The sun., 1910-01-30
PUFFUM'S
D# p. "REMINISCENCES
The Storm, the Seeds and the Baby.

either eide Of my sister Laura's desk in
appalling inequality. True, my Con-
greesman. Mr.. Gizer. had in giving her
TIE Job been earnest in his cautions that
she should not hurry or fatigue herself;
but still the winter was waning, the
voice Of the turtle would soon be heard
sven in his frostbound district. She
surely should be up and doing.
II realized full we'll that there was an
/. exouse for this delay in the persistent
N ualIs OF the Hon. John Darr. Since. as
he at last thought. Laura had been
heaven's own instrument not only in
freeing him from suspicion of murder
= but also in squirting him to cast aside the
hamper Of false shame, that distinguished
gentleman had kept showing his graft
z sssde by his words and his deeds. singing
her praises nightly in our snug little
p&rlor. which he caused TO resemble the
receiving room Of a fruit and flower
uission.
f+ss Did Laura like such devotion? That
was q riddle unanswerable to all. includ-
ing even herself. Sometimes l would
note a pensiveness in hcr demure brown
Z NyNs which seemed TO tell me that she
was pondering a solution which might
= reaieve her and at the same time please
him,
Who can interpret the ways of a maid
With man. know that MIR. Gizcr didn't
like it, and ! didn't either, which may
spefhaps account for my urgency about
s tho seed labels. laura took my urging in
good part,
She would got 10 work at once. shc
4 declared, even though the Nowtown
= t.1drion and the world through which it
I.piyculAted should suffer from a docline
z III he- correspondence. Since haste was
imperative why wouldn't it be we'll to
lrsyc tho packages or scecs sent and
4 stored IN our back rooms, whence Ihcy
cclld be shipped directly aftef fro labels
), had beea affixed without risking the
delay that might como through sending
the labels to tho Department of Agri-
cuItuicg
-what, 10000 packages l cried in dis
may, why, We would not only have hay
bsvsr bat we would taste paste for the
kvst OF the year.
sya :. BaIt the will Of maid is equally incom-
\ prehensible and conclusive. Laura would
i havs IL SO. and so it was. The morning
when they began TO lug in the great sacks
or seed packages was gray and chill,
with the sullen mist which Washington
4 inns choose to attribute 10 the distant
\ sea rather than to the nearby Potomac
hats. BY noon. when our back room
! looked like a coal cellar and sTnelled like
I an herb shop. there were furries OF fine
! enow IN the air.
s We've got them in in good time"
) said the man with the last load. There's
a Fipsnorter OF a blizzard comm. I'll bet
rny hat, all the more SO because the
n Westher Bureau predicts fair and
4 Had the mans bet been taken he would
have won. The ripsnorter came and
promptly put the city out Of commits
y sion. went down to the Office after
'luncheon in a binding whirl of sleet.
Whsn l. started to return at nightfall the
cold was intense. the wind was a gale
& and the snow was falling thicker and
faster than ashes on doomed Pompeii.
Il The street cars had long since ceased
aFunning The electric lights we're infre-
Uuept glimmers.
solaAs struggled up the familiar avenue
toward Capitol Hill not a ray from the
: cbliteration. Through some indefinite
\ hnding sense I reached Capitol Park,
wandering blindly. chilled to the bone,
discerning the line OF the trees only when
Knocked against one OF them. Silence
prevailed. the deathlike silence of the
J brimordial world.
plunged. all unknowing, into a larger
drift i stumbled over some covered OBJ
s&Acies. struggled to my feet with a
wcman's form. desperately tearing away
= fhe ciouts Of snow from delicate face.
from chnging wet fllrs. There was life
within my arms, thrilling, intense life, in
! spired by purpose.
! -Dcp't raind me said girls voice.
save that baby. Don't you hear, don't
You hear? Listen. while the storm lulls.
There 1t walls, over there, over there: lust
ee.it did when l heard it, when I sprang
I from my carriage TO get it
'ssSte e. n
Some time after an agonizing fight. still
biihdly guided by that finding sense. we
three, the unknown Ri-l. the abandoned
baby and 7, reached the suowbank that
half buried my home. Laura was on
wstoh.in the vestihule. She had the girl
in her arms, up the stairs and into the
room before ! had staggered to the newell
l post with my screaming basketfuI.
oh. you darling. whoever you are"
could hear her cooling. you are safe. safe
from this dreadful storm. Though the
snow beats through all over the carpet.
have roueing good fire and piping hot
sspunch-.you know what these men always
do want. Now, or with these wet things
and on with these dry ones; We are about
4 one size. IL say it myself
y, In the outer darkness OF the other room
~ did my best to dig myself out from my
own individual drift. my nervous enxth
stimulated by the cacophony from the
wickerwork.
After while was admitted to the rous-
ing and piping adjuncts OF hospitality; and
while the two girls, very much of a size
and OF a beauty too, were raving over the
baby. which had heen too securely pro-
tected to be any the worse for wear or
weAther. 1 studied the one OF them whom
was vain enough to think had rescued
from deadly peril.
She was like to Laura as have said,
only more SO. Do you know what I mean?
Well, IL hurt rue TO think il, but IL Laura
had had every advantage of wealth and
luxury from the moment she was born
then she would have been more like to her.
Suddenly she became aware OF me for the
first time.
AwS,