The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-11

Z
out Of sight 50 long that the silence be
gan 10 grow oppressive.
1T want a pail of water. I cid get it
myself 8 wells not but I'm 'fraid them
children re up in that cherry tree. I
hain't heard uothn' Of EN- since dinner.
/ expec' nothin' but they'll tumble out
one Sf these days an break their bones
on that stun wall I guess I'd better gO'n
call EN-" She took the pail from its shelf
by the door and ambled off over the lush
June grass.
A little later Merwin and Melissa slip
ped around the corner of the house with
the stealthy step of returning truants.
They peeped in at the open door, no one
there. They softly entered with patting
bare feet and stood in the middle of the
great empty Kitchen listening. There was
a look Of pcHed-up after-dinner neatness
about them and no sound of motion or
life except the rustling of a newspaper
on the table stirred by the breeze that
crept in after them. Talk about the awe
inspiring quiet of a vast cathedral 1t is
nothing to the stiffness of familiar
house suddenly emptied of a large family.
The children looked at each other with
widening eyes.
Where's grammar"
Il don know. Let's look"
Through the deserted house they went
with ever Fastening steps
Lets hollert" "Cramma! Grammar
Their voices sounding so loud i'm The
echoing rooms, were really scared and
faint It seemed to the children. as they
stood in the back door. that never in their
lives before had they known her 20 be out
of sight of its homely stepstone Certain
ly not when every one else was some too
and loneliness and silence were left to
reign.
Suddenly Merwin started as his eye light
ed on familiar sight There by the
edge OF the we'll, stood the old brown wa
ter pail, and closely beside ii a ray of sun
light, slancing through the apple trees,
glistened on the slanting, slippery water
splashed stones. The boy turned 10 his
sister with the healthy red stricken out of
his freckled cheeks and absolute terror
dilating his blue eyes
Melissa" he gasped. "gramma's in the
we'll She's ben DRAWN water cos the
stuns re all wet, and she s sipt in You
run Just as fast as you can an tell Mr..
Peckham and Mr.. Dayton, an III get the
Hin boys they're mowin' up the bridge"
Melissa waited not a moment. With o
howl of terror she flew out of the house
and the yard and her bare feet spatted
wildly down the dusty road, while Mer-
wins thumped even more rapidly in the
opposite direction.
Mrs. Pcckman sat by her side window,
braiding a rug In peaceful enjoyment of
that pleasant season after the dinner
work is done up and before it's time to be-
gin TO see about supper. From up the
road there came a sound like a stihed wall.
what under the canopy S that? Can't
be one of the calves S got out an s
baain' for its mother
Louder and louder grew the cry and Mrs.
Peclkham put down her rug and started
for the door.
TN go down to the gate an look,
sounds like a child in perfect distress"
BY the time she reached the gate the
distressed child was nearly there, a ter
ror-stricken, dust and sweat begrimed
little object flying red hair and streaming
eyes and breath reduced to a gasping sob.
'Why, if it amt Melissa Higgins! What
under the canopy's the matter, child?
Suthin' drefful happened up to your
house?"
"Oh. Mis- Peckham! Oh, Mis- Peck
ham! Gramma's in the well. Grammas
in the well! Grammas In the we'll! She $
slipped in where the waters splashed,
an we can't find her anywhere an pa an
mas gone up to Pettipaugi Oh, send Mr.
Peckham quick! quick"
II was some seconds before Mrs. Peck
ham could comprehend the gasping, in
coherent speech. When she did she was
properly excited.
Good land sakes alive, child, you don't
mean it! Old Mis- Higgins in the WELL!
Why that's awful! And Henry and his
| wife nine miles away at Pettpaug! Here
! you can't run any farther and you're
clean tuckered out, sit down on the door
| step an fan yourself and I'll cut round
| the corner TO the Daytons and tell them.
Mr.. Peckham is down there helping Asher
| Dayton now" She threw her apron over
! her head, and in her turn cantered off
! down the dusty road.
Miss Dayton upstairs folding away
some bedding which had been airing, look
| ed out through the 'dominy wiuder" IF
| there amt Florette Peckham hurryin'
| down the hill right in the middle of the
road without any bonnet. l shouldn't
| wonder If suthin terrible had happened.
| Cow got mired or suthin'. II go down to
the door an meet her"
The "suthin'" that had happened prov
ed to be more terrible" than fancy had
suggested Miss Dayton threw her apron
over her head and hurriedly led the way
to the bars into the barn lot where the
men folks We're at work Asher was the
only one in sight and he appeared stohdly
disinclined to leave his work at the end
of the field, and replied only by loud in
quiring "heys?" to their shrilly shouted
tale of woe. At length he seemed to
gather from his sisters frantic gestures
that something out of the usual line had
happened. and slowly stumped over TO
meet her
When he had learend her errand. how
ever, his manner changed and he exhfb-
tied the mans ability TO do something
practical in an emergency upon which
woman generally depends. I'm get Whit
ney right into the wagon so as to get
there quicker and pick up Peckham on
the way. He's gone up TO his barn on
an errand And herel We shall need
ropes, o course just hand me that one
on the nail.'
Far M on the road to Peitipaug A for
lorn little figure trudged over the sand
hills. with WEAKNESS in every limb but
| desperation in the frightened little heart.
Probably never again would Merwin
| Higgins feel that sorrow of half-compre-
hended danger and absolute helplessness
which now engulfod his childish soul The
| Hill boys had been duly dispatched TO the
scene of trouble but he dared not go
back with them. SO he set his face to-
wards pa, ma and Pettipaug and hurried
| on