The All-Story, March 1914 — page 171: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

644 though, with so many duties, he hardly knew which one to perform first. The rescue of Huldal’s flower-beds struck him as paramount. He rushed into the barn and got his pitchfork, with the aid of which he chased Tarbell’s pet out upon the highway and some distance toward its pasture. Then he dashed back to the house. Entering the back door, he found the kitchen full of smoke. He grabbed the salt-bag, climbed up the porch-support to the low roof of the ell, and emptied the salt down the chimney, severely singeing his hands in the process and swallowing quantities of pitchy smoke. As he descended his foot slipped and he began to roll. There was nothing betweeen him and the ground but a basket of eggs which had been set out beside the porch to be carried down to Ben Gray's store. Sam lighted sitting down and scrambled six dozen quicker than it had ever been done before in Oxville. He thought that all of his teeth had been shaken loose, but was reassured on feeling them and turned his attention to the rescue of the cat. oat When he sticceeded in rescuing poor pussy she was beyond first-aid meth- ods. Wes, coming in for supper, found Deborah crying over the corpse. and Sam fixing up a bed for Shep, now over his fit and weak and docile. The hired man took a quick glance round, comprehended the state of the kitchen, noted the annihilated eggs and Sam's rueful countenance. and exclaimed: “T’ve always heard it, and now I believe it!” ‘* Believe manded. “That two-headed calves bring bad luck.” “What do you mean? We ain’t got any two-headed calf.” “Yes, we have, too. Lady Alys had her calf to-day out in the pasture, and it’s got two heads.” It was the crowning misfortune. Sam felt crushed. It was not alone what, Wes?” Sam de- THE ALL-STORY MAGAZINE. that a two-headed calf had been born on the tarm., though that was bad enough, but that it should have been born to Lady Alys was piling disaster on variegated trouble. For Lady Alys was a creature of gentle blood: the father of the calf was the aristocrat of the countryside, and Sam’s hopes of converting their off- spring into a large amount of cash were suddenly dashed to the ground. What next? Now he knew he was not dreanning. Ike Jackson had predicted disaster, and a generous portion had already arrived. Where might the sequence lead if he persisted in his determination to give the spruce on the Higley lot to Dr. Foster? CHAPTER VI. A ILINT OF TREASURE. Ix the cool of the evening Sam and Huldah sat on the front piazza, inter- nuttently conversing. At the other end, a totally distinct group, were Deborah, Jere Cogswell, and Jake Pugslev's boy Clarence, as he was known to Oxville. Having discussed the exciting events of the late afternoon until the subject was for the time being exhausted, Huldah and Sam were content to listen to what they could overhear of the young peoples cotiversation. The accident damages were lighter than they had looked in the midst of the turmoil. Six dozen eggs were irretrivably messed, which hurt Hul- dah’s feelings the more because the ege-money was her own, to do with as she pleased.. Shep’s rampageous sickness had spoiled a large amount of milk. The kitchen chimney was all the better for the fire which had cleaned it out, and the cat which had com- mitted suicide in the well could easily be spared. being the poorest mouser of the nine which made their home with the Tuppers. eomichooks.c©