Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-02-16

,ed my husband and besides, there was that
horrid dog Of yours in the Spar4 Room, which
you told me yourself, when 1t once got hold Of
mans leg, would never le! it GO
" That is very true, replied Dick proudly.
" bot poker put close to bis nose would b
Ihe sole method Of persuadiDg hlm TO part com
pany, and ! suppose such an instrument could
not have been procured st that late hour
However it was at che door and the ZACH
kew winch had carried 20 carefully IL my
wastcoat pocket had got itself stuffed up with
nuey substance, and the harder poked it IN.
10 the ktyh0le the harder that obstruction be.
came. Perhaps it was little later than 1915
= Il was hllf.past two, Dick remarked |
parcnthe cally.
" Was il really How wonderfully quick
the time does pass in London We'll, a. all
events, there was nobody TO be secn or heard.
Valselour Terrace Was ar silent as our farm
yard 10 tho country before cock-orow, and
could hear myself spostrophiztug that iaich-
key as plainly a" th ugh J was in our wall gar
den with the eciO ! whis.led d0wn the barre
oi il but | mgdt 80 well have whistled for a
wind. knelt down and knocked It against the
door step but might as well have tlied TO
make a rabbit bolt by jumping on the mouth Of
us burrow If Id only had q scarf pis, could
have picked the thing clean in half minute
bat then my scari.pln had been stolen eb0uI
tsJ hou,s before by very Kantlenaoly person
who had asked me the way to 81 Paul s
Ca chyari Then all OF il sudden | remsm.
beled HAT three streets of or So ! mad ssen q
solitary policeman amusing himeelf with ar
no., not with a tOothpick but with pm in.
ssea1 ot d toothplck -
' Dick, said | " don be vulgar.
" Certainly njl, cousin, said he -" had
reflected upon passing him that il was as On
gentes occupation but had lorcborne u make
4ng remonstrance, on account Of his having
nothing else to DO. Now | blessed my star:
that | had not made him ny enemy by any
such rebuke Threading my way carefully
back, found him at the exact spot where |
had left him, and engaged in the ssme occupa-
ton.
a. Policeman, said !, my latch'key Is stuffed
up-havc you got such thing as pin : for
| thought that any more direct alluslon to the
instrument IN his possession might be considered
offensive to his dignity
Z" Sir, said he | haye got half 4 dozen
and he exhibited a seam Of his coat quite stud
dei with those artices Without entering into
the very interesting question Of why he carried
80 many pins, | selected one Of them and, hay
IN removed the obstacle that prevented me
from enjoying your hospitality, thanked him,
ami returned II TO him in company with ahll
ling But for my habit of observation, you sec,
[ might have remained out doors all night Tor
nothing would have induced me to have called
you up my character being, as you know, lu-
dependent 10 a fault
Dick never occupied our Spare Room again ,
We mad had enough Of his habit of observation
aud independence Of character, a. well as 0f
Aunt Bertha's spiritual despotism. We did
not indeed sell Of the furniture OF that unt0t-
tunate room, which was always leading US into
so much trouble ana expense, but we did 4
bolder thing stlll-we invited Uncle Trotser C
come and live with us.
Uncle Irotter was perhaps one Of the most
dsagreeable persons alive, and wasyery .ipcefe-
ly abhorred by every member OF his iamily, as
well by his relations by marriage, including
hIVins himself but at the same time he vas
greatly respected and caresssd His wealth was
said to be untold, and bis constitution wss not
thought 10 be worth years purchase. This
latter potion wds altogether delusiye, for yari
Gus members OF the family had already welcomed
aim to their hsarIhs and hsmes, and he had
lived with them grstis for considerable periods
only to leave them, not in hesrse but In
huf, for some other nyal relative, whoss spec
ulatlon was doomed IN lts turn to turn out quite
as unfortunately Besides his own intrinsic de
merits, there was this additional disadvantage
10 entertaining the old gentlsmsn, thatlt placed
you at dsggers drawn with everybody else who
had any expectations from hin. " See how
those crafty Nivlnses have got hold Of dear I'm
Gle rrotier, was the general remark IN the
family, | know, directly be came to Vandeleur
Terrace and this feeling was especially ioment-
co by Cousin GraspAll. from whom va bore
him away almost at his last gasp, as they Al
hrmsd, and just when they were about to reap
10 hls will the batvesg OF many months OF ses'
Witty aud incOnyenient hypocrisy. lie came to
re, however immediately upon our Invitation,
without rspaylng them shilling for all the eI-
pense that he had been to them. and with a
uumber Of handsome presents that these msers-
Die people had bestowed upon hlm at different
times unknown to one another Costly gllts
from the old Graspalls, which 1t must have
made their hearts ache to purchase a walking
stick with gold handle IRON the elder son
snuff box from the younger Wordsworth cl'
eeantly bound "a pig would have been better
pleased with peatl from one OF the young la
dies and even box OF pills, "wth a pious
hope that they would do dearest uncle good,
from the very smallest Graspall.
What disliked most about tho old gentle.
N was his chuckling over these presents and
turning their unfortunate doners into rldioule (;
but besides behavior In this re.pcct Uncle
ItOter WAS quite unbearabe IN the fret place,
his habits were SO unpleasant that, rather than
eaye him live with us, would have preferred
that COUSIN Dicks terrier should have occupied
our spare room tor petmaneucy, and even
brought up there that family oil puppies for
whose arrival was in agouiEed expectation
throughout her stay. Then the trouble he gave
us Was something Incredible, the spare room
bell was always ringing, and meals being eaten
there at oil hours OF the day except those At
which the rest OF the household were aceustom
cd to take them, lie smoked INCREASINGLY, too,
and upon one occasion threatened to light hu
pipe with tho 1y.oatoher, because lucllers were
brought to him Tor that purpose In place OF wax
llahts. An angel in the house. as q life poarder,
would, bslieye, DO unpleasant to any married
womao like myself spinstets may and do toll
crate volunteer companions under the same
roof, but with us it is different-home is not
home unless for some portion of tho year o.
least, we enjoy 1t, Darby.and Joan fashion with
our husbands Moreover, as | have hnted,
Uncle Trotter was not an angel, but rather the
reverse. Tie loft us, sunmarlly, after domes-
tic iracas, the news OF which delighted ell ,he
family-both those who had lodged and boarded
him, and those who hoped to lodge and board
him. He removed from our roof to thai Of the
Limpeu, whl had long been looking out lor
that happy chance. They were even sO fortu.
nAta rs 10 hn the Inst uhnn1 Innln TrnlInr xiaii.