The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-30

EE ] and in the ex-
uberancelof excitement Milly Patter-
son squeezed Johns arm tightly while
she leaned against him and looked
eagerly into the sky.
Old man Patterson, who stood near
the young people, also had his face
turned upward; but there was no indi-
cation of glee in his voice, when after
gazing for few minutes he remarked:
"And to think that them things with
such beautiful tails could do us any
harmr'
There was no response to this re-
mark, save loud sigh from Mrs Pat
terson, who turned round abruptly
and walked into the house, where Mr..
Patterson soon followed her.
Milly and John were still standing
and gazing at the heavens. They had
not said a word to each other; they
were happy in the consciousness OF
their proximity.
81 don't believe q word of lido
you?" asked Milly some minutes after
ward.
"What?"
''Oh, what Schoolmaster Marten says
about his-er-comet-that going to
pie on it and annihilate everything.
don't believe it do you?"
"Bosh! remarked John, emphatical-
ly. II think Marten is a slick fraud,
that's what he ISL he added, holding
his arm tightly round Milly's waist.
Its awful" said Milly, concernedly.
Hes been coming here every day for
the last couple of weeks talking about
that comet and he's dinned into papa's
world is comm to an end, and that we
are nigh the day of judgment!'
Rubbish" commented John.
And he's been talking to me, too,
the hypocrite, telling me to mend my
ways and not to be so giddy. AS if
am ever giddy, john she added, in an
injured tone.
John did not reply for second or
two. He seemed to be thinking.
"'Pears to me, i" he said. after awhile,
''your father ought to know by this
time what kind of customer he's got
to deal with. Has Marten paid him
back the Fifty dollars he borrowed last
Christmas?'
mo, not he"
'Why don't you tell your father not
to take any stock in Marten?"
''It's no use, John. He's wheedled
them round completely to his side. It's
perfectly awful how he's talked them
into things about this comet. They've
been glum and mopin'. and packin'
away things; and mothers been bury
in lot of silver in the garden"
"What!" interrupted John. The old
folks haven't been hidin' things in the
ground and let Marten know of it?'
"Yes. He's shown them the very
place where he says the comet won't
strike, and mothers put lot of silver
spoons in it."
1.-THE fox! He's been stealin' themw
exclaimed John.
Milly sprang to her feet and ran into
the garden, John following her. She
stopped near slight mound of fresh
clay in which two sticks were firmly
stuck and which she began to probe
gently.
she said with sigh of relief, evidently
satisfied with her examination. You
nearly took my breath away with
fright, John. Mamma would go crazy
II she were so fooled"
II tell you what I'll do, Milly," he
said. You keep sharp watch on
this place, and if Marten turns up to-
morrow keep him till get through
work. III come over here and we'll
see whether we can't fix him some
how"
In truth it was horrible, as Milly ex-
pressed it, if half the things were going
TO happen which Marten predicted.
The whole village of Stock borough
was terribly excited over the event.
Every body recollected that wars, pesti-
lence, famine and other calamities fol-
lowed the previous appearance of a
comet like this-with almost the iden-
teal tail. Schoolmaster Marten talked
about such uncanny things as the ''stel-
larry system" the "cosmic law" and so
on. On the day on which Milly and
John had conspired to rout him Mar
ten was at the Patterson farm holding
forth as usual. He had brought a
newspaper with him and read out from
it impressively the announcement that
on the coming Thursday, precisely at
5:S4 p. m, there would be an entire
eclipse of the sun, and the inference
he left to be gathered from it was that
the general breakup was to begin at
that very second.
The old people sat listening blinking
solemnly. Milly was somewhat awed
herself and She was mighty glad when
John came into the room looking ready
for action.
John contented himself at first by
simply denying the arguments. But
Martens superior loquaciousness was
rapidly getting the best of him and he
was gradually drawn into the meshes
of reason. That was all the school
master wanted. He could reason a
bull into a frog any day if the animal
only followed the process of logical
deductions; so by and by John found
himself listening with his hands
folded, his reason silenced, and more