The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-15

rs | was dressed / went into the hall
/ and then to my front door. | quickly
! jerked this open and was about to step
| outside, when suddenly | stopped.
was positive that my front porch had
| been destroyed but there / saw a porch,
a little lower than mine and a great deal
wider, and on the other side Of il, not
more than eight feet from me, was a
window-the window of house, and on
the other side of the window was q face
the face of n young girl! AS | stood star
ing in blank amazement at house which
presented itself at my front door, the
face Mt he window disappeared, and | was
left to contemplate the scene by myself
| ran to my back door and threw it open.
There ] saw stretching up the fields, and
far up the hillside the wide path which
my house had made as it came down
from its elevated position to the valley
beneath, where it had ended its onward
career by stopping mp agairst another
house. ~~",
Almost brcathless with amazement
and CONSERVATION / am again to the
front door; when | reached it | found
IA young woman standing on the porch
of the house before me. | was about
to say something know not what
when she put her finger on her lips and
stepped forward.
PLEASE don't speak loudly" she said,
Il am afraid it win frighien mother;
she is asleep vet. ! suppose youNnd your
house have been sliding doSynhillY
THAT is what has happened" said /,
but / cannot understand tY it seems
to me the most amazing thing that ever
took place on the face of the earth"
ut is very queer" said she; but hur-
ricanes do blow away houses, and that
must have been hurricane we had last
night for the wind was strong enough to
loosen any house. | have often wonder
ed if that house would ever slide down
hin"
My house2'
Yes" she said Soon after it was
built, | began to think what nice clean
sweep it could make from the place where
it seemed TO be stuck to the side of the
mountain, right down here into the val
ley
| could not talk with a girl like this
at least | could not meet her on her own
conversational grounds | was so agi-
tated myself that II seemed unnatural
that any one TO whom | should speak
should not also he agitated
Who are you?' / asked rather
hrusequey; at least 70 whom does this
house belongY"
This is my mothers house" said she.
My mother is Mrs. Carson. We hap
pen just now to he living here by our
selves, so | cannot call ON any man to
help do anything. 1Iy brother has all
ways lived with u.s. but last week he
went away.
'You don't seem to be a bit astonished
at what has happened" said l. she was
rather a pretty girl, of a cheerful dis
position, / should say, for several times
she had smiled as she spoke.
ooh, / am astonished" she answered:
''or at least | was, but / have had time
enough TO get over some of it, 1t was
at least an hour ago when / was awak-
ened by hearing something crack in the
yard. / went to window and looked
out, and could just barely see that some
thing like a big building had grown up
during the night. Then / watched it,
and watched it, until / made out it was
a whole house, and after that it was not
Ell. 1t seemed simpler thing to me.
YOU know, than it did to you, because l
had often thought about it, and probably
you never had"
You are right there. said / earnest
w. 1T would have been impossible for
me TO imagine such thing"
At first / thought there was nobody
in the house" said she; but when |
heard some one moving about, | came
down to tell whoever had arrived, not to
make a noise see" she added. with an
other Of her smiles, that you think l am
a very strange person not to be more
Hurried by what has happened, but really
cannot think of anything else just now
except what mother will say and do
when she comes down and finds you and
your house here at the back door. / am
very sure she will not like it,
Like IT,. exclaimed Who on earth |
could like it?''
Please speak more gently" she said, |
Mother is always d little irritable when
ler nights rest has been broken, and
would not like to have her Weakened
Up suddenly now; but really, Mr.. War
en- / haven't the least ieda in the world
y /
n and be with her when she wakes. so
hat can explain just what has happen
d."
"0ne noment, I said, You know my
lameg"
''Of course / know your name" she
Gould that house be up there
IN the hillside for more than year with
mt my knowing who lived in it?' With
his, she went indoors.
could not help smiling when thought
II the young lady regretting that there
vas no man in the honse who might
lelp me do something What could any
,ody do in a case like this? | turned and
vent into the house, | entered the vari-
rus rooms on the lower floor, and saw
40 signs of any particular damage ex-
eept that everything movable in each
room was jumbled together against the
front wall, but when / looked out of the
back door / found that the porch there
was a good deal wrecked, which | had |
not noticed before.
| went upstairs and found everything |
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