The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-12-19

y
rocking chair, and stretched ont his feet,
as though he intended to stop while,
"Will you be SO kind, sir, as to go
about your business? What do you
think Of yourself, sir, to be intruding
upon the privacy of my room ut this
hour of the night, sir?
He leaned his head back upon my
bright worsted tidy, and laughed fit to
kill himself.
"No harm isintonded you, my charm
ing woman, " he said. Il swear tho
harm is intended you"
And saying this, he laughed louder
and longer than ever,
"Do you come into my house to make
game Of me before my very cpes?" |
asked, my temper very much stirred up,
eff You were II gentle man, sir
This was too much for him.
a gentlcmln Oh, aw--thut'3 too
good If professed to be a gentle
man, you'd stand good chance Of get
ting your throat cut without 50 much as
by your leave, ma'am, to begin with!
A gentleman With all my faults,
thank heaven, that is not among them y
"You needn't have gone on that way
to prove it, " | said tartly.
"Well, you are sharp old damsel,
arn't you?" turning his big eyes upon
me, and twisting up his mouth in Il COM
ical way, which l shall never forget.
81 swear you are pretty good looking,
if you didn't wear such wide rutllc ON
your night-cap. Jolly, isn't it luml;cr
big enough for n graveyard fence.
"Sir !" | said, looking very savage
"Ma'am y he answered, initiating my
voice and tone to perfection,
"Oh, if | were only ont of this bed,
sir " began,
"And pray, madame, what is there TO
hinder you from getting ont, ld like to
know?'
"Do You intend to insult me, You
good-for-nothing creature? Oh, if the
wind only would blow you away. "
If one goes, the other is sure to go
too, " he said stolilly.
"If brother Joe would only waken, "
| said
He cooked his eye knowingly.
You want TO make me believe that
he is in the house somewhere, eh? My
dear madame, you are as transparent as
air. Had he been under this roof, you
would have screamed blue murder long
before this time.
"Oh, you yarmint J.. ! groaned, i'll
pure agony Of spirit. What do you
wan %
"Wen, ma am, since that is n fair,
honest question, [ will attempt to an
swer it. To begin with, my financial al
fairs are III complicated condition.
Money [ have but little of--crcdit, none; !;
SO / nm forced to levy Il triiling tax upon
my friends in this and other neighbor-
hoods, to cXtricate me from my disas-
trous condition. As soon as | collect
certain amount intend leaving for
France on Italy, never, perhaps, to re-
turn. Do not shed tears at this dear
madame, for wherever my footsteps
tend your image-ruhled nightcap and
aIl-will remain forever imprinted upon
my heart. -
You old goose - | said
"Please do not interrupt me, madame !
] have but few moments longer to
STAY, and must be to business ut once.
| have learned that you have deposited
in a trunk in an adjoining closet forty
dollars and eighty cents. The forty
dollars | would like to borrow of YOU
for an indefinite length Of time. The
eighty cents | do not care anything
about. You can retain that, as a tri-
fling evidence of my generosity in this
great emergency of my life. y
"You are a robbcr, thief, then = /
said spiteGully.
EITHER, at your service, madam, "
rising and making bow for all the
world like Il French dancing master.
"Now, the money, if you please. "
He wasn't joking now. There was n
determined look in his eyes and about
his mouth.
"He that giveth to the poor lcndeth
to the Lord, - he said speaking just like
Il preacher.
"And he that steals from the poor,
what of him?'
"My Bible does not dispose of his
case especially, madame.
"And you came here to rob meme,
Il poor woman 2
Il came to borrow Of you, for an I'M
certain lcngth Of time.
saw. it was useless to waste words
with him; besides, | didn't altogether
like the look in his eyes.
closed my lips close together, resol-
wing that / would no speak again.
"if you have no objection, ma'am, I'll
look around bit, " he said, taking up
the lamp rs he spoke. "If hear any
noise from you, my dear, or if 1 see in
any way that you are becoming nervous,
| shall be obliged to quiet you by the
use Of"
He held up small vial.
"Chloroform - gasped.
AT your service, madame.
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