The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1872-11-01
sALLIE,s BEDTIME.

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 reverses picture, on
the back of which appear the words
Ten o'clock is my bedtime. f"
This father, who has a daughter
given to la.e hours when certain
youth sits up and helps her to keep
them, thought he would try this
Utica plan, so he wrote in large
characters, on the back of a huge
postrait of George Washington, this
Inscription:
40 O'clock Is sALLIE'S BEDTIME"
Then he arranged the picture so
that when he attached string to the
frame he could reverse it from his
bed-chamber. But when Sallie en-
tered the room an hour later, her
aesthetic eye was outraged by OBJ
serving the portrait of George hang
ing slightly out of plumb, so to speak,
ana in adjusting it her fathers little
game was revealed-in all its subtle
ingenui y.
SaIlie was not a Utica girl, how
ever, SO shs just went to work and
neatly effaced the figure 60" leav-
ing the standing solitary and up
right, which you will observe, made
a few hours difference in her bed +
time. That night, as usual, Sallie
received visit from her young man
- which his front name it was Hem
ry-and her paternal parent attach
ed his string to G. WIS portrait, and
retired to his downy couch.
About ten o'clock, while Henry
and Sallie were deeply absorbed in
some knotty problem, with their
heads so contiguous that you couldn't
insert piece of tissue paper be-
tween them, the Father of his Coun~
try suddenly turned his face to the
wall, as il he was ashamed to gaze
upon such doingS. Henry, with a
sudden start, glanced at the picture,
and saw the handwriting on the wall,
as il were, which read - o'clock
is Sallie's Bedtime !" Then Henry
looked at Sallie with an interroga-
ton in his eye, which was partly
dispelled by the fair maid murmur-
ing, '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 tor young girl to be
out Of bed; but what business, he
said, had George Washington's por-
trait to be Topping about in that
way Then Sallie explained, and
the twain resumed work on the
problem, Henry putting his arms
around Sallie to prevent her falling
off the chair.
Meanwhile the old man was listen
ing for the front door to open, and
his would be -Gon-in- laws footsteps
over 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
nothing but a peculiar sound,
something resembling the popping of
champagne corks.
Then he grew cross, and gave the
string another jerk, causing g. w,
to turn about with violent sudden
ness, 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-indicatiag
that the Old fellow was just ready to
explode with rage. And for fully
fifteen minutes did he have the por-
trait of the man who could not tell 9
lie turning excited flipAaps ant
things on the wall, like bewitchec
gymnast, until he fell asleep ex'
| hausted- Sallie's father fell asleep
not the portrait.
Henry kissed Sallie good night a
one o'clock a. M, remarking as h
did so that it would seem like long
long weary year ere be would sec
her again you know, hi
didn't expect to see her again unit
the evening of that day.
The next morning her father ex-
amined that portrait, and when he
fully understood the situation he " as
paiued He shed silent tear, de-
tached the string, sponged out the
inscription, and walked away with
the weight OF tifty-fve years on his
shoulders-that being his age. He
says a girl who will go back on her
father in that way would just as lief
or not disgrace her parents by mar
rying a Congressman.
WALL STREET GOSSIP.