Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-16

"We know that" said Daisy. warm.
". she's fearfully stingy."
"Shtingy that'sh it," Ozro agreed.
"She'd ought to be arreshted n put
in the Jail" Malice cleaned from his
dull eyes. ,
"Pleasant evening, isn't it?" said
Phoebe, considering that enough had
been said about Miss Chapman.
But Daisy could not forget her.
When Ozro had gobbled the pudding
and departed, and they had spread
their books and states on the table and
plunged into their "home work, "
Daisy gave signs of a wandering mind
Now and again she Uttered spasmodl-
cally, and at last she jumped up and
bolted of with gleeful and mysteri-
Gus "Wait a minute
She came dancing back after little.
Giggling triumphantly, she set down
before Phoebe a small plate.
On it was half an apple, impaled
upon which, by means of Il match, was
slip of paper, and on the paper was
written:
"Dear Miss Chapman are
afraid that you gave us half M apple
too much, and we beg to return it.
"PHoEBE and DAISY THRooP."
"rm going over and leave it at her
door," Daisy declared.
"Daisy Tbroop!" Phoebe gasped,
in shocked remonstrance. But she hid
her laughing face.
81 am" said Daisy, "and you're'go'
ing with me. She'll find it in the
morning. Come on!"
"We mustn't" Phoebe protested.
Eyes, we must She was mean, you
know she was! She deserves it. It'll
do her good"
She pulled Phoebe to the door by
main force. They ran out, bare head
ed, and climbed the fence in the dark
ness and made their way through Miss
Chipman's lawn and their suppressed
giggles trailed behind them.
"We'll leave it right here at the kit
chen door," Daisy whispered. "She'll
find it in the morning"
She crept to the door and set the
plate down softly.
She felt her sisters hand clutchins
hers. "Look !" Phoebe cried.
Tue woodshed adjoined the kitchen
at the rear. It's door stood open, an(
within they saw II strange, bright
glare.
They rushed to the spot. Something
doomed up blackly before them--a tall
figure standing on barrel. A fright
ened yell burst from the apparition.
"Who'sh that, shay?" familiar
voice quivered in shrill terror. The
fiery light shone on the red hair and
the pale, skewed face OF Ozro Martin.
He stared at them; then, with a
choked and stammering word, he
clasped his queer face in his lean
hands, jumped of the barrel and
Hoped off into the darkness.
A smell of kerosene filled the shed,
and the rafters had caught the blaze
of a burning mass of something which
Ozro Martin had been stuffing in
among them. Run get some water,
Phoebe cried, and while Daisy ran she
mounted the barrel and tore ut the
burning mass. 1t was a bundle of rags
soaked with kerosene.
A few minutes later Miss Chapman,
hearing peculiar noises at the back OF
the house. dropped the paper she was
reading by her sitting room fire, took
the lamp and her pistol ont of the
bureau drawer in her bedroom, and
marched out to the woodshed. If it
was burglars Miss Chapman felt equal
to them.
She threw open the shed door.
"For the-land's -sake!" she ut.
tered
The Throop girls stood there to-
gether. Their hands and their faces
were strangely blackened, water
dripred from their hair and from
their clothes All around them lay a
litter of charred fragments. The air
rocked with the odor of kerosene.
"It was Ozro Martin. He was try
ing to set your house atire. We came
over for-for something, and we
caught him doing it," said Phoebe,
facing Miss Chapman with tremulous
smile; she was holding one hand in a
pail of water.
"He'd got those old rags and dipped
them in your oil can and crammed
them up there among the beams and
set them afire," said Daisy.
ats all out" said Phoebe, reassur.
ingly. for Miss Chapman had grown
very pale.
Livery smitch!" said Daisy. 81
brought water from the pump and We
threw it, and Phoebe pulled the rags
out. She's burned her hand"
"Never mind" Phoebe murmured.
"Never mind?" said Miss Chapman.
"Come in here! !"
She drew them into the kitchen.
She filled basin with warm water and
brought soap and towels, and when
the girls had washed away their sooty
stains and dried their damp locks and
dresses as best they could, she took a
bottle of salve from a cupboard and
carefully Amounted and bound up
Phoebes burned hand.
All this she did without speaking
one word. Then she sat down heavily
and stared at the Throop girls grave
eyes set in pale face.
you're two smart girls. You're
noble girls! This house would have
burned down if it hadn't been for
you," she said. "And my insurance
ran out yesterday, and I hadn't writ
ten to the company to renew it. l
was going tomorrow. Such careless