Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-07-12

PIGGY COULD SCARCELY BELIEVE HER EARS.
one Were her neighbors really such
wicked people, Her father and mother
We're right She would never GO into their
house again
1t had now grown very dark, and that
half mile, of which she had always
thought SO little seemed now an inter
minable distance. When at last she
reached tho house, she dropped into chair
utterly exhausted Mrs. Northcote had
risen. alarmed, to meet her but seeing
that she was only tired and ont of breath
waited until she had recovered little and
then gravcly asked: Peggy, where have
you bcens l sent Uncle Nose for you an
! hour ago. and he ism back yet =
''To the Bcnts', mother and as l was
i coming home
" But Peggy" said her mother 4
thought I had forbidden you to SO there
Poor Peggy Subsequent events had
completely driven this fact from her mind.
but, mother exclaimed she and her
voice tremhlcd, L must tell you what
happened a. came home. " Then broken
ly and ineohe~atly she told the whole
story and ended by crying, John is III
the southern army, isn't he mother, and
what docs it all mean" Mrs. Northcote
turned pale, but merely told Peggy to take
off her Wet clothes and go straight to bed.
+ There excited rs she WAS, she was so tired
she soon fell asleep.
Peggy had hardly mounted the stairs
when Mrs. Narthcote entered a small
chamber adjoining the sitting room and
woke sleeper stretched nj full length ON
the bed They held hurried conversation
together in the dark and then without
light both descended to the cellar, the
sleeper stopping only TO get his hat and
coat 4 suppose l II have TO 70 with the
other horse. poor as il is. since father isn't
home, " said he Yes, was the hurried
reply. You mustn't lose minute. - In
that side of the cellar furthest from the
road was a small window. Through this
the man proceeded TO climb with no regard
to dignity or anything but haste and Sc
crecy You have the key whispered
she. Yes, returned he And stopping
to kiss her, difficult performance which
nearly caused his precipitation from the
narrow window, he Topped would pre-
| fer to say dashed, but a historian must
sacrifice everything to truth-out into the
| rain, which was coming down in torrents
and by as guarded way as possible di
rected his steps toward the barn. Mrs
Northcote stood looking out for several
moments and then slowly CROPPED her way
up stairs and dropped into chair. For
awhile she sat with eFery nerve at the
highest tension, expecting each second to
hear the report of a musket, but as min
ute after minute passed and nothing hap
pened she grew gradually calmer and final
ly retired to rest, having first relieved
| Uncle Moses, who came in much excited,
by telling him of Peggys return.
The next day the British made Eliza
| bot eall c,,l- -
of this war, you will find that in the year
1880, on June 6, an incursion was made
into the Jerseys that in the course OF it
the British entered Elizabethtown; that
they pillagcd and burned several houses
there, and that, all things considered the
expedition reflected no glory upon the
British arms,
Mr. Northcotc being detained out Of
town, returned in the afternoon 10 find his
house in ashes, bat after he had been in
formed Of the safety OF his wife and child,
and still more after IA long talk with the
I former, he did not seem to feel his loss at
all kecnly. lis checrfulness was still fur
ther increased in a few days by the news
of his son : safety in Washington's camp
at Morristawn Before this time he had
always tried To discourage his wife, for
women We're curious then as they are now,
ana prohahiy ever Will be from prylng In
TO the affairs Of her neighbors, But ever
after, strange to say, his ideas seemed to
change completely, and he was often heard
to remark that he knew of great many
vices worse than curiosity. And, in truth,
If we give the devil his due, " why should
we not render fun justice To disobedlcnce
and curiosity whenever there Is an oppor-
tunity, so much the more that the number
of them is few, THEO. HOLLAND.