The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-11


laid 1t on her shoulder. One of the
youngest of the seven began to whimp-
er.
Here ye," growled Hank, courage
Gus enough to the little one, ''ye shet
up. One bawlin' at times enough"
Don't We min Jenkins, man," said
the boy soothingly. Hes only put
out cause it's so wet an they haint
a-gorn to have enough money to pay
expenses. Don't min him."
Min HIM" shifted the mother con-
temptuously, drying her eyes and wip-
ing her nose on the lower hem of her
bedraggled skirt. do ye think l min
him? Humph!"
The second boy, on the front seat
with his father, was watching the fam
lily dog that splashed along beside the
wagon, and when Hank was not alb
sorbed in keeping the wagon out OF
chuck holes, he, too, looked at the dog
and talked alternately to him and the
boy. The rain continued its steady
fall: the horses went slower and slow
er; two of the little girls began to
sing, over and over again, There is
a fountain filled with blood;' one baby
went to sleep in the pale lads lap,
and one kept pulling restlessly at the
mothers hat
The boy looked at his mother again
and again Finally he said, half un-
der his breath:
What was ye cryin' fur then?'
The mother turned and looked at
him.
"Hennie," she said, az was jis un-
done cause we had to come away.
wanted to stay so much, Hennie, an
if Elder Jenkins had a-been the kin o
Christian he perfesses, he'd a-took us
up to his cottage, astid O. standin' at
the gate a-talkin' about the myster-
ious ways o. Providence.
"Oh, manu- interposed Hennie. "ye
know he couldn't a-done that. They
hain't room fur us all"
Room" shifted the woman. Room!
Why, there's seven rooms in that cot
tage. if there's one, a-sayin' nuthin'
of them divided off by sheets"
But, man," said Hennie, slowly
"he's got all the preachers there, an
Jennie"
The woman turned upon him sharp
ly.
"Jennie!" she said; IAN who's Jen
jenkins? never saw people make such
fools O. themselves. Half the camp
ground was jis about turned crazy by
that girl cause she's been away to
school astid o. stayin' to hum a-helpin',
as girls ort."
Hennie flushed a deep red and said
nothing.
After a few moments his mother said,
in a softer tone than she had used be-
fore that day.
But, Hennie, that weren't why l was
disappointed. l thought if we'd a-stay-
ed mebbe-mebbe ye might a-gorn to
the mourners' bench. Why didn't ye
go, Hennie? Ye know ye haint strong
-ye never was, an ye never will be
We won't las long, Hennie, an it's aw-
full if ye hain't prepared"
Hennies blush was all gone, and he
caught hold of his mothers hand and
squeezed it tightly.
Il was a-gorn to tell ye, man," he
said "I alters tell ye everything, ye
know. / wanted to go, or thought
did, nam, especially when I saw-saw
her there-a-Workin' among the mourn
ers an a-prayin' an a-beseechin'. An
then, man, / was afeerd-afeerd that
mebbe it was on her account that
wanted to go. was afeerd that mebbe
/ was a-thinkin' about Jennie Jenkins
! ruther than about Jesus Christ, an
was afeerd."
The flash of anger came again to the
I woman's eyes.
yes" she said, "the father drives US
away from the grounds an the girl
drives ye away from salvation. The
| hussy-"
"Oh, man, walled Hennie.
1.-The hussy, I say! l seen her a.
| drivin' away in the rain this mornin'
with that ere dudish young preacher
| that wears kid gloves oh, Hennie
| Hennie! yere worth a dozen Jen Jen-
| llinses, with all her fine airs. Don't let
her keep We away. Don't let her drive
We to damnation."
The wagon suddenly came to a dead
stop, and Hank eXctedly sprang up IN
the seat
Good Lord!" he shouted, the bridge
| is a-gorn, an there's somebody on it,"
| The family tumbled out beside the
| banks of a swollen little river, in time
| to see the old rickety wooden bridge go
| to pieces before a big tree that the
flood had undermined, AS the timbers
of the bridge fell apart, Hennie gave an
| agonized yell
| Its them!" he shouted. ITS them,
MANI it's Jen an the preacher"
And before his mother could reach
him, he threw himself headlong into
the water.
Hennie could not swim. He had new
er been allowed to so with the boys to
| the river, he was SO weak. And the
| flood tossed him for a moment like a
tiny chip, and then swallowed him
from sight.
As the big tree that had swept away
the bridge tioated down stream, the ath-
letic young preacher, who was at camp
meeting on a summer lark, swung from
the buggy that had not yet even over
turned, and pulled the terrified Miss
jenkins after him up on the trees broad
trunk. A furlong below the tree struck
the bank and before it swung loose
again, he clamored ashore, effusively
helping the young lady, and sustaining
no more damage than a drenching of
his morning suit. And Miss jenkins did
not even faint.
But they saw something tangled
among the trees branches. The young
theologian caught at it barely in time