Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-02-27

not asnalnen tO tutN III biut way ~
that young man presumes to come here,
he shall be packed off the premises
quicker than lightning"
ooh" gasped Chatty, "yOu wouldn't
be so cruell"
you'll see whether I will or not, y
said Miss Bagg, inexorably.
Coraline looked on with a pcrturbed
face.
Did love always make so much trouble
as thisl Chatty was very pretty, and
she had come into Cedar Hall like sun
beam, but what terrible commotion she
was creatingl
"Then," said Chatty, with an audacity
that turned Coraline's blood to ice,
"you're a wicked, cruel old woman And
1 won't stay here any longer!"
"Plcase yourself about that" grimly
remarked Aunt Bagg.
Chatty's small stock of self-control
could not endure further. She ran out
into the showers of the suItry August
day.
"Oh, aunty, call her backl" cried
Coraline, who had the tenderest of ten
der hearts. "Don't you see how it is
rainingl"
at won't hurt her." said Aunt Bagg.
"she has got her waterproof cloak on
her arm. And she's wise enough to run
into the old ruin, you see"
"Poor darlingl" sighed Coraline.
"Pcrt MINK" said Aunt Bagg. "Hcrc
comes poor Polly through the rain
there's one good thing. But my grand
fathers picture is spoiled, and the old
Gothic chair that belonged to my moth
er's ancestors is only fit for the wood-pile.
Yes, let her run away, if that's her no.
tion. never want to see her again."
but, cried Coraline, "it isn't wicked
to be in love, is itl'
Aunt Bagg turned away with awhisk
OF her skirts.
"Come, Polly" said she-"come to
your cage"
But as the time crept on and the storm
grew ferccr, Coraline's heart quailcd.
"What will she do for. her lunch,
auntie1" said she, piteously.
"When she gets starved out, she'll
come back, suppose said Miss Bagg.
All at once a jagged stream of livid
lightning seemed to descend perpcndicu-
larly into the river; thunderbolt, like
an earnest OF Jove's wrath, crashed above
them; there was rumbling echo, cloud
of dry dust rising into the air.
Peter, the man Of all work, rushed in
to the room.
~ believe in my soul, ma'am," said
Peter, "the old mill is struckl"
Aunt Bagg and Coraline stood looking
at each other, then they both hurried
out into the storm.
"Chatty-my Cousin Chattyl" walled
Coraline.
"The poor, pretty creaturel" cried
Miss Bagg. "And to think that l spoke
so cross to herl"
Peters prediction proved true. The
walls of the old mill still stood, but the
chimney had collapsed into heap of
ruins, from which the skirt OF poor
Chatty's waterproof still futtered.
$50 youngl' cried Miss Bagg, wiring
ing her hands-"so pretty Oh, if l
could undo the past, she should have her
lover and everything she wantedl Get a
spade, Peterl Call the men, Let US re-
cover the-the body at once"
''Bless us and save us, ma'am," said
Peter, "if once we began to dig there,
we'd soon have the whole place topping
around usl But I'll 60 for the coroner,
ma am, if You please"
"That isn't at all pecessary, Peter, "
said sweet young voice, and Chatty
herself sprang down from one of the
hollow window castings, and running mp
to Miss Bagg, nearly suffocatcd her by
the warmth of her embrace. "Tm not
dead at all, cried she, "and there's no
use digging for mel When it began to
Tighten so, threw off my hat and cloak,
and climbed up here to see how lovely
The river looked in the blue CLEANS, and
when the crash came, | was half-fright-
vned out Of my wits. could neither