Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1909-06-10
CHAPTER xVI.-contInusd.


Along about noon the tool.shed-the
late lamented Washy's boarding house
blew down with a bang. Then the
Dora Bassett broke loose from her
moorings and drove into the cove head
FIRST. She was bound to bang herself
to flinders unless somebody got TO her
quick. so out went into the storm.
I did think maybe the Heayenlies
would offer to turn to and help, but
they was pitching half dollars at a
crack in the floor and was too busy to
think Of anything else.
had a sweet time blowing through
the sand against that wind and rain.
and when ] got to the cove my job
was cut out for me. The sloop was
hard and fast aground on the fiat and
the tide was coming in. She couldn't
stay where she was. so l worked for
two hours up TO my waist in ice water.
and more a-pourlng on to me from the
clouds. getting her OFF and made fast.
The TwinL did help me long towards
the last part OF II. That is to say.
they set in an upstairs back window
and pounded ON the glass and made
ns--superintendlng, as usual.
wish they could have heard some OF
tho language hove back at 'em.
Then they'd have realized how CRATE
ddl / was.
got supper without changing my
wet clothes. and when woke up next
morning / decided without no argu.
ment that something else had hap
pened. was took with the galloping
rheumatic my old trouble - and
couldn't move, scarcely. without
bowling same as q dog with his tail
shut In n door. The flre was out-the
old chimney had unloaded half OF It's
top rigging In to the wind-the storm
was bad as ever. and there was laid
up on the cQrn-husks. The Heaveniles
was worried. Breakfast was some
where's round the next corner.
TOO bad. old man." says Hartley.
S'What can We do?"
DOT" l answers, between yells. 81
don't care what you do. Only don't
bother me. Ow! o-oo-o! my shout
Sder!"
But what1l we do for eatables?'
ask Van Brunt.
liked them fellers FIRST rate and
they knew II. But now they made me
mad.
DOT" says I. "Do2 Why. scratch
for your living. same's I've had to do
all my days! Work, consarn you!
work."
said considerable many other
things. Twas a sort of jerlEy talk-I
had to stop every minute 70 attend to
my shoulder-but there was meat In Il.
They heard some plain truth that moth.
dng but rheumatic could have fetched
out OF me. 1 didn't skip nothing
Ieastways tried not 70. / hope It
done 'em good; II seemed TO help me =
heap.
They went TO work. but they was
way down In the primer class so far as
that branch OF learning was concerned.
4 could hear things falling around In
the kitchen and a million matches.
more OF less, a-scratching and l judged
that Hartley was trying to build q
fire. And under my window there was
the dickens Of humping and a most
HAat1nANAtHN nNAt1EA "a WINS NOh4Ng 81
I gathered that Van was chopping
wood.
managed 20 hobble downstairs
about half past ten. but was In plenty
OF time for breakfast. was feeling
too mean 70 have any appetite-which
was q mercy. and I'm thankful for Il.
We had smoked mush. Wall street
atyle. and fried egga with cinders. and
ono cup Of coffee for three. But that
cup was strong enough--owing 10
HaTtley'a letting Il Bile for two hours
$50 nobody wanted any more.
The Twins was pretty wen wore out
~ this time. 20 neither OF them would
wash dishes, They chucked 'em into
the kitchen sink and left thom there.
Then they put in three or four hours
docking out Of The window and swear
ine AZ the weather. stayed IN the
arinchRlr By the fireplace and ald lli.
ts> o. poshing but groAn and rub alec