The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-08-02
AT BLUE HOUSE LOCK.
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spend many hours Of the followln
week yainly trying to determln
whether she admired him most I'm
sailor suit or in the breeches and gait
ers Of which he was 80 proud. on
never TO be forgotten day the rain cam
down in torrents just as her sultal
and his grand vizier reached the Blu
| House. They took shelter with Dorcas
| and the sultan was graciously please,
| 10 be lifted up that he might reach
certain mug from the top shelf OF tn,
dresser--a mug which had belonged {,
" I'm as were gone" DOrcas made gin,
gerbread cats and ducks, and her artis
tic efforts went SO far as TO attempt q
king with a crown upon is cad.
After regaling himself with these deli.
cacies her sultan would hold up a rosy
face, ornamented by sundry sticky
streaks, TO be kissed in farewell. and
when she had watched him round the
bend of the canal, her eyes would grow
dim. and she would go back to the Book
OF Revelation, murmuring to herself:
''The Lard gave and the Lard ave took
away. Blessed be the name OF the
Lard"
or course, the many charms OF the
little gentleman" were duly reported
10 Elijah, and the residence Of Ethni
Harman took on reflected glory. from
the fact that 10 was but stones throw
from that Of her sultan.
lt was wet summer, and there came
four wet Sundays, one after the other.
Nainly did Dorcas try TO fix her mind
on the streets of jasper while all the
time she was straining her ears for the
sound or the little voice that never
chimed into the stiffness. She grew 10
hate the patter OF the rain on the path
outside; even the fact THAI the canal.
for once, was fun, and three barges
passed In one week, did not console her.
The gingerbread animals grew stale
and crumbly between two plates and
the gorgeous mug. "A Present from
Falrford, was put back on the top
shelf OF the dresser again.
Ihe weather changed and there came
a lovely Sunday. Elijah set off To the
cat and Compasses," as usual; Dor
cas- bustled about with a pleasant sense
or expectation, and went and stood on
the towing path. her eyes fixed on the
distant bridge. Some boys went by 10
bathe beyond the second bend, with
laughter and shouting. Then tho or'v
sound was the hum OF bees settled ~
the purple scoblous growing atop L.
crumbling Cotteswold wall
on Monday Dorcas could bear il no
longer Il be that tewey and nervous.
don't know what / be about" she re-
marked. as she locked the door OF the
Blue House. and hid the key under the
mat. Should a barge come-well. IL
must manage somehawl Barges were
never I'm a hurry. She had come TO a
decision. She was going TO
inquire after her little gentleman.
Whether he was i'll or gone for a holi-
day. or was merely f0rgetful. she would
ind out, and end this dreadful sus-
pense. She was very simple minded
but I'm her heart OF hearts she
telt little sore with the grand vzisr.
For she had notion that he was by no
means ignorant of what these Sunday
visits meant TO her
II believe ed ave come afore this ~
ed "a been let. a be that meek cart
I'd a wouldn't 'urt n vloi. let alone a
oman, she said TO herself with a half
'ob She was convinced that her sui
AN could not forget so utterly the
OF his slaves. So she put on
ler best clothes and tight elastic-sided
BOOTS. with lots OF little white buttons
ldorning the front.
AT the Blue House Dorcas was never
ither self-csnscious or shy; bur when |
he reached her sultans palace. having |
mildly pushed open the drive gate. she /
'ecame aware that the new boots /
reakeu horribly. and that persplration /
vas dropping from her eyebrows into /
er eyes. Having moppsd her face and
enerlly pulled herself together. she
managed to- reach the front door.
nough her knees trembled and her
cart huttered like a Gagged bird.
Never was such a noisy belli II
langed and echoed i'm most alarminc
ashton; she wished that the stone
leps would open and swallow her up.
what would they think of her for dar-
lg to make such clatter? Resides
nd at the'dreadful thought she nearly
ried 'out--of course she ought TO have
one to the back door.
FOR full five minutes she stood on tho
cps, listening for any sound inside the
ouse but all was perfectly ouiet che
lrned and went into the drive mean
* To go round To the back door. when
occurred 10 her TO look back at the
)use; she had been far too nervous 10
so as she came in. The lower win
'ws were shuttered. and all the blinds
ere down.
They had gone, then. and it was en-
y ana they never didn't bring i'm |
T 10 say goodby to me-"
Life's little tragedies generally han
N TO the lonely. What in a fun and
ippy ftfe ranks but as eH episode be-
mes an epoch in the sad colore1 days
lean monotcny. Dorcas wiped her
es more than once on her way home.
~ Nept heaVlly FOR many days. Eli
u saw that she was fretting. anu
ed TO distract her by news from
wn and occasional suggestions that
G go over and "and see sister law in
adjacent village: but beyond her |
cessary Journeys TO the town TO buy
oh stores as she could afford. Dorca~
yer left homo. She scrubbed the 5
.chen table tin she grudged to sullv I
whiteness by So much as a yellow
WI. and she made herself a warm 5
w winter dress. but for all her indus I
:. the time hung heavy on hcr hands
q she never forgot her little gentle :
IN" The wet season was followed
an Indian summer OF exceptional =
,uty The spirit OF October. mild /
q boom was I'm the air: the totter- d
Cotteswod wall. which laid ITS Z
yward length on the far side of the I
'tway. was covered bv SPRAYS of h
rnson blackberry. mingled with the T
ity erayncss OF 'old mans beard" ! C