The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-02-06
MRS. BADGERY.
TCONCLuDED.

heard the rustllnG of the Grape gar
ments outside, and the muffiled voice
of Mrs. Badgery poured lamentably
through the keyhole.
Do you mean to make that your
bedroom?" asked the voice on the
other side of the door. oh, don't
make that your bedroom! | am go
ing away 6irectly-but, oh pray pray
let that one room be sacred! Don't
sleep there! If you can possibly help
it, don't sleep there!"
opened the window. and looked
up and down the road. If | had seen
a policeman within hail | should
certainly have called him in. No
such person was visible. | shut the
window again, and warned Mrs.
Bad. cry, through the door, in my
sternest tones, not to interfere with
my domestic arrangements. | mean
to have my bed put up here" L said.
And what is more, | mean to sleep
here. And what is more, mean to
snore here" Severe, / think, that
last sentence! It completely crushed
Mrs. Badgery for the moment. /
heard the Grape garments rustling
away from the door; | heard the
muf1ed groans going slowly and
solemnly down the stairs again.
In due course of time I also de-
scended to the ground floor. Had
Mrs. Badgery really left the premises?
[ looked into the front parlor-emp-
ty. Back parlor-empty. Any other
room on the ground floor? Yes; a
long room at the end of the passage
The door was closed [ opened it
cautiously and peeped in.H A faint
scream, and smack of two distract
edly-clasped hands saluted my ap-
pearance There she was, again on
the camp-stool, again sitting exactly
in the middle of the floor. 7ei
Don't, don't look in that wayl''
cried Mrs. Badgery, .wringing her
hands, . could bear it in any other
room, but | can't bear it in this.
Every Monday morning looked out
the things for the wash in this room.
He was difficult to please about his
linen; the washerwoman never put
starch enough into his collars to sat
isfy him. Oh, how. often and often
has he popped his head in here, as
you popped yours just now and said,
in his amusing way. More starchl =
Oh, how droll he always was-how
very, very droll in this dear little
back roomi7 ~ 1ts#
/ said nothing. The situation had
now got beyond words. I stood with
the door in my hand, looking down
the passage towards the garden, and
waiting doggedly for Mrs. Badgery to
go out. My. plan succeeded. She
rose, sighed, shut. up the camp-stool,
stalked along the passage, paused on
the ball mat, said to herself, I" Sweet,
sweet spoti' descended the steps,
groaned along. the grayelwafk, and
disappeared from view at last through
the garden-door.
Bet her in again at your peril,
said,aI to the woman who kept the
house. She CONTESTED and trembled.
| LEFT the premises, satisfied with my
own conduct, under very trying cir
cumstances, delusively convinced also
! that | had done with Mrs. Badgery.
The next day | sent In the furni-
tufe.is The most unprotected object
on the face of the earth is a house
when the furniture Is going in. The
doors must be kept open; and employ
as many servants as you may, nobody
can be depended on as a domestic
sentry sodong as the van is at the
gate. The confusion Of moving in y
/ uemoralizes the steadiest disposition
and there is no such thing as a prop
erly guarded post from the top OF the
house to the bottom. How the 7inva-
sion was managed, how the surprise
was effected, | know not; but it is
certainly the fact that when my furni-
ture went in. the inevitable Mrs.
Badgery went along with it.
/ have some very choice engravings,
after the old masters; and [ was first
awakened to a consciousness of Mrs.
Badgery's presence in the house while
/ | was hanging up my proof impress
sion. of Titan Venus over the front
parlor fire place. : Not there!' cried
the muffled voice implorirgly. $ HIS
portrait used to hang there. Oh,
what a print-what dreadful, dread
fup print to put where has dear por-
i trait used to be" | turned round in
a fury. There she was still muffied
upin Grape, still carrying her abom-
Unable camp stool. Before I could
say a word in remonstrance, six men
in green baize aprons staggered in
| with my sideb0ard, and Mrs.
.bBadgery suddenly - disappeared.
Had they trampled her under
doorway? Though not an inhu-
/, MAD man bg nature I asked my self
4 those questions quite composedly.
u No very long time elapsed before they
were practically answered in the mega
tive By Ehg .}gRgfTanee Of Mrs
i, fed condition iti,e Of c c1gq grief In