The Argosy — page 365: what you’re looking at

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

The Syllabub Feast. 351 Lena, keep away from the key-hole! Here, ma’am! Ma’am! Here’s Mr. Joseph with all his blankets afire |” Mrs. Todhetley ran up, and her ternfied appeal sounded through the door. Tod threw it open. The hair had burnt itself out. ‘“Why don’t you go off for the parish engine ?” demanded Tod of Hannah, as they came sniffing in. “ Well, where’s the fire? ” ‘‘ But, my dears, something must be singeing,” said Mrs. Todhetley. “Where is it ?—what is it?” ‘It can’t be anything but the blankets,” cried Hannah, choking and stifling. ‘‘ Miss Lena, then, don’t I tell you to keep outside, out of harro’s way? Well, it is strong!” Mrs. Todhetley put her hand on my arm. “Johnny, what is it? Where 1s the danger ? ” “ There's no danger at all,” struck in Tod. “I guppose I can burn some old fishing-tackle rubbish in my basin if I please; horsehair, and that. You should not have the grates filled with paper, madam, if you don’t like the smell.” “You might have taken it to the kitchen and burnt it there, Joseph,” she said, mildly. ‘“ Indeed I was very much alarmed.” “ Thanks to Hannah,” said Tod. “ You’d have known nothing about it but for her. I wish you'd just order her to mind her own busi- ness,” ‘¢It was my business, Mr. Joseph—smelling all that frightful smell o’ singeing! And if —— Why, whose boots be these?” broke oft Hannah. Opening the closet to get out the hair, we had left Fred’s boots exposed. Hannah’s eyes, ranging themselves around in search of the singeing, had espied them. She answered her own question. “You must have brought them from school in your box by mane Mr. Joseph. ‘These are men’s boots, these are!” ‘“‘T can take them back to school again,” said Tod, carelessly. So that passed off. ‘‘ And it is the best thing we can do with the boots, Johnny, as I think,’ he said to me in a low tone when we were once more left to ourselves. ‘‘We can’t burn them. They’d make a choicer scent than the hair made.” ‘‘T suppose they’d not fit Mack.” Tod laughed. “If he kept those other ‘ beautiful boots’ for high days and holidays, what would he not keep these for? No, Johnny; they are too slender for Mack’s foot.” ‘‘T wonder how poor Fred likes his clumsy ones P—How he contrives to tramp it in them?” “T would give something to know that he was clear out of the country !” We were to dine in the middle of the day, and start for school at half-past two. Tod boldly asked the Squire to give him a sovereign, CORnniclooolkks (CO) 5