The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-09-03
Her Bedtime.

A FATHER, not very far from here,
IN read in the paper, the other morning
that the "Utica girls who want their
beaux to go home the same night they call,
pull a string at the proper hour which re-
verses picture, on the back of which ap-
pears the words "Ten o'clock is my bed
time"
This father, who has daughter given
to late hours when certain youth sits up
and helps her keep them, thought he would
try the Utica plan, so he wrote in large
characters, on the back Of large portrait
of George Washington, this inscription:
"1O O'CLOCK IS sALLIEs BEDTIME"
Then he arranged the picture SO that
when he attached string to the frame, he
could reverse it from his bed-chameber.
But when Sallie entered the room an hour
later, her athletic eye was outraged by OBJ
serving the portrait of George hanging
slightly out of plumb, SO to speak, and in
adjusting it her fathers little game was
revealed in all its subtle ingenuity.
Sallie was not a Utica girl, however, SO
she just went to work and neatly effaced
the figure co." leaving the figure 1 stand
ing solitary and upright-which, you will
observe, made few hours difference in her
bed time. That night, as usual, Sallie re-
ceived visit from her young man-which
his front name it was HaTy-and her pa
ternal parent attached his string to G. WIS
portrait and retired to his downy couch.
About ten o'clock, when Henry and
Sallie were deeply absorbed in some knotty
problem, with their heads so contiguous
that you couldn't insert piece of tissue
paper between them, the Father of his
country suddenly turned his face to the
wall, as if he was ashamed to gaze upon
such doings. Henry, with sudden start,
glanced at the picture, and saw the hand
writing on the wall, as it were, which read
81 o'clock.is Sallie's bedtime" Then
Henry looked at Sallie with an interrogation
in his eyes, which was partly dispelled by
the fair maid murmuring, "It's all right"
Henry said of course it was all right--that
he had long known o'clock was her bed
time, and he thought it was plenty late
enough, too for young girl to be out of
bed; but what business, he said, had Geo.
Washington's portrait to be Hopping about
that way9 Then Sallie explained--and the
twain resumed work on the problem, Henry
putting his arm around Sallie to prevent
her falling off the chair.
Meanwhile the old man was listening to
hear the front door open, and his would be
son-in-law's footsteps pattering over the
pavement with the toes of his boots point
ing from the house. These sounds not
falling upon his ears, thinking maybe the
old thing didn't work right, he gave the
string another pull, and George w. again
faced the audience. Then he listened, but
he heard no footsteps nothing but pecu-
liar sound, something resembling the pop
ping of champagne corks.
Then he grew cross, and gave the string
another jerk, causing G.. w. to turn about
with violent suddenness, just as if he was
dreadfully out of humor too.
And still all is quiet below - except
that popping sound.
Then the string was pulled again-and
again-and again---indicating that the old
fellow was just ready to explode with rage.
And for fully fifteen minutes did he have
the portrait of the man who could not tell
lie turning excited fiip-faps and things
on the wall, like bewitched gymnast,
until he fell asleep xhausted-Sallie's
father fell asleep, not the portrait.
Henry kissed Sallie good night at one
o'clock A. NJ, remarking as he did so, that
it would seem like long long weary year
before he would see her again-because
you know, he didn't expect to see her again
until the evening of that day.
The next morning her father examined
the portrait, and when he fully understood
the situation he was panied. He shed
silent tear, detached the string, sponged
out the inscription, and walked away with
the weight of fifty-ive years ON his shoul-
ders-that being his age. He says girl
who will go back on her father in that way
would just as lief as not disgrace her pa
rents by marrying Congressman.
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