The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-14
tcopyright. 1896. by Bachelor. johnson and
Bacheller.l
PART Ill.


cred once more out of the hands of the
enemy"
1--WE must not unbar the door or the
shutters yet" said the woman, anx-
iously. al will get supper by candles
light"
Then Letitia realized what she had
not done before, that all the daylight
was shut out of the house; that they
had for light only one tallow candle
and low hearth fire. 1t was very cold
then. Letitia began to shiyer with cold
ns well as fear.
Suddenly the woman turned TO her
with motherly kindness and curiosity.
"Who is this little damsel whom,
Won rescued, husband?" said she.
"She must speak for herself" replied
her husband, smiling.
"I thought at first she was Neighbor
Adams Phoebe, but see she is not"
what is your name. child?" asked
the woman. while the three little girls
looked wonderingly at the newcomer.
\: 'Letitia Hopkins" replied Letitia, in
a small. scared voice.
The others started.
"Letitia Hopkins, did you sayP" said
the woman, doubtfully.
"Yes, ma'am."
They all stared at her, then Mt one
another.
at is very strange" said the woman,
finally, with a puzzled, half-alarmed
look. "Letitia Hopkins is my name"
"And IL is mine, too" said the eldest
girl.
Letitia gave great jump. There was
something very strange about this.
Lctitia Hopkins was her family name.
Her grandmother, Der fathers mother
had been Letitia Hopkins, and she had
always heard that the name could be
traced back in the same order for gen.
erations, as the Hopkinses had intermar-
ried. She looked up, trembling, at the
man who saved her from the Indians.
"Will you please tell me your name,
sir?" she said.
"John Hopkins" said the man, smil-
ing kindly at her.
"Capt. John Hopkins" corrected his
wife.
Letitia gasped. That settled it. Capt.
John Hopkins was her great-great-
great-grandfather. Great-aunt Peggy
had often told her about him. He had
been q notable man In his day, among
the first settlers, and many story
concerning him had come down to his
descendants. A queer little miniature
Of him, in a little gilt frame, hung in
the best parlor. and Letitia had often
looked at it. She had thought from the
first that there was something famil-
lar about the mans face, and now she
recognized tho likeness to the min
iature.
1t seemed awful and impossibIa- h,vA
,ne little green door hau led INTO the
pnst, and Letitia Hopkins had visited
her great-great-great-grandfather and
grandmother, her great-great-grand-
mother, and her two great-great-aunts.
Letitia looked up In the faces, all
staring wonderingly Mt her. and all of
them had that familiar look, though
she had no miniature of the others.
Suddenly she knew that it was lilre.
ness of her own face which she recog-
nized, and IL was as il she saw herself
In five-fold looldng-glass. She felt
as IL her head was turning round and
round, and presently her feet began TO
follow the motion of her head, then
strong arms caught her, or she would
lhnve fallen.
When Letitia came TO herself again,
she was in great feather-bed, in the
unfinished loft of the lighthouse. The
wind blew in her face, great star
shone in hereyes. She thought mt first
she was out Of doors. then she heard
a kind but commanding voice repeat
ing: open your mouth" and stared
up wildly into her great-great-great-
grandmother's face, then around tho
strange little garret, lighted with n
wisp of rag In pewter dish of tallow,
and the stars shining through the crack
in the logs. Not bit of furniture was
there in the room, besides the bed and
on oak chest. Some queerloolsing
garments hung about on pegs and
swung in the draughts of the wind. It
must have been showing outside, for
little piles Of snow were scattered here
and there about the room.
"Where-am--I?" I.etitia asked, fee
bly,, but no sooner had she opened her
mouth than her great-great-great
grandmother, Goodwife Hopkins, who
had been watching her chance, popped
in the great pewter spoon full of some
horribly black and bitter medicine.
Letitia nearly cholsed.
Swallow IT," said Goodwife Hop.
kins. "You swooncd away. and A. Ia
good physio. II will soon make you
we'll" Ah
Goodwife Hopkins had kind and
motherly way, but way from which
there was no appeal.
Letitia swallowed the bitter dose.
"Now. go 10 sleep" ordered Good.
wife Hopkins.
Letitia went 70 sleep. There nigh.
have been something quieting 70 the