The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-04-21
red by a thick layer Of planks. D,

III you are stlll Dent on having
ladder" she said, you can climb
inside the cistern and get one.
Twas left in there day before yester-
day, when the cistern was cleaned
out. | s'pose you may as well 90 in
for it as anybody. Somebody'll have
TO get it out fore rain comes"
"Tll get II" said the tramp.
There's no time to lose"
"Get it, then. I'll hold the lamp"
The tramp stepped forward rolling
up his sleeves.
"Oh, you won't get wet" COM
mented Della, with short, scornful
laugh.
The tramp made no reply. He
pushed broken stool TO the cistern's
side, stood upon it for "A half second,
placed his hands upon the edge, and
drew himself up with an agility and
ease which surprised Della, who was
used to seeing the ascent made with
laborious struggling. He's used to
scaling walls" was her inward com
ment.
She waited until he had begun TO
let himself down into the cistern.
Then holding the lamp above her
head, and moving slowly backward,
she called II wouldn't be "A mite
surprised if that ladder was away
over in the farther end. That Jim
Little is "A dreadful forgetful-"
A splash Of water interrupted her.
Halo" called the tramp, II
thought you said this place was dry,
and here's : the water up to IA man )
neck !"
III you re in hurry TO put out
those sparks, maybe I'd better run
upstairs and see il they've got to
blazing yet, said Della, as she turn
ed and hurried across the floor.
She ran up the stairs, opened the
door into the light, sunny kitchen,
shut it quickly, and bolted it.
There" she said TO herself,
"there, my fine gentleman-tramp,
it II take you some time, / think, to
find your way out of that dark cell
larW
She smiled grimly when she went
ut-of-doors and surveyed the crowd,
who watched the firemen upon the
roof OF the main house. "Such
much-ado-about-nothing, she said,
contemptuousIy. ~ could have gone
up myself with dipper of water, if
I'd known about it.
But Della, though cool and scorn-
full, was not destitute OF sense. Call
ing fireman to her, she directed his
attention TO the shed roof. Then,
returning to the house, she resumed
the making of her veal pie.
Half an hour later she was deftly
covering the big dish, for which her
mother had stipulated, with the rich
top crust, for which she herself had
n special fondness. Her face was
grave, as bcftting her task, yet n
close observer would have noted a
CLEAN in her eyes, which betokened
that her thoughts were not wholly
upon her work.
But presently frown gathered
upon her forehead, and she looked
toward the door impatiently. 1t was
thrown open with touch which was
indicative Of familiar acquaintance
with the d-fashioncd latch, and
u tall and somewhat stout woman
entered, followed at n little distance
by n man who Della at first supposed
to be an utter stranger to her. She
nodded briefly to the woman. How
do you do, Sarah ? Mother thought
you'd be along, you or Nancy, or
both Of YOU"
"Oh, well, I'm not alone" re-
sponded Sarah, good-humoredly,
"and | have brought someone thatll
do just as well as Nancy. You're
making veal pie, amt you? Well, /
guess Mr.. st. John III excuse you
while you finish it. Mr. st. John,
this is my sister, Miss Brighams
Deeley, this is Mr. st. John"
Della looked Mt the stranger, bow
ing slightly. And then, rs she met
his eyes, she turned back to her work
with an abruptness which brought
sudden color into her checks; for in
this stranger she saw not only the
tramp whom she had decoyed into
the cellar cistern, but the man she
had resolutely intended to ignore
during the coming summer. And it
was he, the rich widower, whom she
had thought II prison convict, whom
she had left wandering in five feet Of
rain water, in n dark cellar. Her sis
ter was woman of slow thought.
Land sakes alive!" she exclaimed,
| don't wonder your cheeks are
rodder n peonyblows! Why, this
Kitchens just like an oven. What
on earth possessed you to do cooking
with the house a-fre? Did ever you
hear OF such goings-on, Mr.. st.
John? But la, didn't tell you we'd
find her working round as cool as
YOU please? Land, Deeley, you needn't
toss your head. Everybody knows
you're an odd sort of body. Where's
mother9 She amt much fustered,
is she9 Dear sakes, how ever did it
catch?"
Della made no reply. Words would
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