Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-05-15

over the foot-board, and lit the lamp in q
second.
Quick" gasped Mr.. Giles, I've got
him! He Is strangling me- Help -
AT that moment the light flashed and re-
vealed a scene-Mr. Giles sitting up in bed
with his face purple with fright, and clasp
ing Nero in his arms until the poor dog 5
eye-balls protruded from the tight compress
sion he was in
Who could help laughing?
Nero skunk away, and Mr. Giles disappear
ed in silence under the bed-clothes, and Mrs.
Giles rolled on the floor until she was calm
enough to 90 to sleep again. And that was
the end of burglars.
When Sunday morning came, the Giles
family came near being late for church,
thing unheard of in them Mr. Giles was
the last one TO be ready, and his wife was
drawing on her gloves rs he pulled on his
Sunday boots. One went on well enough.
but the other was no 90. In vain he
pulled, and pulled, and tugged getting red
der in the face.
There must be something in the tee, he
exclaimed at last, and running his finger in.
he pulled out a roll Of bills
"Why it's that money ' said his wife.
Il declare What fool | was not to re
/ L
it to rags. III put them in my pocket now
until after church.
But even then they were a source Oftr0uble
to him. When the deacon passed round the
plate, Mr.. Giles put his hand in his pocket
hurriedly to get the twenty-five or fifty cents
he usually put in, and in his nervousness
and haste he pulled out the identical roll Of
bills and dropped them on the plate, and
| Deacon Holt turned away, and was Mortified
to feel his coat tails seized on, and hear a
loud, sepulchral whisper
Stop" And Mr.. Giles grasped his mo-
ney, with an addition Of five and ten cent
pieces sticking to it. He got out of the tan
gle at last, with face like the rising sun.
its 10 use, said his WIFE, when they .
| got home, you may as well give me that /
money to take care Of, if you don't want it .
| lost
i believe l WILL = said Mr.. Giles. for
I'm sick Of the job. do hope it won't bother
you as it has me.
.'No fear, answered Hetty, putting the
roll in her pocket with an assumption Of
brayado she was far from feeling
Il believe I'll leave it right in the pocket,
| she thought, etc She took her dress of,
and so she folded it carefully away. with a
great feeling that it was safe.
The next morning, when she SWEPT the
house, she saw something on the floor
whats that p" she thought lit looks ike
my old Lisle-thread gloves, though | don't
know what they should be doing there -
She stopped to pick it up, and found it to
be that unfortunate money,
Mercy me - she exclaimed. Il believe
it's alive 1t must have dropped out of my
dress when folded the skirt up. What
wonder that 1t isn't gone. do wish knew
where to put 1t -
For a week it was moved every day. 1t
occupied the bureau drawer it slept be-
tween the mattresses it snuggled in a trunk
Still Mrs. Giles felt troubled.
Il want to put it away in some place and
forget it, she said to herself After think
ing for awhile, an idea dawned upon her.
at will besafe there, she said ''no burg
lars would ever think of looking there, and
no harm can ever touch it. I'm glad thought
Of it"
So the money was placed safely in Its new
resting place, and Mrs. Giles sure Of it, Sc
curity, forgot it for days at time.
1t had been there over three months, when
business called Mr.. Giles away for a week.
and his cousin-a married lady-came 70 Wis
it HettY during his absence. They had a
fine time talking things over, but prudent
Hetty did not mention that money.
=. Cousin Kate Will think we ought 70 live
better perhaps, and be more exravagant,
and it is Just as well to say nothing about
it."
When Mr.. Giles had been absent four
days, Hetty thought she would hayea tea
party. one Of those guiT affairs where only
one sex Is represented and she went out
one morning and invited some dozen or SO Of
her lady friends, after having everything in
readiness for good tea.
The invited came-some with their knit
ting, some with sewing-all dressed in their
best, and all ready to see and be seen. Mrs.
Todd brought her four-year-old Johnny to
play with Tommy, and the two children did
their best to mutllate each other, Johnny
running each minute to his mother 10 whine
-. he scratched Inc - when his mother
would answer, in a resigned voice" Never
mind dear -
They sat down to very nice tea. Old
Mrs Ford. who said, - Oh, N.Y. whenever
she said anything, helped the preserves.
Mrs Fry, VINO wore glasses and hsped, pass
ed the biscuit-and remarked thereon, while
the rest of the company were helped to the
dainties near them Mrs. Giles, in a spot
less lawn and white apron, poured the tea
into the best china, and passed ii to each
one, with sugar and cream, and when each
had suited it to their taste, they began to
sip.
Mrs Ford said - Oh my - before she
thought Mrs. Todd made WY face and
said, % How nice -
But Cousin Kate asked plainly. -'' What
is them after with the tea, Ietty p
:. I'm sure don't know said Mrs. Giles
=. | - .,f-
some new tea that was recommended to MS,
as being very good-sometbing extra"
" It's not very bad - said Mrs. Todd,
coughing violently as she took another taste
L" 1t tastes Of leather" suggested Miss
Fry.
q Oh my said Mrs Ford, % it tastes like
-like-ink -
- Hetty," asked the cousin, - did You
seald the tea-pot?''
Hetty turned suddenly white, and made a
| frantic dash at the lid, which she raised with .
one hand, while with the other she grasped |
fork, and ished out some black dripping
substance.
& Oh MY gasped Mrs. Ford, - baby's
shoe -
"a to d, as live - shrieked Mrs. Fry.
..We're all poisoned :" said Mrs. Todd,with |
her mouth full of raspberry tart.
Ladies' said Mrs. Giles, ''it's my old /
portmonnaie that threw in there one day |
and forgot all about it. 1t has spoiled the |
tea, but well soon have a cup OF fresh.
She went into the kitchen to make 1t and
then took sly peep into the portmonG51alleG- 51lG
The contents were uniniured, though little
wet. Fortunately she had not steeped the
tea IN the china teapot, but merely poured 1t
off into it-On the eight hundred dollars
She returned, bland and smiling, to the
tea-table.
ATS the funniest thing" she said, ''that
did not turn that out when scalded the
teapot But remember now; turned the
water out through the spout ~
oIt's a good thing there was no money in
it, said one lady.
Z" Hetty isn't troubled in that way" said
! Cousin Kate. just suppose you had put
! several hundred dollars in there for sale keep
ing ~ =,
at wouldn't have been good for much,'
said Hetty, without tremor'
"Oh N.Y. said Mrs. Ford. Anybody
that would keep money that way ought 10
lose it !"