The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-10-11
SALLIE'S BEDTIME.

a father lDI very IitH nOIa nero read III
the paper, the other morning, that the
Utica girls who want their beaux to go
home the same night they call, pun a
string at the proper hour, which :everses
n picture on the back of which appears
the words Ten o'clock is my bed in e. ~
This father, who has a daughter gwen
TO late hours when certain youth sits up
and helps her to keep them, though he
would try this Utica plan, so he wro'e in
larre letters, on the back Of huge pOr-
trait OF George Washington, this inscrip-
ton:
80 O'CLOCK Is sALLIE's BEDTIME.'
Then he arranged the picture 50 that
when he attached string to the frame,
he could reverse it from his bcdchamber
But when Salic entered the room an
hour later. her aesthetec eye was out
r;,rcd by observing the portrait OF George
slightly out of plumb, so to speak, and IN
adjusting It her fathers little game was
revealed in all its subtle ingenuity
Salhe was not Utica girl, however,
so she Just went to work and neatly eitaced
the figure go" leaving the 1 standing
solitary and upright-which yo'' viii OBJ
serve made few hours difference iii her
bedtime. That night, as usual, Sallle re-
Ceived a visit from her young man-whose
first name was Henry-and her patenal
parent attached his string to G. WIS por-
trait. and retired to his downy couch.
About ten o'clock, while Henry and Sal
al, I,n1 in, V
problem, with their heads so contiguous
that you couldn't put piece of tissue pa
per between them, the Father of his cOun-
try suddenly turned his face to the wall as
if he was ashamed to gaze upon such do
iugs.
Henry, with a sudden stalt, glanced ut
the picture, and saw the handwriting on
the wall, as it were, which read Il O'Clock
is Sallies bedtime"
Then Henry looked at Sallie with an in
terrogation III his eye, which was partly
dispelled by the fair maid muImrring, Its
all right"
Henry said of course it was all right
that he had long knew one o'clock was
her bedtime and he thought it was plenty
late enough too for young girl TO he out
Of bed: hut what business, he said, had
George Washington's picture to be Topping
about that way?
Then Sallie explaincd-and the twain
resumed work ON the problem, Henry put
ting his arm around Sallie to prevent her
from falling of the chair.
Meanwhile the old man was listening
for the front door TO open and his would
be son-in- laws footsteps pattering ove-
the pavement with the toes of his boots
pointing from the house These sounds
not falling upon his ears, and 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-noth-
ing but peculiar sound, something re-
sembling the popping of champagne cOrks.
Then he grew cross and gave the string
another jerk, causing G. w. to turn about
with violent suddenncss, just as if he was
dreadfuly out of humor.
And still it is all quiet bclow-exccpt dat
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 lie have
the portrait of the man who could not
tell lie turning excited flip flaps on the
wall, like bewitched gymnast, until he
fell asleep exhausted-Sallie's father fell
asleep, not the portrait
Henry kissed Sallie good night at
o'clock A. NJ, remarking as he did so, that
it would seem like long weary year ere
he could 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
that portrait, and when he fully under
stood the situation, he was panied. He
shed silent tear, detached the string
sponged ont the inscription, and walked
away with the weight of fifty years on his
shoulders-that being his age. He says a
girl who will go back on her fpther in that
way, would just as lief disgrace her parents
by marrying Congressman.