Overland Tales Author:Josephine Clifford McCrackin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HETTY'S HEROISM. BUT, father, you don't really mean to watch the old year out, do you? It's only a waste of candles, and the boys won't want to get up in the ... more »morning." "Mebbee so, mother; but New Year's Eve don't come every day; so let's have it out." And old man Sutton tipped back his chair, after filling his pipe, and looked contentedly up at the white ceiling of the " best room." Johnny, the younger son of the family, whistled gleefully, threw more wood on the blazing pile in the fire-place, and then, resuming his oft-forbidden occupation of cracking walnuts in the best room, said: "Don't the wind howl, though? Just drives the rain. Golly, ain't it nice here?" "You're not to say bad words," broke out his mother, sharply. "Father, why don't you correct the boy? Such a night as this, too, when — " " What's that? " interrupted the oldest son, springing from his seat, and showing a straight, manly form and clear, deep eyes, as he stood by the door in a listening attitude. "Coyotes, brother Frank; the ghosts don't come round this early, do they ?'' laughed the younger. " Hush, Johnny! It's some one crying for help — a woman's voice ! " "Tut, tut! where would a woman come from this time o' night, and not a house within miles of us? " "A woman's voice, I'll stake my head," insisted Frank, after a moment's silence in the room. The mother had laid down her glasses. "Wonder if the boy thinks Lolita is coming through the storm to watch the old year out with him?" She laughed as at something that gave her much pleasure, though the rest did not share her merriment. They were all three listening at door and window now, and when Frank threw the one nearest him quickly open, there came a sound through the din and fury of the rain-storm that was neither the h...« less