The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-10-22


do for you. madam
"The house is freezing The new fur
mace Is not working right at all. Please
send a man the first thing in the morn
ing to Ak It. I--we-I am so cold now
can hardly talk"
Hearing a subdued laugh. she snap
ned up the receiver. The idea. Then 1t
occurred to her that be likely would
not dream 1t was she. There were SO
many Browns in town; besides, she
thought bitterly. he had evidently for
gotten all about the address she had
sent him.
The small lace handkerchief refused
to absorb any more moisture. and a
great stamping IN the vestlbule an
nounced the arrival OF her uncle. Nina
few to the Icy solitude OF her room
and after doctoring her tear stained
features with cold water and talcum
managed to get into some evening
clothes plus a warm opera cloak In
time for dinner
That night she slept very little. One
minute she blamed herself for being so
preclpitate; the next she reproached
him for his seeming Indifference She
had been so sure he would hurry to her
the minute he got her letter. but his
boat had been in three days and still
no sign from him.
At last she fell asleep 1t seemed to
her that she had been doing just a
minute when she was awakened by a
violent hammering In her room, She
sat up in bed and shivered. The win
dow pane above the shutters was still
black. She reached out and switched
on the electric light. 1t was not
O'Clock
Again that awful hammering then a
rauCous scraping In the direction OF
the register She made face and COW
cred her ears. Then all was quiet for
awhile. and Nina Struggled under the
covers. All at once a metallic voice
came up through the tube from the
cellar
Now, you see O'Brien. 1t Will all
have to come out. The underfeed Is
not right" Nina sat bolt upright again,
her eyes staring wildly in the darkness.
j
a few orders about valves. drafts and
gauges, which she did not understand
in the least, but 1t was a voice she
could listen to forever She forgot
about the cold
Now, O'Brien, you go and get the
tools and bring Mason along with you.
| am going to stay here a minute and
La 1t lDo
right this time. This is nice condi-
ton to find things in the very day
get home. First thing ! heard when
got to the office. How many more
jobs like this are there?"
Nina did not listen to the explana-
ton that followed Her heart was In
her throat. and she scarcely breathed.
His words rang in her ears. Howard
just home yesterday. What could 1t
mean? Oh. it was only too plain what
1t meant He had come on a later
boat, and she hnd wrOnged him. She
had allowed her petty spite to drive
away the person she loved best In the
world
There was no more talking now, only
an occasional scraping as though some
one was sliding the hampers How
ard was evidently there alone.
Suddenly a flush dyed her cheeks.
Her eyes grew very bright, and lit
tie smile lowered around her lips, Her
heart was beating fast now. but her
lips frightened She sprang out Of bed
and threw on a dressing gown. She
ran quickly to the wall and stopped.
with her lips close to the wrought iron
cover.
Hello she called.
"Hello,"
rs that the man from Van Norton
& Hemphill's?"
Eyes, madam"
Are you fixing the furnace"
ayes 1t Is in pretty bad shape"
as there any heat in it at alI?"
NO; am standing inside
"Can any one hear u.s.
81 have closed all the hampers but
this one
Are you cold|
Every This cellar is like Green
land"
why don't you go to the kitchen
and get warm?'
81 am happier here"
"That is very odd place to he hap
by, inside a furnace, q o'clock in the
morning, dark, thermometer down to
zero You must feel quite hilarious"
Il am more hilarious and less cold
than | was at 6 last night"
why last night, may ask
"The cause Of the fall In tcmpera-
ture was letter which registered
about 80 degrees below zero F."
"Did-did you think soT'
Didn't you mean 1t SOP"
Are you quite sure you know who
am?"
Are you sure you know who amT'