The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-31
THE DAILY EVENING TELEGRAPHa+ PHILADELPHIA, sAI

groves of my front garden. ! say am not sure
of this; but am positively certain that never
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ACQUAINTED with Mr, Badgeryis favotite notions
and habits as I am with my own. 1t may in
terezt the reader II report that my taste IN
earnets is not equal to Mr.. Badgerys;t that my
ideas on the subject of servants wages are not
so generous as Mr.. Badgery's; and that igno-
rantly persisted in placinga sofa in the position
(which Mr.. Bsdgery, in his time, considered to
be particularly lifted for an aTn-chairs, could
go nowhere, look nowhere, do nothing, say
nothing, all that day. without bringing the
!, widowed incubus in theat Grape gar
,ments down upon me vimmediately, VI tried
! civil Iemonstrances, tried rude speeches, /
itfied sulky senceAnotlling hadlthe least effect
Jon her. The memory OF Mr.. Badgery was the
shield of proof with which she warded of my
6e1cfst attacks. Not TIL the last article of fur
niture had been moved in, did lose sight,of
her; and even then she had not really lett the
house. One OF my six men in green baize
aprons routed her out OF the back garden area,
where she was telling my servants, with floods
OF tears, of Mr.. Badeery's Yirtuous strictness
with his housemaid in the matter of followers,
My admirable man in green baiZe' courageously
saw her out and shut the garden door after her,
Lgaye him b>if!a-crown on the spot; and If
anything happens TO him, / am ready to make
tiEe future prosperity Of his fatherless iamilymy
own peculiar care. - 80
morning service at my new parish church.
a popular preacher had been announced, and
the building was crowded. l advanced 9 little
iWaHup the nave and-looked to my right, and
saw no room. Before l could look TO my left,
felt hand laid persuasively on my arm.
turned round and-theFe was Mrs. Badgery,
with her pew-door open, solemhly beckonIng
me in. The crowd had closed up behind me;
the dyes of dozen members of the congregation
at lehst were fixed on me. / had no choice but
to save appearance, and accept the dreadful IN
vttArion. There was vacant place next to the
door of the pew, i tried to drop into it, but
Mrc RadpprV stunned AhHiS gpnt. " Shp
whispered, and signed 10 me to place myself on
the other side of her. 1t is unnecessary to say
that1 had 10 climb over hassock, and that
knocked down all Mrs. BadgerYs devotional
books before succeeded in passing between her
and the front of the pew. She cried uninter-
ruptedly through the service composed herself
when it was over, and Began to tell me what
Mr.. Badgcry,s opinions had been on points OF
abstract theology. Fortunately there was great
confusion and crowding at the door OF the
church, and | escaped at the hazard OF my life,
by running round the back OF thecarriageS.
passed the interval betweBn the services alone
| in. the fields, being deferred from going home
| by the fear that Mrs. Badgery might have got
there before
i Monday came positively ordered my SER
wants to let no lady in deep mourning pass inside
| the garden door, without first consulting me.
| After that, feeling tolerably secure, occupied
myself in arranging my books and prints.
| i had not pursued this employment much more
than an hour, when one OF the servants burst
| exctably into the room, and informed me that a
| lady in deep mourning had been taken faint just
outside my door, and had requested leave to
|, come in and sit down for q few moments. i ran
! down the garden path to bolt the door, and ar
rived Just In time TO see it violently pushed open
| by an officious and sympathizing crowd. They
| drew away on either side as they saw me. There
| she was, leaning on the grocer's shoulder,
with the butchers boy in attendance, carrying
her camp-stool! Leaving my servants to dc
| what they liked with her, / ran back, and locked
| myself upin my bedroom. When she evacuated
1 thoT of tnruya a~f1o
| q message of apology, informing me that this
| particular Monday was the sad anniversary ol
| ber wedding-day, and that she had been taken
| faint, in consequence, at the sight OF her los
Tuesday forenoon passed away happily, with
| out any new invasion. After lunch, thought
| would go out and take walk. My garden dool
has a sort of peep-hole in 1t, covered with wire
! lsaw something mysteriously dark on the out
side OF 1t. | bent my head down to look through
| and Instantly found myself face to face with the
Grape veil. "Sweet, sweet spot!n said the mutfleC
voice, speaking straight into my eyes through
the grating. The usual groans followed, anl
the name nam - Of Mr.; B%adgery % was glalntiyely pro
ciently to retreat to the house.
/ Wednesday is the day on which am writing
this narrative. 1t not twelve O'Clock yet, anC
there is every probability that some new form o
sentimental persecution is in store for me befor
the evening. Thus far these lines contain a per
teCtly true statement of Mrs Badgery's conduc
towards me since l entered on the possession o
nly house and her shrine. What am TO do ? >
that is the point wish 10 insist on---what am
! to do? How am 1 to get away from the memor,
OF Mr.. Badgery, and the unappeasablei grief o
his disconsolate widow? Any other specie
of invasion it is possible to resist; but how
Isis man, placed in nay unhappy and unparal
.leled circumstances, to defend himself?
can't keep a dog ready to fly at Mrs
Badgery. ] can't charge her at police
court with being oppressively fond of the house
in which her husband died. can't set man
traps for woman, or prosecute a weep n!
!. widow as strespasser and nuisance. I an
helplessly involved in the unrelaxing folds o
Mrs, Badgerys Grape veil. Surely there was NJ
eXaggerat1on "a my language when ! said that,
was sufferer under a. perfectly new grievance
L Can anybody advise me? Has anybody ha
even the remotest experience of the peculia
form of persecution which am now enduring
If nobodgh has, is there any legal gentleman i
!, the Unted Kingdom who, can answer the all
important question which appears lat the hea
of this narrative? ID beganaby asking that ques
ton because 1T was uppermOst in my mind. i
is uppermost IN my mind STILL and therefor
beg leaveto conclude appropriately by asking !
. Is there any law in England which WIN pre-
teet me from Mrs, Badgery - 80 F.
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