, 1864-04-16

of success and the only effect of their ex-
treme anxiety to escape was to keep them
running confusedly up and down the room,
crossing and recrossing each other, as if
engaged in some strange, mad, irregular
country dance. In the midst of this scene
stood the mother and daughter, with out
stretched arms, endeayoring to catch the
fugitives rs they few distractedly past them,
in order to direct them to places Of conceal
ment; for, though greatly agitated them
selves, they yet retained presence of mind
sufficient to enable them at once to recol-
lect the various localities where they might
be slowed, and to assist in so disposing Of
them. This the mother and daughter, after
much exertion and much trouble, finally ac-
complished. A couple they packed below
the bed, an individual they stuffed into
press, another they thrust into closet, a
third they squeezed into locker, and so
on until all were removed out Of sight;
having previously required of each, in the
most earnest manner, as they deposited
him, not to make the slightest motion. or
noise in his blace of concealment. For
tunately for Mrs. Morrison and her refugees,
old Crusty was in no great hurry to enter
the house. He went to the stable with his
pony, and with his own hand unsaddled
him and rubbed him down. These opera
tions performed, he further waited until he
had seen him drink pail Of water which
he had ordered for hini-proccedings these,
on the part Of old Walter, which gave his
wife and daughter ample time, not only to
pack away their friends, but to remove
from the apartment every trace of the
evenings festivities.
On matters being made all quiet, Mrs.
Morrison and her daughter took up seams
apiece, placed couple Of chairs in the
window, and, looking as demure as possi-
bic, commenced sewing with great appa-
rent assidu:ty. They had not been thus
employed asecond, however, when, in despite
Of all the cautions they had given their
concealed friends as to maintaining per-
feet stiffness in their several retreats, they
were alarmed by strange noises suddenly
arising at one and the same time in each
and all Of the repositories Of the members
Of their party. These noises rcsembled
those that proceeded from persons strug-
Cling fercely to suppress some oyermas-
tering convulsion. 1t might be either n
laugh or a cough, or a sneeze. It could
not be a laugh, however; for, in their pres
ent situation, there was very little to laugh
at. Neither could il be 4 cough; for how
should they be an inclined 70 cough at the
same timey For the same reasonit L couldn't
be snccze. But it could, though--and
good and sufficient cause was there for II,
and for tho simultaneousness Of feeling, as
shall be shortly explained. In the mean
timo--to proceed methodically to our ca
tastrophe-grcatly alarmed by these out
bursts Of sound, Mrs. Morrison and her
daughter, availing themselves Of the instant
Of time that was yet left them before the
appearance Of papa, hastcned to make the
tour Of their hidden friends, in order to
warn them again Of tho necessity Of main
tanning dead silence. In pursuance Of
this duty, Margaret opened the door Of a
closet two or three inches, in which was one
Of the noisicst Of the party, aud was about
to bescech him TO keep quiet, when she was
rendered incapable Of doing SO by the
strangcness Of the attitude and condition
in which she found him. lie was holding
his nose firmly with his finger and thumb,
and was almost black in the face with the
violent efforts he was making to suppress q
sneezc, that was relentlossly insisting on
being distinctly expressed. But his face
was not only discolorcd by these severe cf-
forts. II was also frightfully distorted by
the agonios Of tho resistance which he was
practising. lie was making the most hid
eous grimaces.
"What is the matter, Mr.. Wilson ?"
whispered Margaret, in the greatest alarm,
on seeing the condition Of tho sufferer.
But the sufferer could not answer the ques-
ton. He burst neither let 20 his nose nor
open his mouth. He, however, finally got
out, pieccmcal, and by sudden jerks, the
words,
"The-snufF-the-sufF-ohp p
To q stranger, person unacquainted
with certain particular, these words would
have conveyed but little intelligence. To
Margaret, they spoke volumes They in
stantly flashed bright and startling light
on her comprehension. The closet into
Wihcu tue uuIOfIuudteb buuercr was bVueekcuj
was crammed full Of sacks of snuff; and,
from the smallncss Of tho place, and its
particular interior arrangement, his nose
was fOrcibly held right over, or rather
thrust into the midst Of at least a couple Of
hundred weights Of black rappec; and
powerful was the exhalation L emitted.
The consequences were what we have de-
scribed. II was most unhappy predica-
ment for oil concerned; and, to render
matters worse, every one Of the gentlemen
were placed in q precisely similar situation,
and exposed to the same Irresistible sneczc-
provoking infuence-there being snuff
bags in every one Of their places Of con-
ecalmentj aud the general result was, that
one and oil were seized with, and struggling,
as IL between death and life, to counteract
the strong agonizing propensity to sneeze,
which was threatening to tear their very
heads asunder. But there was no help for
IL. 1t was too late to remedy the. evil.
The sufferers could not be- relieved; for, at
this moment, the old mans feet were heard
upon the stair. In the next, he had en-
tered the room. He was looking most ap-
pallingly grim. But there was nothing
apparently wrong. The ROBIN was all or
derly, and his wife and daughter were de-
murely seatci at their seams. Even the
u ~. a N A