Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-12-27
Selsctea TaIe.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT.

/ never can read an account in the news
paper of a gentleman of the Irish persua-
sion arrested at the suit of his wife, and
safely lodged in the station-house, without
feeling of intense amusement that re-
quires an explanation.
Once, during the summer solstice, when
everybody that was anybody Except my
SELF had gone out of town, | was left to
my own devices during the day and Ben's
society in the evening for what amusement
i could fnd lin hot pavements, shaded
houses and libations of ice-water, for the
space of two never-to-be-forgotten weeks.
had inundated myself On the shrine of
sisterly affection, for Ben's downtown af
fairs could not possibly be wound up be-
fore the specified two weeks had expired !;
and most comfortable feeling of self
righteousness accompanied the sacrifice.
To be sure, a trip to Lake George was
promised me as the reward of merit and
with this in prospect, my captivity became
| quite endurable. Besides, Ben and | were
always excellent friends--the two cronies,
in fact, of the family and as the others
had dispersed right and left on various
summer pilgrimages, it behooved me to see
that my favorite brother WAS not left to the
tender nercies of Bridget.
All the neighbors had deserted us and
| | had watched trunk after trunk, and car
riage after carriage, starting for various
destinations The newspapers afforded
me, in the letters from watering places, the
| delectable information that "Miss B
was charming in dress of blue crepe with
pink trimmings y" Mrs. c., handsome
and distingue, in crimson moire antique y
Miss l., like sunset cloud in violet
silk y and so on through the al phabet gen.
orally. AS | knew some of these people
very well, | wondered if transformation
had taken place from change of residence
and hoped that, whatever it was, | might
not fail to catch it when l. too, should pack
up my tent like the Arabs, and glide in the
darkness away.
fully expected to go in the morning
when | did go; but l think there is some
thing like this in one of Mr.. Longfellow's
poems.
Our nextdoor neighbor, Mrs. Beverley
had gone with the two children, and faith
full black Rose, at the very beginning o
the summer fittings /; and as Mrs. Beverley
was my especial admiration, and the chill
dren my favorite amusement, | wondered
how could possibly get through the weary
days without them. Little "Dory," (shor
for Theodore), whose fathers eyes hac
closed in this world without seeing the fact
of his little son, was an animated sculp
ture of the purest marble, lighted up b.
dark orbs that seemed to make whittier th'
ivory skin and his sister, two years older
was the most bewitching little romp thai
ever spoiled white dresses, or set at naugh
all the rules of propriety.
AS for the gentle, sorrow-stricken moth
er, whom scarcely any one ever got {
glimpse of, had fairly stormed her into t
sort of liking for me scaled her castle OF
various rpretexts, and carried off the chill
dren so frequently, that the fact of my ex
istence became too apparent to be ignored
All the family laughed at my passion TO
Mrs Beverley, and all that pertained t.
her every one acknowledged that she wa
lovely and attractive, but completely wrap
ped up in her children and the memory of
happy past. Ny feeling for her, however
amounted to perfect enthusiasm and W
had become very good friends some tim
before her departure.
She had not gone among the charming
Miss LIS, and BIS, and G's, with their rail-
bow-hued dresses but off among the gree
hills of New Hampshire, where aunt ant
cousins waited tn welcome her and he
children to pure air and green PASTURE
She would 6e gone ali summer, and ha
laugbngIy rcqoes,ed me to keep an eye 0
| ,Iaghonse while remained near it. 1t
ne, diess for me to say that kept :,co EYE
perseveringly fixed upon the domicile whei
ever opportunity offered and held endles