The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1896-09-17


", ve uast Soc sAs avs, ggi
lsow .Aa .u sac deserves IL li',i d,
Der good.
She pulled Phocbs 10 the dor by msis
iofos. They rsn aai, bare beaded, apt
climbed the fence 10 the dsrkress and
m.1e their ~sy through Mise Chipmau'
IAsb sBd their tuppressed gisslas traded
behind then.
Well leave II rishi here a, the HI chen
door. DAISY whispered. She sill 6Bd il
10 the morning
/ She orept 70 the door aud sat The plate
down softly,
She felt bet SISTERS hand elulohius
here Look Phoebe cried.
The vooished sdjoioed the kitchen at
the rear It, door stood opeu aad within
they cav - strange, bright glare
They rushed to the spot Something
loC med up bIsckly before them "a tall fig
ufe standing On barrel. A frightened
yell burst tt,m the sppsrltiou.
Hbosh that, sbsyis familiar voice
quiyered 10 shriIl terror The hery light
sbone on the red hsir snd he pale skewed
face Of Ozro Martin.
He stared st them, then With OF oked
aud stsmmeriug word he clssped his
queer face 10 bis lean hands, Jumped Of
the barrel snd loped of into the dark
uess
A smell OF kerosene G!,ad the shed, al
the rstters had caught the blszs Of a burn
ing u ass Of something which Ozro Martin
had been stutilng in among them, Ran,
get some water, Phoebe cried. aud while
Daisy ran she mounted the barrel and tore
at the burning mass. 1t was a bundle OF
rags soaked with kerosene.
A lev minutes later Miss ChipmsD, hear
log peculiar noises at the back OF the
house, dropped the paper she was read
ing by her sitting room fire. took the
lamp and her pistol out Of the buresu
drawer 10 her bedroom, aud marched out
to the woodshed. II 1t was burglars Miss
Cbipmsn felt tQusl to them.
She threw open the shed door, For the
land s. sake she uttered
The Ihroop girls stood there together.
Their hands and their faces strangely
water dripped from their hair
and from their clothes, All around them
sy litter OF cbslred fragments. The air
'eeked with the ode OF kerosene.
1t was Ozro Martin. He was trying 10
set your house stire. We came over for
for something, and we caught him DO
ng II, said Phoebe, facing Miss Cbipman
With tremuous smile; she was holding
me hand in a pail of water.
He'd got those ole rags and dipped
hem in your oil can and orsmmed them
Up three smoag the beams and set them
,fre, said Daisy.
It's all ont, said Phoebe, resssur
nsly, for Miss Chipmsn bad grown very
,sle.
Every smitchI said Daisy, brought
gater from the pump and We threw it.and
'hoebe pulled the rags out. She's burned
sr hand.
Never mind. Phoebe murmured.
Never mind2 said Miss Chipmsn. Come
0 here
She drew them into the kitchen. She
lied basin with warm water and brought -,
Dap and towels, and when the girls had
sshed away their sooty stains and dried
heir damp looks and dresses as best they .
ould, she took bottle OF salve from q
cupboard and carefully annointed and =,
ound mp Phoebe's burned hand,
All this she did without speaking one r
ord Then she sat down heavily and
sred at the rhroJp girls with grave eyes .
q, 10 a pale face, !,
Yon re two smart girls, Yon're noblegirls
his house would have burned down il it 7,
adn t been for you, she said, Aud my -
surance rsn ont yesterday, and | hadn't
ritten the company to renew 1t, was /,
ping tomorrow. Such oarelessnessl And
1u have saved me, Saved me every penny :,
50 600.
In so glad. Miss Chipmsn, sIii Phoe =,
=, sincerely. Miss Chipmsn lo1ked NOV -
and sOiteued sGd altered. She did
1t look like the Mise Cbipmsn who bad .,
I'D them the northern spies. :,
Daisy was opening and shutting her ;,
outh uuessiy,
afraid m to blame Tor it some,
20 ChIpmau, she faltered. Ozro Mar =,
D wanted to burn your house up out OF =,
lite. he Il olght you we're mean be :.
use you wouldn't give him any supper, -,
d he came TO our house, aud d-snd | %
mpathlzed with him. told him you -,
IRE mtsn-snd-
Daisy cried Phoebe. Bn, Miss Cnip :"
an laughed outright. Well, go on, sbe !,
ii
| will go 90, said Daisy, She sat straight ~ "
d stif, aud red spot burned 10 either
eek III tell 1t all Lin go aud -
TIT.
She stepped to the door, iumbled On
g step outside, and returning, sat before
Iss Cbipman plate containing bali sn =,
pie. .,
Tier. she said Lei it, Phoebe did
want me to, but did. and ! N msde ber -
ne with me, aud ve left It there at the
.or, and that il how ue came to see Ozro
,r,iu setting the house FIRE. had to a
i you. T4efel
Miss Chipm,n read the words scrssl
upon the psper And read them
aIu. -,