Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-13
sALLIE,s BEDTIME.

A father, not very far from here, read In
the paper the other morning that the "Utica
girls who want their beaux to go home tie
same night they cali, pull a string at the
proper hour which reverses a picture, on
the back Of which appear the words Ten
O'Clock is my bedtime"
The father, who has daughter given to
late hours when certain youth sits up and
helps her keep them, thought he would try
this Utica plan, SO he wrote in large charac.
tiers, on the back of huge portrait Of
George Washington, this i1criptlon:
80 O'CLOCK is sALLIE's BEDTIME"
Then he arranged the picture so that
when he attached string to the frame, he
could reverse il from is bed-chamber. But
when Sallie entered the room An hour later
her aesthetic eye was outraged by observing
the portrait of Georre hanging slightly out
of plumb, SO to speak, and in adjusting It
her fathers little game was revealed in all
its subtle ingenuity.
Ssllie was not Utica girl, however; so
she Just went to work and neatly effaced
the figure "0,' leaving the l standing soil
tary and upright, which, you will observe,
made few hours difference in her bedtime.
That night, as usual, Sallie received visit
from her young man-which his front
name it was Henry-and her paternal pa
rent attached his string to G.. WIS por-
trait, and retired to his downy couch.
About 10 o'clock, while Henry and Sallie
were deeply absorbed in some knotty
DIT oblem, with their heads so contiguous
That you couldn't insert pisce OF tissue
paper between them, the father of his
country suddenly turned his face to the
wall, as if he was ashsmed to gaze upon
such doiDgs. Henry, with sudden start,
glanced at tha picture, and saw the hand
writing on tho wall, as It were, which read:
81 O'Clock is Sallie's bedtime. Then
Henry looked at Sallie with an interro-
CATION in his eye, which was partly dis
PEELED By the fair maid murmuring ats al
right" Henry said Of course it was al
rieht-that he had long known l O'Clock
was her bedtime, and he thought it was
plenty late enough for young girl to be
out of bed, but what business, he said, had
George WashiDgton's portrait to be flop
ping about in that way? Then Sallie eX-
plained-and the twain resumed work on
the problem, Henry putting his arms
around Sallie to prevent her falling on Tie
chair.
Meanwhile the old man was listening for
the front door to open, and his would-be
son-in-law's footsteps pattering over the
pavement with the toes Of bis boots point
ing from the house. These sounds not
falling upon his ears, and thinking maybe
the old thing didn't work right, be gave the
string another pull, and George w. again
faced the audience. Then he listened; but
he heard no ootsteps-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.
Tuhn the string was pulled again-and
| apain-and again-indicating that the old
fellow was 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-haps and things OF
the wall, like a bewitched gymnast, unit
| be fell asleep exhausted-Sallie's father +.
asleep, not the portrait.
Henry kissed Sallie good night at one
| O'Clock A. NJ, TemarkiDg as he did SO that
/ it would seem like long, long, weary
year ere lie would see her again-because,
). 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 understood
the situation be was panied. He shed
silent tear, detached the string, sponge.
out the inscription, and walked away will
the weight o. fifty-tive years on bis shoulder
that being his age. He says girl who Wi
! 90 bac,l on her father that way would JUS
as lief as not disgrace her parents by merry
iug Congressman.-B. Dadd an Norris
! torn Herald.