The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-17

FOR the sake OF the dear ones we
sent away to meet common peril lei
us be friends.''
And Jessica, STOPPING impulsively,
pressed warm kiss on the girls pure,
upturned brow This womanly little
episode seemed to thaw the environ.
ment to comfortable degree. Jessica
was besieged with questions. "My dear
Miss Bascom, is it really true that you
did all that weaving with your own
hands?"
"Not an inch of it," she answered,
with a bright smile. II was SO fortu-
nate as to exhume very good weaver
from among the old women on my IA
theirs place. I hope Mrs. Brownell will
find this good enough to use.'
Good enough to use? My dear child,
please step over to the table where those
girls are cutting things out. You will
find there Mrs. Denman's parlor cur
tains, Miss Belknap's bedticking, Mrs
Phipps' best pair Of blankets and Mrs
Clark's travelling shawl. We were per-
fectly delighted to get them too"
Jessica gravely scanned the heteroge.
neous pile on the table presided over by a
bevy Of chattering girls armed with big
shears.
'If they are to be fed as fearfully
and as wonderfully as they will be
clothed, the issue cannot long remain
doubtful
ut never has been doubtful" said
Ollie Potts, with sharp note of resent.
ment in her voice.
"No, don't think it has. -
"Oh, but Miss Bascom, you mean
Her sentence was never finished. At
that moment commotion was notice.
able on the porch which decorated the
front of the old courthouse, and the
Rev. Mr.. Brownell came in with face
full of Importance
"Really this surpssses anything I
have ever read of warfare between civ
ilized nationsr'
He dropped upon a bench heaped high
with bird besprinkled shirts just from
the hands Of the cutters and mopped his
brow in all agitated manner. Mrs
Brownell famed him solicitously, Miss
Mellnio brought glass of ice water,
one Of his parishioners relieved him OF
his hat, another fetched stool for hi
feet. Between them all he was made
thoroughly comfortable, which seemed
to warrant Mrs. Brownell's mild query
"Wcll, MY dear?'
"Ihe Marine brigade, that pest Of tn
river, has visited us at LAST
MOP in full chorus.
But it has. I saw them with my
own eyes. Of course, as minister OF
The gospel and noncombatant 1 could
only LOOK on without being able to stop
them at all. -
"Gtop wLat?" in full chorus again.
"Their pillasing.'
"Pillasiug? Who? What? Where:
Oh, for mercy sake, Mr.. Brownell, why
dii.n'l yon stop them?"
Tho Rev. Brownell frowned majes-
tically on his refractory flock.
Ladies', do you know that the Ma
rine brigade consists Of eight full sized
gunboats, each with its full compile
ment of men called soldiers? Are you
aware of the fact that they claim tho
privilege of landing whatsoever and
wheresoever they see fit and helping
themselves to whatsoever they want?'
ayes, butt
The minister cleared his throat of the
huskiness left by rapid walking and ex-
IRENE agitation and stretched out
hand to command attention.
''And if these men, SO armed and
numerous, saw fit to walk off with Mrs.
Phipps' entire flock of turkeys
Mrs. Phipps interrupted him with |
sharp wall.
"No, no, surely men calling them
selves soldiers could not be so inhuman
as that?'
Tho Rev. Brownell pursued the un.
even tenor of his oratorical way.
cor vera inconsiderate enough to
carry away every stick of wood from
our dear Mrs Matthew'S wood pile
Mrs. Matthews rose to her feet in
blanched agitation.
"Mr. Brownell, you surely did not
stand by and see those vandals rob me?
Oh, know I'm being punished for let
ting Neddie go against his father kim
Ollie Potts flashed quick defense of
her lover on the heels of his mothers
wall.
"As far as that goes Mrs. Matthews,
kin has gone against every.
body else's kin. Please don't worry
lbout your wood pile. You know papa
promised Neddie he would look after
you. He will attend to your wood pile
light away as soon as he hears"
The Rev. Brownell cleared his throat
n pulpit style when an impressive eli
max was to be heralded and cast o
glance in direction of the
Potts trio.
II am afraid not
II should like to know why he
von't?'
because the Marine brigade has car.
led our friend Potts off with it.
This startling climax was greeted by
chorus Of feminine shrieks. Miss Me-
anie's voice was not among them. She
Mt white ana stunned while the minis.
err went worldly into the details of the
lishap that bad overtaken her brother.
1T would seem that these men found
ut that there was Union man in the
lace, and they naturally supposed that
ley had found a friend in the enemy's
amp. They went to our friend, Mr..
ester Potts, and demanded lot of in
from him concerning the
ountry surrounding and the people.
ur friend Potts very properly refused :
give them any information that
ould prove damaging to his friends, y
i'd so they told him he would have to