The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-05-22

!
marched out to the woodshed. If it
was burglars Miss Chapman felt equal
to them.
She threw open the shed door.
For the-land sake - she uttered.
The Thronp girls stood there to-
gether Their hands ana their faces
were strangely blackened, water drip
ped from their hair and from their
clothes. All around them lay litter
of charred fragments. The air reeked
with the Odor of kerosene.
1t was OZro Martin. He was try
ing to set your house aiire. We came
over for-for sOmethIng and we caught
| him doing it, said Phoebe, facing
| Miss Chapman with Il tremuIous 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 atire,'' said Daisy.
Its all out" said Phoebe, reassur-
ingly, for Miss Chapman had grown
very pale.
every smitch - said Daisy. Il
brought water from the pump and we
threw it, and Phoebe pulled the rags
out. She's burned Eer hand
Never mindn Phoebe nurmured.
Never mind - said Miss Chapman.
'Come in here -
! She drew them into the kitchen.
She filed II basin with warm wafer
and brought soap and towels, and
when the girls had WASHED away their
| soOty stains and dried their damp
locks and dressed as best they could,
| she took II bottle of salve from Il cup
board and carefully Amounted and
bound up Phoebe's burnt 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 l hadn't writ
ten to the company to renew it. l
was going tomorrow. Such careless
ness. And you have saved me.
Saved me every penny of 1000"
"I'm so glad, Miss Chapman" said
Phoebe, sincerely. Miss Chapman
looked moved and softened and al
tered. She did not look like the Miss
Chapman who had sold them the
northern spies.
Daisy was o. eling and shutting her
mouth uneasily.
I'm afraiu I'm to blame for it
some, Miss Chipman,n she faltered
"OZro Martin wanted to burn YOUR
house up out of spite. He thought
YOU wer mean because Won wouldn't
give hil.. any supper, and he came to
our house, and-and | sympathized
with him. l told him you We're Msan
and
"Naisyw cried Phoebe. But Miss
Chapman laughed outright. well,
go on, she said.
Il will go on" said Daisy. She sat
straight and stiff, and Il red spot
burned in either cheek. "I'll tell it
all. I-I-I'll go and get it.'
She stepped to the door, fumbled on
the step outside, and returning, set
before Miss Chapman a plate contain
ing half an apple.
There ~ She said. Il did it,
| Phoebe didn't want me to, but l did
| and | made her come with me, and
we left it there at the door and that's
| how we came to see Ozro Martin set
ting the house a-iirc. l had 20 tell
| YOU There ~
Miss Chapman read the words
scrawled upon the paper, And read
| them again.
"Oh, dear" Phoebe groaned, in an
agony OF distress and WretchednesS,
sob, dear"
But Miss Chapman was smiling. 1t
was grim sort Of Il smile.
1--WE just word or two to say for
mvseif, dearS," she said, gently. Il
offered Ozro Martin some doughnuts
made fresh today, but he said he
couldn't eat doughnuts without coffee
and he went off sulky.
And about the apples-mayb |
shouldn't say a word TO excuse it, for
/ know Just how terribly mean it
looked to you. But. you see | got in
to the habit of using my own meas
ureS when those shiftless Durfees
lived where you DO. They'd come
over here for apples and summer vege-
tables and milk, and bring dishes to
hold twice as much as they'd ask for
or pay for. and expect me to fill them
up. And they'd borrow, and never
pay back. IdespiSed their shiftless,
dishonest ways, and | took means to
protect myself. And my peck meas
ure was one.
But there isn't an atom of Durfee
about you. | knew that the minute
| set eyes on you. And made up my
mind, after you'd gone home with the
apples, that I'd come over and explain
to YOU how twas force of habit, Ily
using my own peck measure, and that
Won needn't be afraid I'd do it again.
| was terribly ashamed of it.
Il know I'm a stingy, hard old wo-
man." Miss Chapman declared. But
somehow, the ThroOp girls felt like
speaking right up and denying it.
I've got the reputation,and guess
deserve it. I've lived here alone so
long that I've got warped and selfish
and mean, and | know it.
And here you've saved my house
from burning. Saved me from an aw
full misfortune. Its no use for me to
tell YOU how thankful | am. It's
Goals of fire, and hope it'll do no
good!
Pm as glad as | can be that you've
come here, dearies. | guess what /
need is something young and bright
and sweet around me, to warm me up.
| hope we'll be real good friends. |
like you, and want you to try and
like me-
And there were tears in Miss Chip
mans eyes.
"There ~ she said. Now. do You
like plum preserves and candied cher
ries and fruit cake? We will hav =
some, dears.o
"WelI =" said Mrs MoSeley, some
weeks later, If | ever, | wouldn't
have believed it.
Il wondered, along to the first, how
the Throop girls would get along with
Miss Chapman.
"Get along with her? Why, friendly
amt the word for it. They're thick.
The Throop girls are over there half
the time and see Miss Chapman 90
ing over to Throop's twice day,
sometimes. The ThToop girls have
knit her blue head scarf, and she
wears it; wears it all over town-she