the
fire-which had literally thrown new
light on their Investigations.
81 should think you'd be ashamed
to talk to dyin' woman like that!"
said Mrs Moll, rising from her bed
and pointing her finger scornfully be-
tween the rails of the fence toward the
departing doctors.
The household goods were carried |
into small but quito comfortable old
house across the road, in which the
Molls had lived before building the
house that had burned. The neigh
bors lent their assistance in arranging
the furniture, and by night Mr.. and
Mrs. Moll found themselves comfort
ably installed in their old home, with
most of their effects around them.
Then Aunt 'Cindy went out to tho
barn where Mr.. Moll was feeding his
horses and said:
''See here. Pliny; I'm goin' homo.
amt goin' to stay here any longer
doing for woman that's as well as l
am, II she'd only thinlNso. I'm be-
lever in the mind cure for Becky; for
if she only thought she was we'll she'd
be WE'LL"
'Pve seen her do some queer things
for dyin' woman of late," Aunt
'Cindy went on, emphatically. 81
caught her in the pantry eatin' pie and
cold beef one day last week, and when
told her the other day that Mandy
Peek was goin' by with new dress
and hat on, she run to the window to
see; and that, and what's happened
to-day, has made me think | amt
needed here, and I'm goin'."
In fifteen minutes she was gone, and
Mr.. Mol sat for the next half hour on
tho barn floor with his back against
grain bag, chewing the end of a straw