The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-12-20
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CHAPTER VII.
THE LOST PLACE.

No prophecies ever come true ex-
cept prophecies of disaster. Perhaps
the reason Is that there have never
been any other kind. Katharine went
about her duties with q sense Of i'm
pending disaster due to Dittmer's pro-
phecies. The children carried on In
their usual fashion; the mother worked
and contriyed; the precise bald-head-
ed father came home every day and
read the paper slowly, with his legs
crossed, just as usual; and yet some
thing dreadful was going to happen to
them. If you knew that the day after
tomorrow there was going to be an
earthquake Of so vast and extended
character that there would be no time
to escape, would you warn the un1
thinking folk or would you leave them
to their fate? If you warned them,
for every one who would betake him,
to his knees, a dozen would take to
drink. Better leave them unconscious
until the end came. AS well warn
the skipping lamb that in q day or.
two he will be hanging up, with his
wool gone and his inside scooped out,
In a butchers shop.
!, The blow fell few days later.
{ It was on Saturday afternoon, when
Mr.. Emptage generally came home at
half-past two and spent the rest Of the
day with the family, not disdaining
to turn his hand to household jobss
few family men, indeed, were reader,
at mailing up blind, mending door,
: handle, or any Of those little matters
for which the plumber is too often
called in. He generally came home
cheerful and contented-tenuity Of In:
come is not felt If you desire no more
than you have. This day, however, he
returned in condition which-unjust3
1y, I declare-forced those who saw
him to think Of strong drink.
"John," said his wife, sharply. "What
is the matter? Where have you been?"
His face was white, his lips tremu.
.lous. his hands dangled at his side-a
most undignifed thing for hands to do
and he swayed from side to side.
"JCknv' his wife repeated. "What's
the matter:''
:. Gle is i'll, Mrs. Emptage," said Kath-
arlne. But she knew what had hap
pened.
"Childrenr' the poor man groaned,
"wife! Katharlne"-h sunk into an
armchair and buried his face in his
+ hands-"we are ruinedr'
Had he, then, been dismissed.
John! What is it? Tell me, quick.
What? John! Speak upr'
"Maria, I will. Give me time. I've
eaten no dinner to-day at all. What
right had 1 to be eating dinner with
the poor children never going perhaps
to have any more:" He uttered these
awful words with his face still in his
hands, so that they had a muffled
funeral sound, like the drums at the
burial Of soldier.
"Oh, John! Speak up!'' his wife re-
peated.
The younger children began to cry.
The elders watched their mother and
Katharine. It would not be becoming
in them to begin TIE crying until they
set the example. But they were terri,
fed. John sat up and looked slowly
and solemnly around, shaking his head.
His children were about him, his wife
was at his side, and in front of him
was the governess! Oh, how few of
his contemporaries had governesses!
And now he felt In moments Of
great trouble it is the small thing
which seizes first on the mind. John
Emptage suffered less pain at the mo-
ment for the loss of ais income than
for the loss of his gentllity. "Our
governess! My children's governess"
Now he would be able to say these
words no longer.
Business" he began, with groan,
"has been terribly bad. 1t is bad with
everybody, but in our trade it seems
to have gone altogether"
"Well, my dear, you have said that
so often"
cat last the partners have reduced
the establishment. Reduced-reduced
the establishment, Maria"
"Johnv' shrieked his wife, you
haven't lost your berth?'
They've sent away half the clerks
three are gone; and they've cut down