The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-04-23

room, puJ mother Will make you up q
cot bed in the room with the boys, and
if you can put up with our plain way
of living
He stopped her mouth with kiss.
You are an angel, Bess!' said he.
The kindly Warden family did their
best to console old Miss Sarepta
Smiths discarded relation and to make
the last portion of his vacation trifie
pleasantcr than the first had been. But
DIR. Warden shook his frost-white head.
II don't like long engagements" said
he. "And Bess can't marry man on
any twelve dollars week"
''But, father, Charley will do better
in time"
IF it pleases the unlucky planet"
interpolated Charley.
"Well, wait until the better times
come"
''Oh, we don't mind waiting!" cried
Bess.
Speak for yourself, if you please,''
murmured Charley.
We've lifetime before u.s." assev-
Grated Bess; ''and, in the meantime,
Charley, We'll go out duck shooting to-
morrow, and I'll row you through the
Silver Channels to the best ground on
all the coast
On the night before Mr.. Cleve's time
was up, the lovers, talking to each
other late in the autumnal starlight on
the porch, saw a red glare in the sky
above the privet hedge.
ITS BONFIRE" said Charley.
''It's Miss Sarepta Smiths houser
shriehed Bess. Help! Help! Fire!
Water! Oh, why don't somebody
GOMEZ
Call your father and the boys!''
said Charley, flinging off his coat. ''I'll
jump the fence and take the short cut.
She's all alone in the house, poor
thing!'
At Salt Inlet they had neither steam
fire-engines nor patent extinguishers
BY the time the volunteer company had
dragged the rickety old engine and
hose-cart out of their shed, and hoisted
them up the hill. the ancient house
where Sarepta Smith had been born
was in ruins; and the old woman her.
self, carried in big chair over to the
Warden house, was lamenting herself
that she, too, had not gone also.
Seems like couldn't live nowhere
else," said she. "And Pm an old wom-
an-a very old woman"
Bess Warden gave p her own room
to Miss Sarepta- Every one did what
he could to make her comforta BILE, but
the only sign she evinced of pleasure
was when Charley Cleve brought in the
old gray goose, stiffly mounted on an
imitation of messy ground Her dim
eyes lighted up.
81 am glad you saved that, Charles"
said she.
81 found it among heap of o.her
things" said Charley ''And l thought
you'd like to have it. See, here are
your spectacles too, and the old Bible,
with the leaves all right, and the cover
only a little charredr'
Miss Sarepta looked feebly from one
relic to another.
Pm glad" said she, Every glad. 1t
was thoughtful of you, Charles. I'm
sorry called you them names. take
'em all back
''Oh! never mind the names," said
Charley. sat all events, you can't lay
this fire to me.r'
NO" said Sarepta, sit was the mice
playin' on the closet shelf where kept
the matches. I'd laid up to set trap,
but forgot. And l should ha' been
burned in my bed if it hadn't been for
you, Charles. allays dreaded death
by fire!'
Old Miss Sarepta lay very quietly for
a day or two, with the gray goose fold
ing its wings at her bed head and the
Bible and spectacles on stand beside
her pillow.
Charles shall have the gray goose"
said she, one evening. ''lt'll help fur
nish his house. And it'll show | don't
bear no malice on account of his shoot
in it. And the specks and the Bible
Bess must keep An old Bible brings
every one luck!'
She died before daybreak If there
was any willard Miss Sarepta was
always believed to be well-to-do,
business-like woman-it was destroyed
in the flames. The old place-three-
nearer of kin than Charley Cleve.
MY unlucky planet again." said
Charley, with a grimace. 'Well, never
mind, Bess; it's only waiting little
longer. We've got Bible and pair
of spectacles, after all"
''And stuffed gray goose.' said
Bess.
"Oh! hang the goose" said Charley.
It's neither useful nor ornamental |
Let's shy it out into the orchard;" and
he seized it by one leg.
"Oh! stop, Charley!' cried thrifty
Bess. Lets save the feathers for a |
pillow"
They're full of arsenic and such
stuff"
'All the better for keeping out |