Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-09-30

at the nearest, and shut 1t behind me, leaving
all my toilette articles at the mercy of the new
in thu Cloak-cubby,' as we called it, a deep,
dark closet, with no knob on the inner side OF
the door, and the key-hoe minus its key, 50
that the door could only be opened from the
outeidet was quite nervous and fanciful in
those days, and should have thought myself
suffocating Ii had been shut in for five minutes,
under ordinary circumstances. Bat then was
too excited and annoyed to think of my breath
Every word of the conversation that follow
cd i as fresh in my memory as ii had heard it
to-day.
FEATHER began. Sit down by the fire, gem
tlemen, and make yourselves at home, while [
look up our Fanny'"-O father, father, how
could you? Our Fanny to that man land
we Will all have tea as soon as possible, so that
you need not hurry to the train. Why, what
can the ea-table, have done that she has put it
IN the corner with its face to the wall p He
back into position.
"Then out he went into the kitchen, and of
course, not finding me, ran up and down stairs
in the search. even heard hin in the cellar
beneath me, and had an insane impulse to try
and telegraph my situation to him. But he
soon came up and said, cannot think where
she can be; her things are all here, but she may
be across the street at MIR. Stacey's. Ii You
will excuse me, will run over there
OF he went, and we three were left to our
own devices.
sssThis is a great joke said Mr.. Leggett.
i hope, if the old man can't find % Our Fan
NY" he at least manage to scare us up some
supper
"'IOu use the lady's name very freely said the
stranger, rather sharply.
The voice pleased me, in spite of its sharp
ness-perhaps because of its sharpness-and |
confess to you that at this point mustered self
possession enough to put my eye to the key-hole
in the hope of seeing the speaker. Mr. Leggett
was sitting with his back to me, fearfully near,
and Mr.. Hooper, for it was he, opposite, so that
ms eyes, and very good honest eyes they were
key-hole, although they were actually only trans
fixing his impairment companion.
Well, why shouldn't I?' said Mr.. Leggett.
She's none too good to be spoken of. L hope,
for all her high and mighty airs. You can't
touch her with a ten-foOt pole (eight feet less
would have been sufficient for the purpose at
that moment). But what makes YOU so touchy
about her? You don't know her.
never shall know her, or any other lady,
little enough or well enough not to object to such
afree handling OF her name. in her own house
"' Well, well, don't be hufy. She isn't worth
quarreling about We've got a irst-rate chance
to see how a blue-stocking keeps house,
o, never was that. my dear, but was an
omnlvorous reader, and always credited with
far more knowledge than possessed.
$50 Here's her cloak and bonnet pitched into
one corner, and the tea-table was pitched into
another till her daddy Strengthened it. Have a
lump of sugar, Hooper? Gracious! if here isn't
her hair-brush with a couple of long hairs in it.
III go halves with you. But there isn't much
show for supper, is there {?
The creature had set out on a VOYAGE of dis
covery by this time, and was in an agony of
rear lest his vulgar curiosity shouldn't be limited
70 me room, but take him into the closets also,
and lay open my retreat.
A sudden racket and a volley of explosives
showed me that he had overturned my big work
basket, and the only consolation had during
all that awful afternoon was in the variety Of
Its contents, and the length of time required to
right them again; to say nothing of several re-
sounding bumps which he got from table, sofa,
anu chairs, IN his haste to put things in order
before fathers RI turn, or my possible appear
ance. His running commentary would hardly
have pleased the Professors any more than it
did his hearers in the closet and without.
Mr.. Hooper occasionally demonstrated and
even declared that he would leave the house
rather than stay in such company.
rs, /" Suddenly Mr.. Leggett exclaimed, by
How II must pinch her toes! Ill pocket one OF
'em, sure as fate, and keep il in my room under
glass-case TO make the fellows stare. "Who'd
have thought blUe-stOcking could 20 into such
Cinderella slipper?
81 am afraid Mr.. Hooper used too vigorous
form of speech by the of preface as lac erie d
out, John Leggett, take that shoe out OF vour
pocket and put il where it belongs
II shouldn't like anything BETTER said the
wretch, III ,.0ur Fanny or your Fanny, ifyou
prefer, would only trot in her little toeses.'
~ am IN earnest, sir; take out that shoe.'
"'Come, come, Hooper, what's the use ofsuch
q row? It's too good joke TO spoil. 'Twon't
do you any harm
80 You shall not leave tie house with IT,
I, warn yOu!
"'What in tunket are YOU making such a to-
DO about II for? Any girl would be tickled to
death to have me use her tn ngs TO ornament
my room. What1l you give tor the little teenty-
tonty- tOOtSey yourself, IoW?'
'''Fiye dollars SAID Mr.. Hooper, greatly to
my surprise.
. Done said the other fork over
"Ths strange bargain seemed to be consum-
mated, Tor heard the slipper fall, and silence
followed, which Mr.. Hooper was the first to
break.
81 want You to know, Mr. Leggett, that L
bought you on, not because one must adapt his
arguments to his opponent, but to spare Dr.
Draper the knowledge of how basely his hospi-
tality has been outraged, and myself the shame
of being known as the companion, even for one
afternoon, of such a one as YOU
"'Draw 1t mildly, young man, said the
Aunt Fanny hesitated for a
but declined the torrent which /
poured out in her service, and finally ,left the
"'Mildlyl The longer think of it, the more
furious 1 am. L believe on my soul, what |
suspected before, that you stole that daguerreo-
type of Miss Draper which you showed me the
"'WelI, what of it? A pictures of no ac-
count. You were glad enough to look at it, and |
didn't you carry it of to your own roOmp
Eyes, am ashamed to say did; but il was to |
get it away from proclamation for a,time. ought |
to have known that woman with such face |
as that would never have given you her picture
"fou will think me a goose" said Aunt |
Fanny, parenthetically, ''to tell you all these |
things; but they all rush back upon me, and L |
cannot stop to choose"
Whereupon threatened her with dire pun /
shment if she dared omit even conjunction. |
Then she went on.
"The picture fiatters her ,-ambrotypes always |
10. She don't look handsome much, in my way |
Of thinking; there isn't meat enough to her. |
lust take a look at her picture, so you can COM
pare 1t with her if she comes in. always carry
e in my pocket here for the fun of it.
"Mr. Hooper must have snatched it, for 1 |
heard struggle, though did not dare look and |
my champion cried out, Il shall knock you down |
4 you make it necessary, and tell DIR. Draper
the whole story; but this picture you shall never |
touch again with my consent
"Just then father came busting in. 'Dear |
me! Haven't you seen Fanny yet? The Staceys |
knew nothing of her, but went down to Mrs.
Thompsons, and she said she saw her coming
home more than an hour ago. Where can the |
child be?-But what an intolerable odor! Some
thing must be burning and opening the |
kitchen door, he inhaled in all its intensity the
asst expiring breath of my beautiful mullins, |
which / had poured into their rings with such |
proud expectation only an hour before!
"The pungent odor penetrated my key-hole, |
70 that thought should have strangled, while |
the others were forced to open doors and win
lows.
"Poor little Observation-Disclosures Diapers
weight was plumb two hundred pounds, but
Auntie and he were such friends! "then set |