Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-03-11
BOOTS UNDER THE BED.

BOOTS UNDER THE BED.
Miss Lydia White had two lovers
Tom Green and Willie Jones.
Both were good looking, weII-to-
do young mechanics, and both loved
her devotedly,if if their own vehement
assertions could be credited. Lydia
was in Something of a dilemma con-
corning them. @t
She had no particular preference
tor either of them, but she wanted
to be married some time, and Mr.
White was opposed to long counting
and Aunt Jane kept assuring her
that her bed and table linen would
get yellow with being packed away
in the bureau SO long; and she,
also, took frequent opportunities Of
remafking that ''none of her girls
ever was single after they had
reached the age of eighteen-no, mot
la mint ~ f. q 81
And as Lydia counted her years
four more than eighteen, of course
this latter insinuation of Aunt James
cut Ter deeply. 5r,ii
Lydia turned the matter over ser
iously in her mind and argued with
herself, pro and con-, Which should
she take, Green or Jones?
She was in some degree romantic,
and she had INDUCED in gorgeous
dreams as to marryinga a second Ma
poleon as to courage; in fact, if
there was any quality that she espec-
Tally admired in man, it was bray
tery1 a-saq
When she said anything about
this in the hearing of Tom or Willie,
they begged her to put them to the
test-they would joyfully die for her
if she stood in need of such sacri-
fee, they assured her over and over
again. ..' -
lone Sunday evening, as indeed
was frequently the case, Jones
and Green both happened to call at
the same time. ..--- =
Lydia went out ofthe room about
nine O'Clock on the pretense of
bringing a book of engravings, but
she shortly returned in great pertur-
baton. ~ '.---..
"What is it? What is the mat
ter p cried the two lovers, in eager
chorus. sf..f1 :
''Oh, dear mer' sighed Lydia,
"such a dreadful, dreadful thing!-
Who could have thought it in our
peaceful community Oh, Mr.J Jones
Mr.. Green! You cannot think how
1glad-how relieved I am that you
are here.iI should be frightened to
Edeath were it otherwisen and she
clung first to one and then to the
other, with a confidence perfectly
infatuating. 1,
''Tell US what it is p said Mr..
Green.
"Enlighten us as to the cause of
this motion % said Jones, who had
been to the Chicken ValleyAcademy
two "quarters, and used some large
words.
"Oh, you are both so brave r'
cried Miss Lydia, admiringly-"I
feel as if l were protected by an ar
my!"
! Green drew himself up to his full
height, which was just five feet, and
it must be confessed that beside
the Herculean Jones, he looked
like Bantam rooster beside a
Shanghai. '-+
Command me r'said Green, sonly
let me do your bidding"'
| "Ask my existence said Jones,
''and it shall be given freely as lit
tie streams give to the sounding
ocean, ---.
"Hush,'' cried Lydia, "don't
speak so loud! He may hear you,
and take the alarm, and kill us be-
fore you have chance to capture
him!" }1 .-ipfpo55t.'f -, .
"He? who? what p demanded
Jones, in a tragic whisper.
"Hush! for PHYS sake!n said Ly-
dia, ''he's up stairs in the spare
8 room - Under the bed Father had
a hundred dollars paid him yester-
4 day for COW, and this is a plan to
rob the house! L saw his boots
stick out from under the counter
panel" e.-ga-fss
"Good heavens r'cried Green get
ting behind Jones.------..-..---.-.--..-,..--
land such big boots, too, no II,
I am surer' 81 &
Jupiter what a giant he must
| be! !" said j ones. g q . p
-"Oh, Tom! oh, Willie! protec
me?' cried LYDIA, pathetically, ant
they both protested they woulc
shield her with the lastdrop of tlleil
blood! A 81 e
''Then go up stairs and seize the
villain," said she.
] "You had better go on up first,
I don't know the way" sait
Jones.
"Nor l." said Green, "and your
the biggest; lit belongs to you to lea'
on" So
Il willshow you the way,' sail
3 Lydia.
And the two gallant young mel
reluctantly followed her up stairs
she opened the door of the spar
chamber softly, and they saw tn
boots very distinctly; a most ex
tremely dirty pair OF 60 whides, whicl
looked as though their owner hat
tramped through, twenty miles O
l q