The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-06-21
sallie's Bed Time

A father not very far from here, read
m the paper the other morning that the
tica girls who want their beaux 10 90
home the same night they call null a
string az the proper hour which reverses a
picture, on the back Of which appear the
words Ten clock is my bed time
This father, who has a daughter given
90 late hours when certain youth sits up
and helps her keep them, thought he
would try this / tica plan 80 he wrote in
large character, on the back of huge
portrait Of George Washington, this in.
scriptOn
10 O'CLOCK Is SALLIEs BED TIME"
Thon he arranged the picture so that
when he attached a string 10 the frame.
ha could reverse II from his bed chamber.
but when Sallie entered the room an hour
later, her aesthetic eye was outraged bv
observing the portrait Of George hanging
slightly out OF plum 30 10 speak, and in
adjusting Il her fathers little game was
revealed IN all It's subtle ingenuity
Sallie was not Utica girl. however. so
she Just went 20 work aud neatly efaced
the figure 20, leaving the standing
solitary and upright-which you will OBJ
serve made few hours difference in her
bed time. That night, as usual. Sallie re
rcived a visit. from her young man
which his front name il was Hcnry-and
her patcrnal parent attached his string To
g. W portrait and retired a. his dowpv
couch.
About ten O'Clock, while Henry and
Sallle were deeply absorbed i'm some
kuDtty problem, with their heads sn con
uguOus chat you COuldn insert piece of
tissue paper between them, the father OF
ms country suddenly turned his face ~
the wall. as " he was ashamed h. gaze up
uu such doings Henry, with sudden
start glanced at the picture and saw the
handwriting on the wall a. it were. which
read 'OuC % clock h. Sallie bed time
Then Henry looked al Sallie with au in
terroratipu w his eve. which was partly
dspellrd by che fair maid murmuriur
It's all right. Henry said oi cutrse il
was all rlght-thgt he had known one
ID clock was her bed time. and he thought
% wa, plenty late enough Ton young girl
Co. be- out OF bed hut what business he
1I1 had Itrurgc Washington portrait IN
be- Topping about Ia that way Sallie ex
planned and the twain resumed work ON
Tue problem. Henry putting his arm,
around Nulllc 20 prevent her falling Oh
thU chair
Meanwhile the old man was listening for
the front uuur tu upnu. and his would be-
son-in- law footsteps pattering over the
pavement with the toes Of his hoOts point-
ing from the house These souuds not
falling upon ms ears, and thinking mavbr
the old thing didn't work right. he gaye
the string another pull and George "
again faced the audience, Then he listen.
eel but he heard no footsteps-nothinp
but a peculiar sound, something resenl
bling the popping Of champagne corks
Then he grew cross, and gave the string
another Jerk. causingG W. h. turn about
with violent suddcnness,, just a. If he was
dreadiully out Of humOr, too.
And still all is quiet bclow-except that
popping.
Then the string was pulled again-and
agaln-and indicating thai the old
fellow was Just ready TO explode with rage.
And Tor full fifteen minutes did he have
the portrait ui,the man that could not tell
q Ice turning excited flip-Hap- and things
on the wall like a bewitched gyrnnaSt un.
al he feel asleep exhausted--Sallie father
fell asleep, not the portrait
Henry kissed Sallie good night at one
% clock a. NJ, remarkiug as he did SO, that
it would seem like a long long, weary
year gre he would see her again-because,
you know, he didn't expect to see her
again until the evening OF that day.
The next morning her father examined
that portrait, aud when he fully under.
stood the situation he was panied. He
shed a silent tear, detached the string.
sponged out the inscription, and walked
away with the weight Of fifty live years ON
his shoulders-that being his age. He
says a girl who wouldgo back ON her faith
or that way would just as lief as not dis
grace her parents by marrying a Congress
man n. Dddd, IN N0rristoirn Herai3.