The Tupelo journal., 1909-07-09
CHAPTER xvnI.-contlnued.

VI
The colonel, however, had barely set
foot on the threshold when Mrs. Mel
Vile appeared, propelling Randall,
whom she had rescued from the maids
closet where she was covering behind
her neat frocks, m~omentarily expect
ing death, but decently ready for 1t IN
gown and shoes. Mrs. Melville her.
self. in the disorder OF the shock, a
merely added her best Paris hat n a
skeleton hustle to her dainty night
gear. She had not forgotten her
kimono; she had only forgotten to don
it; and it draggled over her free arm.
But her dignity was intact. The in
slant she beheld her kindred she de-
manded of them, as If they were re-
sponsible, whether this was a sample
of the Californian climate. keatcham
blushed and fed with Colvln and the
giggling Arnold and Archie, who was
too polite to giggle.
Mrs. Winter put or her eyeglasses.
"'MiIlicent," said she in the gentlest OF
tones, your hustle is on crooked"
One wild glance at the merciless
mirror in the carved pierglass did
Mrs. Melville give, and, then, without
a word, she fled.
Randall" said Mrs. Winter, you
look very nice; come and help me
dress. There will most likely be some
more shocks"
Randall, trembling in every limb,
but instinctively assuming a COM
posed mien, followed the u~ndaunted
old lady.
The colonel was going in another
direction, having heard a telephone
bell. He was most anxious to put him.
self into communication with Birdsall,
because not even during the earth
quake had he forgotten an uglier peril;
and it had occurred to him that Atkins
was of a temper not to be frightened
by the commissions of order; but rather
20 make his account of it. Nor did the
message through the telephone tend
to reassure him.
The man at the other end OF the
telephone was Birdsall. No telling
how long the telephone service would
keep up, he reported; wires were down
around the corner; worse, the water
mains were spouting; and from where
he stood since he felt the first shock
he had counted So fires. Ten of them
were down in the quarter where some
of his men had homes; and a field
glass had shown that the houses were
all tossed about there; he couldn't
keep his men steady; it seemed inhu-
man to ask them to stay when their
wives and children might be dying; of
course it was his damn luck to have
all married men from down there.
well 1 reckon you will have to let
them go; but watch out" begged the
colonel, '"for you know the men We are
after will take advantage Of general
disorder to get in their dirty work
Now ia the most dangerous time"
Happily, Archie" explained Tracy,
whose unquenchable college levity nc
earthquake could affect, happily my
domestic jewel has been stocked ul
with rice and oatmeal, two of the most
nutritious of foods; and Miss Janet is
making coffee on her travelling coffee
not for the Boss. That's alcohol, and
independent of gas-mains. Lucky; for
the gas-range is out of action, and we
have to try charcoal. Notice n in.
teresting thing, Archie? Old Keatch'
am, whom we were fighting tooth and
nail three weeks ago, is now bossine
us as ruthlessly as a football coach;
and Cousin Cary is taking his slack
talk as meek as a freshman. Great
old boy, Keatcham! And-oh, | say!
has any one gone to the rescue OF the
Rogerses? / saw Kito speeding over
that way from the garage and Haley
hiking after him. ] hope the nine
small yellow dnmestics ara not hurnAd