The Portland daily press., 1898-02-26
Continued

| Melanie, stbut / doubt II she even re-
| members our names. Royalty itself
could not carry it off more haughtily.
I suppose I ought to speak to her. I
suspect she is as good Unionist as''-
She blushed and pushed through the
group that had gathered about Jessica
and her bundle. Perhaps not to more
than one or two of the many there gath
cred was the strange, cold girl known
better than by sight. Her attitude of
aloofness had erected social barriers
around her that could not be thrown
down in minute. Marianne Belknap
came toward her with shy, sweet
smile and extended her hand.
"For the sake of the dear ones we
sent away to meet common peril let
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 a comfortable degree: Jessica
was besieged with questions. "My dear
Miss Bascom, is it really true that you
tllu oil UlldU WSe2f1IS WILL tOh1 OWA
hands?"
':Not an inch Of it," she answered,
with bright smile. 81 was SO fortu-
nate as to exhume very good weaver
from among the old women on my ia
theirs place. 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 deligh ted 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.
eff they are to be fed as fearfully
and as wonderfully as they will be
clothed, the issue cannot long remain
doubtful. -
"It never has been doubtful" said
Ollie Potts, with sharp note of resent
ment in her voice.
"No, I don't think it has,"
sob, but Miss Bascom, you mean
Her sentence was never finished. AT
that moment a connection 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.
Greatly this surpasses anything
have ever read of warfare between civ
ilized nations''
He dropped upon bench heaped high
with bird besprinkled shirts just from
the hands of the cutters and mopped his
brow in an agitated manner. Mrs.
Brownell famed him solicitously, Miss
Melanie brought glass of ice water,
one of his pensioners relieved him OF
his hat, another fetched a stool for his
feet. Between them all he was made
thoroughly comfortable, which seemed
to warrant Mrs. Brownell's mild query
"Well, my dear?''
"The Marine brigade, that pest of the
river, has visited US at last. "
"No!" in full chorus.
"But it has. I saw them with my
own eyes. OF course, as a minister OF
the gospel and noncombatant could
only look on without being able to stoI
them at all. %
"Stop what?'' in full chorus again.
"Their pillaging.
"Pillaging? Who? What? Where!
Oh. for mercy sake, Mr.. Brownell, why
didn't you stop them?''
The Rev. Brownel frowned males
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 the
privilege of landing whensoever and
wheresoever they see fit and helping
themselves to whatsoever they want?"
eyes, butt
The minister cleared his throat of the
huskiness Lett by rapid walking and ex-
treme agitation and stretched out a
hand to command attention.
"And if these men, SO armed and
uuUleTOtls, SAW Ab w w clAiA oAA WAo-- ~AAA S'
Phipps' entire flock of turkeys
Mrs. Phipps interrupted him with a
sharp wall.
''No, no, surely men calling them
selves soldiers could not be SO inhuman
as thatp'
The Rev. Brownell pursued the un-
even tenor Of his oratorical way.
cor were inconsiderate enough to
carry away every stick of wood from
our dear Mrs. Matthews wood pile''-
Mrs. Matthews rose to her feet in
blanohed 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,
everybody's kin has gone against every
body else's kin. Please don't worry
about your wood pile. You know papa
NolJ;.N La xro,,1J 1oo1-