Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-09-19
sallie,s Bedtime.

A lather, not very far from here
read in the paper the other morn.
ing 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
a picture, on the back Of which
appear the words "Ten o'clock is
my bedtime "S5j51 5g1il .tJ!IJt
This father, who has a daugh.
ter given to late hours when a GER.
tain youth sits up apd helps her
keep them, thought he, would try
this Utica plan, SO he wrote in
large characters, on the back of a
huge portrait of George Washing
ton, this Inscription: -
"l0 O'clock is sALLIB's BEDTIME. y
Then-he arranged the picture
so that when. he attached string
to the frame, he could reverse it
from his bedSehamber. But when
Sallie entered the room an hour
later, her aesthetic eyes was out
ragged by observing the portrait
of George hanging slightly outsof
plumb, so to speak, and adjusting
it, her fathers little game was re-
vealed in all its subtle ingenuity.
Sallie was not Utica girl, how
ever, SO she just went to work
and neatly effaced the figure go"
leaving the l standing solitary
and upright-which you will OBJ
serve, made a few hours difference
in her bedtime. That might, as
usual, Sallie received a visit from
her young which his front
name was Heury-and her pater-
nal parent attached his string 70
G. W's. 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 a piece of tissue
paper between them, the Father
of his Country suddenly turned
his face to the wall, as if be 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
bedtime" Then Henry looked
at Sallie with an Interrogation in
his eye, which was partly dis
PEELED by the fair maid murmur-
ing, ats all right" Henry said
of course it vas all right-that he
had long known one o'clock was
her bed time, and he thought that
it was plenty late enough, too, for
a young girl to be out of bed, but
what business, he said, had Geo.
Washington's portrait Hopping a.
bout that way?r Then Sallie ex-
plained-and the twain resumed
work on the problem, Henry rut-
ting his arm around Sallie to pre-
ven her falling off the chair. De-
Meanwhile the old man was list
ening 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 point
ing from the house. These sounds
not falling upon his ears, and
thinking maybe the old thing did
not work right, he gave the string
another pull, and George w. a..
gain faced the audience. Then
he listened, but he heard no foot
step nothing but a peculiar
sound, something resembling the
of champagne eorks.
Then he grew cross, and gave
the string another jerk, causing
G.. W. to turn about with violent
'uddenness, just as if he was
dreadlully out of humor, too.
And still all was quiet below
except that popping sound.
Then the string was pulled a.
gain-and again-and again-in-
licating that the old fell w was
Just ready TO explode with rage.
And for fully fifteen minutes did
he have the portrait of the man
who would not tell a lie turning
exci.ed fiip-f flaps and things on
The wall, like bewitched gym
mast, until he fell asleep exhaus-
.ed-Sallie's father fell asleep,
lot the portrait. S4E&4 |
Henry kissed Sallie good night
1t one o'clock A. NJ, remarking, as
ne did SO, thatit would seem like
. long, long, weary year ere he
would see her again-because, you
know he didn't expect TO see her.
again until the evening of that
lay.
The next morning her father
examined that portrait, and when
ne fully understood the situation
ne was panied. He shed a silent
.ear, detached the string, sponged