The Wilmington daily Republican., 1900-04-03
TIE Last Break
OF Della Mann
Della Broke Good Deal Of China,
but Sho Made Up For 1t.

come an altogether too frequent sound
within the Thurston domestic precincts.
Mrs. Alice Thurston saw her treasured
table adornments melt away with sink
ing heart. She had cautioned. warned
and scoIded, but it availed nothing. Plates
would slip from haccid fingers to the un.
yielding surface of the slate drain board,
cups would bump against the brass fau-
Gets above the enameled sink. II ever in.
animate things were possessed with
rage for self destruction the chinaware
of the Thurstons certainly took the sui
cidal palm.
| Unfortunately for this theory all these
brcakages were traced directly to Della
Mann.
Della was good girl and fairly capa.
I bic girl, and she meant to please, but
when it came to dish washing and wiping
she seemed marked with a smashing ma
MIA. Alice Thurston was patient and
long suffering. She liked Della and bore
with her weakness In a most exemplary
way. Once she told her she would have to
pay for the ware she had broken. and
Della, who was weak on mathematics,
eagerly consented. But when the end Of
| Tue luS DlCdhu6S WA " 40
so large that Alice felt ashamed to take
1t out of the poor girls wages and said
no more about 1t.
Delia was an admirable cook and Of
neat and steady habits. She was as hon
est as the day and as careful Of the
Thurston supplies as II they were her
own.
But one day, poor Della let slip hand
some platter against the cruel slate, and
a shower of fragments scattered over the
hardwood floor. Then the wrath Of Alice
Thurston blazed forth.
"Delia," she hotly said, this is past all
endurance. II you break another thing
this week, will certainly be obliged to
let you 60"
Poor Della said nothing. She bent low
over her broom and dustpan as she gath
cred up the debris. She knew the mis-.
tress was entirely justified in her out.
burst.
Well, for wonder, she didn't break a
thing for three whole days. 1t required
great self possession and most painful
watchfulness, but she broke her record
handsomely.
Then came Friday, and after the ususl
simple luncheon which George Thurston
ate with Alice whenever he could spare
the time to make hurried dash home
and back, but which Alice ate alone on
this particular Friday, she said to Della:
"I'm going down town to do some
Christmas shopping and will probably
wait and come home with Mr.. Thurston.
Be sure to answer the bell and have din
ner ready to serve at g."
"Yes'm," said Della, and soon she
heard the front door, slam and knew her
pretty young mistress had started forth.
Della was 'doing up" the dishes, but
she stopped short and stepped into the
dining room. From the dining room she
passed into storeroom that adjoined the
former apartment. 1t was dark room,
with one window opening on a prospect
of brick wall Its only piece Of furniture
was the new telephone that stood on its
little table against the west wall.
Della didn't like the telephone. She
could use it. but it bothered her. Della
was slow thinker. and the rapid pace Of
a telephone conversation was too confus-
ing to be agreeable. She took from
hook the ancient black shawl which she
was wont to toss about her shoulders
when she made hurried excursions to the
little grocery in the next street and threw
it over the phone and its table. Then
she went out with smile of satisfaction
and locked the door behind her. She fan
cied she had effectually gagged the an
noying instrument. She certainly didn't
mean to hear the warning bell il she
could help it.
NJ, .,; Ga, bnr han fha Inn Sibiti.
ty Of telephone interruption, Della, as
she resumed her dish drying labor. lifted
her by no means unmusical voice in
song OF her childhood days. She warblcd
on with her back to the door, quite un-
conscious Of the fact that it was being
slowly pushed open.
A moment or two later heavy hand
caught her firmly by the shoulder, and
harsh voice growled fierce threat in her
ear.
The plate in her hands fell to the floor
with heavy crash.
THAT settles it." said Della Mann.
Then she was dragged into the dining |
room and the door closed behind. She
looked up. There were two men, and one !
of them held revolver close under her |
nose. She looked at them stupidly. Della
reasoned slowly.
"What'll we do with herT growled the
fellow with the revolver.
Gag her and tie her in a chair md
hide her away somewhere" was the re-
sponse. And they did it with incredible
swiftness. Her ankles were lashcd to the
chair with stout cord that one Of the |
men quickly produced. Her hands were
G,a Lt,,I al,
chair, and then an extra large handker-
chief was tied around her head and over
her mouth. One Of the men stepped to
the storcroom door, turned the key and
opened it. He gave the gloomy interior
q hasty glance.
empty" he said. "Just the place for