The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-04-07


Pm very sorry, Cousin Sarepta,' said
l, 'but I've shot your old goose. I'll
replace it with the finest pair to be had
in Salt Inlet Replace it' says she;
and then, to be sure, there was a
scene. She set good deal of store
by that old gray goose, you know"
eyes, l know" said Bessie, re-
signedly. "It was nearly twenty
years old. She raised it herself, in
basket by the kitcben-fire, and it ate
corn daily out of her own hand. She
wouldn't have taken twenty dollars
for that old goose. No, nor fifty, |
do believe"
$780," added Charley, with a par
ticularly expressive shrug of the
shoulders, "she has turned me out of
doors. She called me loafer and a
shiftless er-do- weel, and | dare say
she was right. l couldn't contradict
her, so | didn't try. She recon-
mended me to 60 about my business;
so I did. And here | am. I've tele-
graphed 10 Philadelphia for the taxi
dermist. That was all l could do.
Do you suppose, Bess, your father
would take me to board for eight
days2 Pve lust eight days left of my
vacation, and there'll be such lot Of
questions asked if I came homo in
advance of time. l wouldn't advise
you to have word to say to me. l
dare say shall set fire to the house,
or poison the family, or shoot some
body by mistake. What can be ex-
pected Of fellow that was born under
an unlucky planet?"
Bess Warden laughed cheerily.
"Father will risk it, I am sure,"
said she. 1--WE haven't great deal
Of spare room, but mother will make
you up eot-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
trifle pleasanter than the first had
been. But Doctor Warden shook his
frost white head.
81 don't like long engagements"
said he. "And Bess can't marry a
man on any twelve dollars a week"
"But, father, Charley will do better
in time"
eff it pleases the unlucky planet,
interpolated Charley.
"Well, wait until the better times
come"
ooh, we don't mind waiting!" cried
Bess.
"Speak for yourself, if you please"
murmured Charley.
"We've lifetime before u.s." as
severated Bess; "and, in the mean
time, Charley, Wen go out duck
shooting tomorrow, 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 levers, talking TO
each other late in the autumnal star
starlight on the porch, saw a red glow
in the sky above the privet hedge.
"It's BONFIRE" said Charley.
"It's Miss Sarepta Smiths housed"
shrieked Bess. "Help! Helpl Fire
Water! Oh, why don't somebody
come |"
"Call your father and the boys"
said Charley. finging off his coat.
'.Tll jump the fence and take the
short cut. She's all alone in the house,
pun IhluS.
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
herself, carried in big chair over to
the Warden house, was lamenting that
she, too, had not gone also.
"Seems like couldn't live nowhere
else," said she. "And Pm an old
woman-a very old woman"
Bess Warden gave up her own room
to Miss Sarepa. Every one did what
he could to make her comfortable, but
the only SIGN she eyiuced of pleasure