The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-26

SSh<kib~AS-V'
"Of course 1 will look into the matter"
daring statement provo to be without
foundation, volunteered to remain in
the cottage with its quiet sleeper.
"You know, my dears," said Miss
Melanie as she trotted along at the head
Of quite respectable following, "the
whole thing is stamped with falsehood
on its face. The Marine brigade has not
been seen nor heard from in months
now
Recalled by the Federal commo.
dore, i" said Julia Potts, with vague
air of giving information, come by she
didn't know how and not to be vouched
for.
Recalled by the Federal commodore?
The real Federals have never recognized
these pests as belonging to their army,
so why should they recall them?''
Miss Melanie struck in sharply to
discourage any more Interruptions:
$50, of course, they can't be setting
up suffers shop, and I would like
you to tell me where there is anybody
else who could get dollars worth of
stock to put on my brothers or any
body else's shelves? l imagine know
as much as Mrs. Clarke Betsy can pos
sibly know about the resources of this
place and these times.''
"Oh, as far as the times are concern
ed" Amy Street ventured the opinion,
"anything could happen without sur
prising me in the least. Ihave just been
wondering what we would have to buy
with in case there is store"
Buy with? Why, we've got about
peck of Confederate money tucked away
about the house somewhere" Julia
Potts said opulently. Dear papa, he
was Unionist but long headed man
too. 1suppose lie foresaw the time when
we should be in actual need of every
thing and hoped to provide against the
evil day by taking this money in ex-
change for cotton. We've never spent a
dollar of it..
Ollie laughed breezily.
Small credit to us for that. We've
had no place to spend it,.
mo- my dears, | think-I just know
that Lester took that money when he
didn't have particle of faith in it, but
there were those who were too proud to
take his meat and meal without paying
for it, and they had nothing else to pay
with"
The Potts warerooms. being very far
down town, in what had used to be
called Wholesale row." did not come
under observation often. 1t was many
blocks removed from the residential
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 its 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 Melanio had directed
Timothy Drew to secure them. Not
ray of light could penetrate them. The -.
front door and the rear ones were &C. $
curely locked as she had herself locked !,
them.
81 told you so-not single sign Of !.
We have come down hero !,
III wild goose chase
Miss Melanie's wrath was turned to
by discovery Of Amy Streets :.
"Somo one has been saving some. n
hing on the gallery. The wind has V
blown good deal of the sawdust away, =
nut there it is"
Very much as Robinson Crusoe may e
lave looked at Fridays footprints be- y
ore discovering that invaluable coadju-
or himself did the maids and matrons u
# Cloverdell stare at those little heaps p
# sawdust. =,
Suddenly Ollie Potts, who was tall !. :.
nd supple, sprang upon ono Of the gal y
cry benches and applied her eye to the H.
iamond shaped aperture cut in the top
4 the solid wooden shutter. ~
She kept her eyes glued to it long II
nough to bring every woman who had 6,
ot her advantages to tho point of ex- a.
speration.
I'm the name Of goodness, Ollie, are a
on going to stay up there all night" =,
Cant you let us know If you see o,
nything or don't!" h
well, Olivia, this is getting to DO Q T.
title tryinSr' -
Thus sdiussa, Ollie descended from @,
Or psrch with Q face full Of impor- h.
lnce.
"Wall - cid You see?'' a,