Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1899-02-15
torted nancy magnifled him into a mon.

htor VI tne jungle. IN tne cunning OF
semidelirium she made plans to brighten
him and keep him eat bay, and finally,
in the dark hour before dawn, she crept
stealthily from the bin, whispering
through her swelled lips:
Fire Fire will keep him awayl"
She olutohed an armful of straw and
crawled on hands and knees across the
earthen floor to the sheet iron stove.
Keeping keen watch of the dread cor
ner, she thrust the straw into the stove
and CROPPED for the matches ON its
hearth. A scratch. flash, tiny fame,
then roar!
She dragged herself to the bin and
brought more straw and more until the
thin iron of the stove and the rickety
pipe clear to the roof were red and roar
ing. The already hot and vitiated at
mosphere of the cellar was now raised
to an unbearable temperature, and soon
she succumbed to it, falling upon the
ground, face downward. in a mad effort
to get away.
No longe4 fed, the straw fire Ian
guished and went out, but its mischief
was done. The dry thatch of the roof
had caught from the redhot pipe and
was blazing up, slowly at first, but ever
surely. Soon the cinders began to fall
into the ce ar, and one struck her bare
neck as she lay. She cried out with the
pain and struggled little farther
| away, but the brands fell faster as the
aperture around the pipe broadened, and
| her doom would have been certain had
| there not been another restless heart
and pair of sleepless eyes ON the old
| farm.
The hired men were awakened by the
excited voice of Abraham Spencer
shouting:
Cup, boys, up! Bring waterl The
potato cellars afire!"
| He was away with two great pals of
| water in his hands before the men were
fairly awake. When they followed him,
they found him on the roof of the cell
lar He had succeeded in extinguishing
the fire. and as they approached he sud-
| denly dropped his pals and, falling up
on his knees, crept close to the charred
edge of the chasm in the roof. Leaning
far over, he shaded his eyes and peered
keenly into the streaming depths below.
A faint moan had reached him, and
now, as he listened, another came quiv.
ering up to him.
"My GodP' he cried, springing up.
"She's down there, boysl Sairy! Run
| for shovels Oh, run, runl''
He himself ran like mailman, but
only little way. Then he turned and
ran as madly back to the cellar, where
| he attacked the fallen gravel with his
hands and beat and tore at the door I'm.
til the heavy boards, all stained with
his own blood, were rended from their
fastenings aad he had leaped into the
cellar and caught up the PROSTATE figure
be found there.
It was hours afterward that Mrs.
Spencer aroused from the stnpor that
Vas Npon her and began to comprehend
again the realities of life. She was il
her own clean, soft bed, and the COO
breeze of evening was futtering the
hop vines at the window. She felt pair
when she attempted to move, and there
were bandages on her hands, her head
and her neck, but the pain was not
acute, and the soothing effect of an
opiate still fingered with her. Some,
where in the outer distance she heard
the faint, familiar tinkle Of COW bell
and-yes, the subdued rattle of stove
lids in the kitchen. She lifted her head
from the pillow to listen and found her
husband sitting, silent, close beside her.
"Who is it, Sairy? What do yor
want?" he asked as she felt the strange
tenderness that vibrated in his rough
voice.
"Who's In the kitchen, Abra m? I
it-Mis' Rhynearson?"
"No, Sairy, it amt. Mis- Rhynear
!, son went home double Quick when sh
found there wasn't anybody here t.
wait on her You knowed her bette
than did, Sairy. That's Sophrony Sci
wood in the kitchen, and she's goin t.
:tay there till she dies-or gets mar
ried.'
She closed her eyes to hide the start
ing tears, but they forced their wa,
through the interlaced lashes. Sudden
ly she turned to him and spoke thu
thought that filed her heart.
ooh, Abra m, it was so longl Why
didn't you try to find me? Why didn',
you come sooner?"
"My land, Sairy, I never once
thought of the dugoutl was too busy
lookin everywhere else for you. First
of all, I drove clear over to Lizys tc
see if you was there. That's good 1e
miles, you know, and took big slice
out of the first day. Then we went te
all the neighbors and hunted the whole
place over, but none of us ever thought
of the dugout. | don't know why, but
| we didn't Then that night Mis- How
ard come over and told newell, what
| you said to her, you know, Sairy, and
she-she spoke of the orick. :"
1.-THE crick?" wonderingly.
| "Sairy he suddenly bent over and
| put his arms around her and drew her
to him-"I was goin to have the crick
dragged today, and if I'd found you
there, Sairy-I couldn't ever we stood
| it,.
| "Pshaw, Abra nj" she Whispered
chokingly and put up her bandaged
hand to stroke the furrowed stubble of
his sunburned face.
| Detecting False Jewels.
| By looking at objects through a
screen of two glass plates, one laid upon
| ho thor ona ho,no ~ N hlno