The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-17
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~ 81 JEANETTE II .WyALwoRTf3
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copYR,SHT. 1898. BY THE AUTHOR. \

! part of town and from the squat little
| house behind the tubbed oleanders.
| Miss Melanie and her nieces had never
been in that quarter OF the town since
that memorable occasion when, coming
to search it for any possible contents
still undistributed, they had come upon
Moses. sleeping upon it's benches.
On the present occasion it bore still
more deserted appearance.
The heavy wooden shutters that con-
cealed the broken panes Of glass were
in position and secured by their iron
bars just as Miss Melanie had directed
Timothy Drew to secure them. Not a
ray of light could penetrate them. The
front door and the rear ones were Sc
curely locked as she had herself locked
them.
81 told you so-not single sign Of
occupancy We have come down here
on a wild goose chase. -
Miss Melanie's wrath was turned to
curiosity by discovery of Amy Streets.
''Some one has been saving some
thing on the gallery. The wind has
blown a good deal of the sawdust away,
| but there it is. :"
Very much as Robinson Crusoe may
have looked at Fridays footprints be-
fore discovering that invaluable coadju-
tor himself did the maids and matrons
of Cloverdell stare at those little heaps
of sawdust.
Suddenly Ollie Potts, who was tall
and supple, sprang upon one Of the gal
lery benches and applied her eye to the
diamond shaped aperture cut in the top
of the solid wooden shutter.
| She kept her eyes glued to it long
enough to bring every woman who had
not her advantages to the point of ex-
ASPIRATION.
ssIn the name of goodness, Ollie, are
you going to stay up there all night?''
Cant you let US know if you see
anything or don't?''
"Well, Olivia, this is getting to be a
little tryingP'
Thus adjured, Ollie descended from
her perch with a. face full of impor-
tance.
"Well, what did you see?''
| 81 saw tho shelves all along one side
of the store loaded down with boxes and
things B sure enough store is being
fixed up in there"
"But did you see any people?'
"No. Perhaps they've gone away for
the night"
"Well, they'll find me here when
they get back tomorrow morning.
Il !,
what her nieces called her rock of Gil
braltar look.
| "But, Aunt Mel, you just can't stay
here all night
"I'd like to know why can't?'
"Why? Well, just because you can t, :"
Olivia said, at a loss for any more tell
ing argument.
"And because you are needed more
somewhere else,'' said Amy Street, with
tactful smile that brought Miss Potts
to terms and to her feet.
"Well, suppose tomorrow will do
just as we'll. can come back" And
leaving the mystery unsolved they re-
traced their steps toward Mrs. Matthews
cottage.
1t was pity, if indeed it was not ar
ranged by malice aforethought, that the
long procession of decrepit buggies,
weak backed barouches and rafting
gigs which followed Mrs. Matthews to
the Cloverdell cemetery should have
been driven right past Mr.. Potts old
store
AS Timothy Drew had arranged the
| -, ho fn "
call it a ''put up job.
Miss Melanie and Mrs. Phipps led the
procession in the old Potts buggy. Miss
Melanie held the reins. When they
came opposite the Potts store, both
women gave smothered scream. Then
Miss Melanie fixed her eyes solennly on
the hearse in front.
SIT was as much as could do, F" the
little woman declared afterward, "to
keep from stopping old Dandy there and
! then just to stare my eyes out. do be-
iieve if we hadn't been chief mourners
I would have stopped. You can just
imagine my feelings sign almost as
big as the side of the store made out of
great, spraddly blue letters. starting out
Of bed sheet''
But Dandy had been at too many fu-
nerals since he had come into the Potts
family not to know how to comport
himself under the most trying circum-
stances, and resisting Miss Melanie's
involuntary tightening of the reins he
carried her and Mrs. Phipps safely be-
You'd the danger line. Mrs. Phipps was
guilty Of the indiscretion of looking
back through the square of glass set in
the back Of the buggy.
well, upon my word and honor,
Meianie Potts, what do you think of
it,"
"Tell me again how it reads; I was
SO taken aback.''
Miss Melanie yirtuously refused to
turn her own head.
Grand opening today That comes
first in letterAa foot long. All the deli
cacies of the season, together with the
latest fashions in millinery and dry
| goods for the ladies, Terms strictly