The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-02

tAinly not when every ono else was Eonc.
too. and ioaeafne0 and silence were LETT 70
retga-
euddsnfy Merw1n started as his eye
hghsed on . familiar sight. There. BY
the edge at shs well. stood the cid brown
watar-paii. and clese beeide Il ray Of
sunlight. giancing through the apple trees.
gnstened on the slartinx. siippery. water
spiaahed stones. The boy turned TO his sts-
ter with the healthy red stricken out OF
his freckled cheeks and absolute terror
dilating his blue eyes.
'sNelissa." he gasped. .'erammA's In the
WELT She's been DRAWN water. cos the
stuns re all wet. and she's slipt In. You
run just ~ fast a. you can an tell Mr..
Peckham and Mr.. Dayton. an I'll get the
Hin boys: they're moving up the bridge.
Melissa waited not moment. With .
howl Of terror she fiew out OF the house
and the yard and her hare feet spatted
wildly down the dusty road. while Aer-
wins thumped even more rapidly In the
opposite direction
Mrs Peckham sat by her side windew.
brAiding . rug in peaceful enjoyment of
that pleasant season after the dinner work
h done up and before It's time 20 begin
to see about supper. From up the road
there came = sound like stifled wall
What under the canopy's that. Can't
be one OF the calves . got out an . haain'
for its mother
Louder and louder grew the cry. and
Mrs Peckham pat down her rug and start
ed for the door.
''Ill go down to the gate an look. sounds
like child In perfect distress" BY the
time she reached the gate the distressed
child was nearly there. terror-strtcken.
dust and sweat-begrtnmed little object
dying red hair and streaming eyes and
breath reduced to = gasping sob. '.Why. IL
II amt Melissa Hlggins. What under the
canopy's the matter. chiidf Suthin' dred-
full happened up to your house,
''Oh. Miss Peckham. Oh. Miss Peck
ham. Gramma's In the we'll! Gramma's in
the well She slipped In where the water
splashed. an We can't ind her anywhere.
an pa an mas gone up to Pettinaug! On.
send Nh Peckham Quick-auickr'
1t was some seconds before Mrs. Peck
ham could comprehend the gasping. inco-
herent speech. When she did she was
properly excited.
Good land sakes alive. child. you don't
mean It. Old Mi1 Higgins In the well!
Why. that's awful. And Henry and his
wife nine miles away at Pettipaug! Here.
you can't run any farther and you're clean
tuckered out: ST down on the doorstep an
fan yourself. and I'll cut around the corner
TO the Daytons and tell them. Mr.. Peck
ham Ii down there helping Asher Dayton
and In her turn cantered down the dusty
road.
Miss Dayton. upstairs. folding away
some bedding which had been airing. leok-
ed out through the 'dcminy winder." III
there amt Fiorette PeckhAm huTyin'
down the hill right I'm the middle OF the
road without any bonnet. ] shouldn't won
der IL suthin' terrible had happened. Cow
got mired or suthin'. I'll 60 down to the
d0Or an meet her.
The ''suthin that had happened proved
to be more terrible" than fancy had sug-
gested. Miss Dayton threw her apron over
her head and hurfiedly led the way 10 the
bars into the barn lot. where the men folks
were zf work. Asher was the only one In
sight, and he appeared stolidly disinclined
to leave his work at the end OF the field.
and replied only by loud .nQuiring 'heys?"
10 their shrilly shouted tale OF woe. Al
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 learned her errand, how
ever, his manner changed. and he exhib-
tied tho mans ability to DO something
practical In an emergency upon which
woman generally depends. "Til get Whitley
right into the wagon SOS to get there
quicker, and pick up Peckham on the way.
He's gone up to his barn on an erTand.
And here! We shall need ropes. o. course:
just hand me that one on the nall"
Far UP on the road to Pettipaug q for
Torn little figure trudged over the sand
hills, with WEAKNESS in every limb but des-
perat:on In the frightened little heart.
Probably never again would Merwln Hlg-
gins feel that sorrow Of half-comprehend-
ed danger and absolute helplessness which
now enguifed his childish soul. The Hill
boys had been duly dispatched to the scene
OF trouble, but he dared not 60 back with
them. So he set his face toward pa. ma
and Pettipaug and hurried on.
Up At Pettipaug the Higgins family was
enjoying a mildly festive treat Of cake
and lemonade before going TO bed. Aunt
Loixy was just filling Henryss glass and
saying that the water from their pump
never tasted quite 50 good a. that she used
10 drink at hcme, when the outer door
swung open. On the threshold stood .
dusty little lad 10 utterly wearied that he
gave his message with Spartan calmness.
"Grammas Grounded in the we'll"
Half an hour later Merwin was seated By
his father in the buggy, retrac.ng his aft
ernoon's journey. Hts explanations had
been vague and unsatisfactory. but their
melancholy burden "Gramma's dead was
TOO alarming to pass unheeded. For once
Henry Higgins acted with energy.
The horse was "put to- the hungry bog,
who absolutely refused to be left behind.
was fed and wrapped for the night drive.
and ne had started for home almost rs
quickly - another man.
Bur the hasse was not to be hurried out
OF his usual habits, and the nine~m.le drive
gave time for = novel experience For
perhaps the first time in his remembrance
Henry Higgins felt keen emotion. He had
towed lasily along the narrow canal a. life.
through boyhood. through youth. through
courtship. through marriage. His wife
was not q woman to arouse passionate
affection His deepest love had been his
mothers. hers had been the hand At the
helm. and now he knew II. Knew II ~ he
faced the long stretch Of years without
her care and her counsel Knew II ~ be
acknowledged that this awful thing vas
his own fault.
II mean. TO have fixed that curb. I
ought 20 have done 81" said itself ever
In his mind, and In steady accompaniment
noated from the tar wood. "Ay-pcor- wife.
Has gone-to-miif. Whip-poos-wiii. Whip
poor-Wili.. The frog concert stti1 drcned
su9gesttveiy In the marsh-
The moon came up and stared sf.atght
i'm thar faces with that unennuy look she