The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-10-19


At the old house as Fefnwcod the sil.
! yer hi; red mistress stood leaning against
| the Intel Of the wide front door, list
| lessly watching the progress Of the
storm. while on the steps below sat lit
| tie Star with John Pidgin, and on gar
| den seslh nearby old Prudence, the house
keeper. knitting in hand. her busy nee-
| dies occasionally glistening ia the al
most languid flashes of heat lightning.
John Pidgin, who between his gardens
ing and his 'ostling" managed to i'm
bibe a little geometry and physiology at
the North End high school John the
rude OF speech and uncouth Of manner,
was going some time to stsady theology,
perhaps eventually to preach TO his peo-
pie, the poor whites In the south. IF
the spirit is willin' and the flesh not too
powerful weak he sometimes said. As
he sat watching the somber sky tonight
his conversation with Prudence took a
theological turn, and greatly amused
Katherine as fragments of it drifted to
her ears.
No, = be was saying, the Lord don't
confide in me very much as to his calcu
lations for my future. He is the non-coin-
mittalest upon that subject Of any one
I've tackled for advice. P'raps | ought
to been more self abnegatin' and stayed
on at the place and learned Goblin.
Orr he added, with a sigh, ''if 'ostle |
must, will 'ostle to the point Of martyr
DOM
Prudence having no objections to offer
he was silent for awhile, but soon re-
mark from her brought out the startling
declaration that "Brother Milford is a
powerful expounder, bat when it comes
to devotion, to downright conservation,
Brother To1nbs can knock the daylight
outen him."
Katherine laughed aloud in spite of
herself. ssAre yon there, mammal asked
Star. "See the big red light over at
North End Is it fire? What is it,
mammal"
At this John Pidgin sprang up with q
startled look. There began to be steps
in the street and horses feet and wagons,
men hurrying By, with now and then a
hasty word to each other Southwick
people in haste for once
1.-The warehouses, the Touring mills. +"
aThe Methodist church"
est. Luke's hospital, they heard at
intervals. Ali how Katherine's heart
stopped beating. st. Luke's hospital!
If DR.. Van Duyn should be therel He
was always there. Il he should be hurti
Alack, she who had so cruelty hurt him
now cried to heaven for his safety.
What choking feeling in her throat at
thought of his danger. In a fash she
saw what life would be without him; to
have him never again for physician, for
friend oh, for something more than
friend; for at that moment, and as never
before, strong, overmastering love for
John Van Duyn, the noble, self sacrifc-
ing man so strong, SO gentle, so patient,
swept over her, flooding her heart like
mighty torrent against which she was
powerless. She knew then that she had
never before known love- In all the
world he was the one to whom her whole
being turned. Her heart lay in his hand
as Jewel to be cherished, or q worthless
pebble TO be spurned and flung away.
Hot tears sprang to her eyes--tears of
Joy, tears Of eontrition, of alarm, of
many mingled emotions She hardly
knew when or how she got into the light
wagon with John Pidgin, to speed along
over the dark road, lit only by the fitful
red light Of the increasing flames.
On reaching North End they stopped
at the school house steps, where with
many others they could look down ON
the red docks and the flaming ware
houses now given up for lost. The
church and the hospital might perchance
be saved Two women under one light
shawl stood near Katherine watching
the progress of the fire and recounting
the scenes in the street below
s'There goes load Of -four barrels
and some pews from the Methodist
church"
ssThere's the organ and the ten COM
lnandments," said the second speaker,
land a covered carriage hospital pa
tients, shouldn't wonder"
"Oh, seer said the taller woman, with
rasping voice; there's DR.. Van Duyn
in his two wheeler. Guess he's carrying
off that pretty little nurse-Miss What's
er-Namey'
Miss Stauffer--Angela Stauffer For
eigner, reckon. They do say she is go
ing to marry DR.. Van Duyn. Hope she
is worth him"
Looks like they're sayin' the church,
don't it,
How odious those women were in their
coarse co1nmentsl How chill the night
was growing. How the flames, now
getting under control, seemed like the
fires of the under world consuming all
that was bright and beautiful in this
world that had once been fair.
A glance into the street below con-
frmed to Katherine Weatherly's eyes
the talk of the gossiping women. She
caught one glimpse of the feet horse,
flying wheels and familiar figure, sup
porting on his arm an almost PROSTATE
form. The red light was ON everything,
on that strong face which, turning for a
moment with quick gesture to look
back at the fire, revealed to Katherine
the well known features, the bushy brows
almost she fancied she could discover
the kindly but reproachful eyes, which