The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-02
[Continued.l
CHAPTER XIII.


The dust gathered thick on the shelves
of little Potts storerooms. They were
empty shelves, SO little dust or a great
deal was no offense to them. Miss Mela-
ME and the girls had conscientiously
dispensed the contents Of all the boxes
and barrels until there were no contents
to dispense, and then old Timothy Drew
had carried the boxes and barrels about
FOR kindling wood, freely given to
whomsoever needed.
Men were scarce in those days, and
old Timothy placed higher estimate
upon himself with every one that passed.
"Me an Parson Brownell an Jim
Ford, the one eyed druggist, together
with lot of kids in Jackets that don t
count. is about all that's left. So you
better make the most of us"
And his toothless gums cleaned red
with mirth over the manless situation.
A starveling mule, strayed from no
one knew whence, with no master to
claim him, had nibbled the long benches
that furnished the gallery in front OF
the store until their edges showed white
and serrated-not at all fit now for the
lounging places of such jolly loafers as
the colonel, Thatcher and the rest of
little Potts best customers. Wanton
hands had made targets of the dusty
windows until scarcely whole pane OF
glass remained. A more dismal spot
could hardly be found in all Cloverdell.
Weeds grew rank in Mrs. Phipps'
flower garden in those days.
Mrs. Phipps' garden used to be a
poisoning reproach to every sluggard
in the town. No one stopped now to
cast admiring or envious glances over
the ornamental palings that fenced it
away from its plebeian neighbors of
the vegetable garden. No one noticed
the insoIent Jamestown weeds that were
crowding out her pansies or the wild
camomi1e, lifting its coarse head above
her neapolitan yiolets Everybody's
garden was weedy wreck in those
days, SO no one could cast a stone at
his neighbor. "There were things of SO
much more Importance to be looked aft
er, to be grieved over"
What did she care for pansies or
violets, when she did not even have the
satisfaction Of knowing whether the box
containing those remarkable damask
shirts and bedticking trousers had ever
reached Mr.. Phipps and the boys?
The grass grew bravely in the streets
of Cloverdeli in those commerceless
times. There were no teams hauling op-
ulent loads of cotton bales from the
used persuasively on his unwilling dray
mules.
Drunk, reckon. :"
Drunk? Why, Timothy, I don't sup
pose you could find quart of liquor in
all Apologize county,
81 believe you, mum. More's the pity
too. I say, you there, come out of this
None of your fooling with me. You ain t
got lot of scary women folks to deal
with this time.
AS an appropriate climax to this in
eantation, bawled in his most vigorous
voice close to the blanket, Timothy
gave that grimy article violent twitch,
which sent it into the middle of the
street and left its wearer completely re-
vealed.
"Nothing but darby" said Miss
Melanie, with distinct note OF disap-
pointment in her voice.
By this time the wearer of the blan-
ket had risen to a sitting posture and
was staring at his prosecutors ruefully.
He was but half awake. He was in tat
ters, and the flesh hung as loosely on
his bones as on those of the starveling
mule that had fed for weeks on Mr..
Potts benches.
In view of his patent harmlessness
Timothy waved magisterial in his man
ner.
"Who are you, and where did you
come from?'
"I'm Nose, an come from whar
they is been fghtin. I'm mos starve
to death, too; is that. ;"
"What Nose? Whose Mose?''
"Marse Reggie's Nose. Him an me
went to the wars together? is had a
plenty, folks. is seen enough fightin
an scratohin to do me for the res Of
my days. I is mighty hongry, right now
though"
Miss Melanie lifted her hand to COM
mand attention.
"We must have the courthouse bell
rung before we let this boy say another
word about the company. What he has
to tell belongs to every woman ip the
town Timothy, you go ring the bell,
and I will run over to Mrs. Phipps' for
something for him to eat. p"
Moses looked ruefully at his captors.
81 were on my way to find nanny
an Miss Marianne. I want to tell them
bout Marse Reggie. toll 'em in the
company I'd come smack home, an got
a whole bag full of letters. Marse Reg
gle he couldn't write. went to our ole
place fust Nobody there didn't know
me. I'd like to fin my folks first. "
Miss Melanie was memorable.
"They will all be at the courthouse.
They will be there by the time you have
been fed. Everybody understands that
when the courthouse bell rings fast
something of Importance has happened.
Julia, you go to Mrs. Phipps' for the