The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-07-16
AN EVENTFUL DAY.

"1t's those worn out shingles on
The roof" said Mrs. Barr, in the mel
ancholy half whine which was habit
ual to her. "Therain leakedin on the
boarder's bureau all night long, and
she says she won't stay here if she
isn't to be properly protected against
the elements"
jamie tied the last puce colored tu-
lip to IT'S stake and Strengthened her.
self up. ....
"Who is to do it?" sighed Mrs.
Barr. "And if Mrs. Lepell goes away
what shall we do about the interest on
your fathers old note?"
"she won't go away, mother never
fear," said jamie, brightly. "Don't
fret. You'll see that things will come
out right"
"But the 81. ingles must be fixed right
away" said Mrs. Barr.
"They shall be fixed, MOTHER" said
jamie.
who will do it?" impatiently re-
peated the widow.
II will" said jamie.
"That's all nonsense" groaned Mrs.
Barr.
But jamie had never been more seri-
Ously in earnest in all her life.
Mrs. Barr went to the parish sewing
society that afternoon.
Col. Addison, from the Valley hotel,
who woc royyirr he ,ll,o.aa.L Ng--
Lepell the boarder, came with spirit
ed horse and a buggy to take her to
the sea beach.
CHOW is my time" said jamie exult-
antly to herself.
But Mrs. Lepell came back before
she had got twenty-five yards away
from the houee..
"Janie," she said, II forgot to tell
you that l left my three diamond
rings in the little left hand drawer of
the bureau. I mi ht lose them in the
water. l thought 1 would tell you in
case OF fire, you know, or any other
accident"
eyes," said jamie, but there won't
be any accident.
Mrs. Lepell laughed, and ran back
to the carriage and the impatient COL
onel.
And not until then did jamie per-
ceive that a tall, half grown lad, lurk-
ing behind the porch rails, was wait
ing to speak with her.
"Who L your" said jamie, brisklv.
"'What do you want? No, we haven't
any old clothes. If you really want
work, you had better go on to the
new buildings, about a mile up the
road. l dare say they can find some
thing for you to do there"
The lad mumbled out something,
whether thanks or otherwise jamie
could not discriminate, and shufled
away. And our heroine, slipping on
her hat and boiling the front door,
ran across the back meadow to Jack
Parsons carpenter shop, some quart
er of a mile by the wood path.
IL want a few Shingles" said she,
and q pound of shingle nails"
"What for? said Ralph.
"No. matter calmly jamie.
She nodded good-by, and hurried
away under the canopy Of pink apple
blossoms.
Ralph looked admiringly after her.
"She's a regular clipper of a girl,
that jamie Barr!" said he. IF ever
I'm able to support a wife, that will
be the, one. I'd choose"
Light as a thistledown, jamie hurri-
ed back with her precious bundle of
shingles, and the pound of nails in her
pocket. IT,
"Now I'll show him whether I a
mend the roof or not" she said, as,
with a hammer added to her stock in
trade, she assembled to the garnet and
climbed the odd little ladder that led
up through the rusty trap door to the
steep roof.
The slant was abrupt, the old shin
giles were wet with recent rain and
slippery with green moss incrusta-
tions, but jamie Barr was not one
lightly to be discouraged, and present.
ly she found herself neatly balanced,
with herfeet braced against the. board
gutter, one elbow leaning ON the roof,
and the hand busily tearing away the
old shingles and replacing them delft
ly with overlapping rows OF new, frag-
rant wood. The click of the hammer,
the ring OF the nails was like music in
her ears: Suddenly, however, as she
SdC peiCllcA Ike A squirrel on the
slanting roof, the sound of voices
struck on her ear She paused to lis
ten.
"Three diamond ringst I heard her
say so herself. In the left hand draw
er Of some bureau" said the same ac-
cents which half an hour ago had ask
edfor her charity. "And no one but
a woman in the house,
"Sure OF that?" said a deeper voice.
eyes, plum sure" was the answer
"And | wouldn't wonder if there were
o~therthings for the picking up"
Come in, then" said the other one,
stand step lively. We can't stand here
lawing all day. The door is bolted, is
it? Wait a minute; I've got a little
Joker here a would start any staple
this side Of Denver" q