Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-10-11
EnIiie,s pe,l.im,.

A father, not very far from here read in the
paper the other morning that the "Uuca girls
Who want their beAux to go home the same
night they call, pull string at the proper hour
which reverses picture on tile back OF which
appear the words, Zen o'clock my bed time
This father, who has a dangh or gwen to late
hours when u certain youth sits up and helps her
keep them, thought to try thus Utica plan, b.
he wrote in large characters. on the back Of
huge portrait Of George Washington, this IN
scnptiUn:
10 O'CLOCK Is sALIIEs BED-rIME
Then he arranged the picture 30 that when he
attached string to the frame, he could reverse |
from his bed-chAmber. But when Illle entere
the room an hour later her pthetlc aye was out
ragged by observing tile portrait Of George hang
slightly out Of plumb, 40 to speak, ani IN All
justlng 1t her fathers little game was revealed
in all It's subtle ingenuity.
Salie was not Utlca girl, however, 70 she
Just went to work and neatly eifaced the hgute
30" leaving the ~ standing solitary and ur-
right-wlich You will observe, made few
hOuls difference in her bed tune. That night
AZ ususl. Saie received a visit from her young
man-which his front name 1t was Heury-and
her paterual parent attached his slrlng to q
WIS portrait aud retired to his doSny couch
About len o'c ock, while Henry and Sallie
were deeply absorbed in come kno ty oDlem
with their heads 70 contiguous thai you cJuldn
insert piece OF TISSUE paper between Them
the Father OF his Country suddenly turned lilr
face 10 tile wall as IL he was ashamed to gaz
upon such dOiugs. Henry, with sudden rtari
glanced at the picture, and saw the Handwriting
on the wall, as it were, which read 'oi Q ocloci
ID sallie's bedtime" Then Henry looked AL
interrogation in his eye which waa partly DIS
PEELED by the fair maid murmurinB IT Is al
right Henry said VI course II was all rlBht-
that he had long known one o'clock was hei beu-
time, and lie thought it was plenty late enough
for young girl 10 be out OF bed, but What
business lie said, had General Washington
portrait to be Hopping about in that way
Then Sallie expluined,-and the twain resumed
work on the problem, Henry putting LIS arm
around Sallle to prevent her from falling OF
the chair
Meanwhile, the old man was listening for the
front doOrtO open, and his would-be sun-il- law
footsteps patteTng over the pavement, with tilt
toes OF his boots pointing from the house. Thes'
sounds not falling upou his ears, and thinking
mayby the old thing didn't work right. he gav'
the slring another pull, and George W. agaiI
faced the audience. Then he listened but b'
heard no footsteps, - nothing but peculia
sound, something resembling the popping o
champagne cork5.
Then he grew CROSS, and gave the string an
other jerk, causiI q. W., TO turn about viii
violent suddenness, just as if he was dreadful
out OF humor, too.
And still all is quiet below - except that pop
ping sound.
Then the string was pnlled again and agai
and again = indicating tAat tine Old fellow "s
Just ready to explode with rage, Aud for fun
Iifteen minutes did he have the portrait OF IN
map who could not tell lie turning excited fit
flaps and things on tho wall, hhe a bewiche
Hymnast, until he fell asleep eXhausted-Sllhe
father fell asleep, not the portrait.
Henry kissed 5alle goodnight at one-o 'cloc
in the morning, remaiklng as he did so, that
would seem like lung-loug, weary year, ere Il
would sec her again-bec4use, you know, h
dldu't expect to See her again until the evenin
of that day.
The next morning her father examined thI
portrait, and wien lie fully understood the siI'
alton, he was panied. He shed silent tear d
tached the string sponged out the inscription
and walked away with the weight of hity-h,
years OH his shoulders, that being his age. u
said that girl who would 80 back on her faith
that way, would just as lief rs not disgrace n
IN NOrristO'D on Herald