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

sisted on making me as well acquaint-
ed with Mr.. Badgery's favorite notions
and habits as | am with my own. 1t
may interest the reader if | report
that my taste in carpets is not equal
to Mr.. Badgery's; that my ideas on
the subject of servants wages are not
so generous as Mr. Badgery's; and
that ignorantly persisted in
placing a sofa in the position
which Mr.. Badgery, in his time, con-
sidered to be particularly fitted for an
arm chair. / could go nowhere, look
nowhere, do nothing, say nothing, all
that day, without bringing the wild
owed incubus in the Grape garments
down upon me Immediately. | tried
civil remonstrances, / tried rude
speeches, [ tried sulky silence moth
ing had the least effect on her. The
memory of Mr.. Badgery was the
shield of proof with which she ward
ed off nay fiercest attacks. Not till
the last article of furniture had been
moved In, did / lose sight of her; and
even then she had not really left the
house. One of my six men In green
baize aprons routed her out of the
back garden area, where she was tell
ing my servants, with floods of tears,
of Mr.. Badgery's virtuous strictness
with his housemaid in the matter Of
followers. My admirable man In green
baize ceurageously saw her out, and
shut the garden door after her.
gave him half a crown on the spot;
and if anything happens to him, L am
ready to make the future prosperity
of his fatherless family my own pecu-
liar care.
The next day was Sunday. | at
tended morning service at my new
parish church. A popular preacher
had been announced, and the build
ing was crowded. [ advanced little
way up the nave, and looked to my
right. and saw no room. Before /
could look to my left, | felt hand
laid persuasively on nay arm. / turn
ed around, and there was Mrs. Badg-
cry, with her pew door open, solemn
" reckoning me in. The crowd had
closed up behind me; the eyes of
half dozen members of the congre-
CATION, at least, were fixed on me-
had no choice but to save
appearances, and accept the
d. eadful invitation. There was va
cant place next to the door of the
pew. I Eied to drop into it, but Mrs:
Badgery stopped me. q" HIS seat,
she whispered, and signed TO me to
place myself on the other side of her.
1t is unnecessary to say that | had to
climb over hassock, and that [
knocked down all Mrs. Badgery's de-
votional books before I succeeded in
passing between her and the front of
the pew. She cried uninterruptedly
through the service; composed herself
when it was over; and began to
tell me what Mr. Badgery's opin-
ions had been on points of abstract
theology. Fortunately there was great
confusion and crewding at the door
of the church; and [ escaped at the
hazard Of my life, by running round
the back of the carriages. [ passed
the interval between the services
alone in the fields, being deferred
from going home by the fear that
Mrs. Badgery might have got there
before me.
I Monday came. [ positively or
dered my servants to let no lady in
deep mourning pass inside the garden
door, without first consulting me.
After that, feeling tolerably secure, L
occupied myself IN arranging my
books and prints. [ had not pursued
this employment much more than an
hour, when one of the servants burst
exciedly 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 few moments. /
ran down the garden-path to bolt the
door, and arrived just in time to see
it violently. pushed open by an Off
cious 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 attend
ance, carrying her camp-stooll Leav-
| ing my. servants to do what they liked
with her, / ran back and locked my
self in my bedroom. When she
evacuated the premises, some hours
| afterwards, l received a message of
| apology, informing me that this par
ticular Monday was the sad anniver-
sary of her wedding day, and that she
had been taken faint, in consequence,
at the sight Of her lost husband S
house.
Tuesday forenoon passed away hap
PLY, without any new invasion. At
ter lunch, [ thought [ would go out
and take a walk. My garden door
has a sort of peep-hole in it, covered
with a wire grating. As | got close
to this grating, Thought [ saw some
thing mysteriously dark on the outer
side of it. | bent my head down to
look through, and instantly found
myself face to face with the Grape