The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-05-05

twelve hours OF her coming.
Then my cousin Dick informs us, by letter,
that he would not stoop to ask favor OF any
other person in the world but ourselves-his
character being, as we know, being independ-
ent to fault but that he is very anxious to
exhibit a terrier at the 1slington dog show,
feeling sure that we should never forgive his
putting up at an inn, why he will make use
of our Spare Room; and he ventures to say
that we have some sort of kennel for a
little dog that can stand in a corner of that
apartment, as he dares not let it sleep out
of his sight. Dick is certainly a great
change after Aunt Bertha; but Indifferent
guest as he was, | can scarcely say he is an
Improvement He keeps hours which, ex-
cept they are always late are very uncer-
tain, and is not to be trusted to extinguish
the light in the lobby, nor even to put the
chain up, after he has got in-when he does
get ina feat which he sometimes finds
little difficult. don't mean to say he gets
tipsy; but he is so unused to latch keys,
that he will tumble for half an hour at the
ront-door-while Mivins and lie terrified
with the idea that it is burglars The last
time that this occurred we felt the more
certain Of this, inasrnuch that in about a
ed and long afterward our belated guest let
himself in quite easily. At breakfast how
ever, he explained the circumstance, very
much to his own satisfaction at least.
II may not be clever said Dick; "but |
do think / am sagacious. You would not
have imagined now, Mivins how the simple
habit of observation alone preserved me from
passing last night in the street. arrived at
your bospitable door at about II: Is, and it
utterly refused to open--'
''Then it was you Dick, was it, Interrupt
ted |, indignantly, who kept us awake for
hours scrabIing at the keykole?"
Eyes, it was ue,' replied Dick, coolly !;
''And must say, cousin, that if you heard
my frantic efforts to obtain admittance, you
might have sent Mivns down to let fellow
in"
''But we thought it was thieves" expos
tulated my husband; and besides, there
was that horrid dog of yours in the Spare
Room, which you told me yourself, when it
once got hold Of a mans leg, would never
let 60"
''Ihat is very true" replied Dick proudly.
"a hot poker put close to his nose would be
the sole method of persuading him to part
could not have been procured at that late
hour However, it was at the door; and
the Iatch-key which had carried so care
fully in my waistcoat pocket had got itself
stuffed up with gluey substance, and the
harder poked it into the keyhole the har,
der that obstruction became. Perhaps it
was little later than II: ID"
cit was half-past two, Dick" remarked
parenthetically.
"Was it really, cousin? How wonderfully
quick the time does pass i'll London! Well,
at all events, there was nobody to be seen
or heard. VandeIeur Terrace was as silent
as our farm-yard in the country before cock
crow, and could hear myself postrophizing
that latch-key as plainly as though was in
our wall garden with the echo. | whistled
down the barrel of it, but might just as
well have whistled for wind, | knelt down
and knocked it against the doorstep; but
might as well have tried to make a rabbit
bolt up jumping on the mouth of its bur
row. If I'd only had a scarf pin, | could
have picked the thing clean in half minute;
but then my scarf pin had been stolen about
two hours before by very gentlemanly per-
son who had asked me the way to st. Pauls
Churchyard Then all of a sudden | re-
membered that, three streets off or so, had
seen solitary policeman amusing himself
with a--no, not with toothpick; but with
pin instead of toothpick."
"Dick," said |, don't be vulgar"
Certainly not, cousin" said he'll had
reflected upon passing him that it was an I'M
genteel occupation; but had toreborne to
make any remonstrance, on account OF his
having nothing else to do. Now blessed
my stars that Lhad not made himmy enemy
by any such rebuke. Threading my way
carefully back, | found him at the exact
spot where had left him, and engaged in
the same occupation"
''Polieceman,' said I, my latch-key is
stuffed up--have you got such thing as a
pin?' for | thought that any more direct
reference to the instrument so obviously III
his possession, might be considered offensive
to his dignity
. Sir said he, I have got half doz-
en- and he exhibited a seem of his coat
quite studded with those articles. Without
entering into the very interesting question
of why he carried so many pins, | selected
one of them, and having removed the obsta-
Gle that prevented me from enjoying your
hospitality, ! thanked him, and and return
ed it to him III company with shilling
But for my habit of observation, you see,
| | might have remained out doors all night
for nothing would have induced me to have
called you up-my character being, as you
! know, indepenent to a fault
Dick never occupied our Spare Room again
we had had enough of his habit OF observa-
ton and independence Of character. as well
as of Aunt Bertha's spiritual despotism.-
| We did not indeed sell off the furniture OF
that unfortunate apartment which was al
ways leading us into SO much trouble and
expense; but we did bolder thing still, we
invited uncle Trotter to come and live with
US.
Uncle Trotter was perhaps one OF the most
disagreeable persons alive, and was sincerely
abhored by every member Of his family,
as well as by his relations by marriage, IN
Guiding Mivins himself; but at the same
time he was greatly respected and caressed
His wealth was said to be untold and his con-
stitution was thought to be not worth a
years purchase. This latter notion was
altogether delusive, for various members Of
the family had already welcomed him tC
their hearths and homes, and he had lived
with them gratis for considerable periods,
only to leave them, not in a hearse, but in g
huff, for some other rival relative, whose
speculation was doomed in its turn to turn
out quite as unfortunately. Besides his OWL
intrinsic dement's, there was this additional
disadvantage in entertaining the old gentle
man. that it placed you at daggers drawn
with everybody else who had any expecta
tions from him. ''See how those crafty Miv-
/ HI 81
was the general remark in the family, know
directly he came to Vandeluer Terrace; anC
this feeling was especially fomented by cous
in Graspall, from whom we bore him away
almost at his last gasp, as they affirmed
and just when they were about to reap, il
his will, the harvest of many months 0
servility and announcement hypocrisy. I'll
came to us however, Immediately upon GU
invitation, without repaying them a shilling
for all the expense that he had been to then
h