The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1872-09-25
Sallie's Bedtime.

ing cudt tnc UClca girls VINO want
their beaux to go home the same
night they call, pull a string at the
proper hour which reverses a pic
f tarc, on the back of which appear
the words "Ten o'clock is my bee
time."'
+ This father, who mas a daughter
given to late hours when certain
youth sits up and helps her keep
1 them, thought he would try this
Utica plan, so he wrote in large
characters, on the back of huge
portrait of George Washington,
this inscription:
10 O'CLOCK rs sALLIE's BEDTIME.
Tden he arranged the picture SO
that when he attached string to
the frame, he could reverse it from
his bed-chamber. But when Sallie
entered the room an hour later, her
aesthetic eye was. outraged by oh.
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 it's subtle ingenuity.
Sallie was not a Utica girl, how
ever, SO she just went to work and
neatly effaced the figure 90 leaving
the l standing solitary and up
right-which, you will observe,
made few hours difference in her
bedtime. That hight, as usual,
Sallie received a visit from her
young man--which his front name
it was Henry-and her paternaI
parent attached his string to G.
WIS portrait, and retired to his
downy couch. :
Aoout ten O'Clock, while Henry
and Sallie were deeply absorbed in
some knotty problem. with their
heads so contiguous that you
couldn't insert q piece of tissue pa
per 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
bed time" Then Henry looked at
sallie with an Interrogation in his
eye, which was partly dispelled by
the fair maid murmuring, aIts
all right Henry said of course it
was all right-that he had long
known one o'clock was her bed
time, and he thought it was plenty
late enough, too, for a. young girl
to be ont of bed, but what business
he saids had George Washington's
portrait to be Hopping about that
way? Then Sallie explained-and
the twain resumed work on the
problem, Henry putting his arms
around Sallie to prevent her fall
ling off the chair.
Meanwhile the old man was lis.
tening for the front door to open.
and his would-be son-in-law's foot
steps pattering over the pavement
with the toes of his boots pointing
from tho 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 be heard no footsteps-nothing
but a peculiar sound, something re.
sembling the popping of cham
payne corks. Il
! Then he grew cross, and gave
the string another jerk, causing G.
W., to turn about with violent sud-
denness, just as if he was dreadful
ly out Of humor, too.
And still all is quiet below-ex-
cept that popping sound.
Then the string was pulled again
land again-and again-indica-
ting 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 flip.
flaps and things on the wall. like a
a bewitched gymnast, until he fell
asleep exhausted. Sallie's father
fell asleep, not the portrait.
:; Henry kissed Sallie good night
at Que o'clock A. NJ, rcmarking as
he did so that it would seem like a
long, long, weary year ere be would
see her again, because, you know,
he didn't expect to see her again
until the evening of that day.