The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-05-30
Then we had 4 mouse-hunt.

] 1hOlStIl 1OA-uunl. w e SJ3Il DCJ upon
the floor and whistled for the enemy to
come out. He didn't do it. We tore
I the wash-bench from its fastenings,
and the tubs, waSh-bOard and clothes
| basket skipped insanely about the floor.
George poked with his poker. The
| mouse darted across the kitchen like
! lightning and ran into the cupboard.
Nelly darted after him, and in mad
! haste snatched out tea kettle, dinner
pots, saucepan, skillets, bucEwheat
cake griddles and ballepans and pots
and kettles executed witches dance
| alongside the tubs and wash-board
She even tore up from the bottom the
brown paper which she puts there to
keep the shelf nice.
The mouse ran down the tea-kettle
spout.
The fight waxed hotter than the bat
tie Of Waterloo l struck the tea-koC-
tie a mighty blow with the old boot
1t made a noise worse than the rafting
OF 4 car over the stony street. George
pOBed vaIiantly into tire tea-kottIc with
his poker. The mouse grunted. He
pOked yet again. The mouse skipped
out and hoped into the potato-b basket,
| threw away the old boot, and made
dive for that mousc with my hands.
My hands went into the potatOsbasket,
and got the skin knocked off their
EnuckIes The mouse wasn't there.
He was out o. that before you could
disappear through door when your
beau comes and you havne't your hair
combed. He jumped behind the flour
barrel
Then came an 'IIiad of woes"
Then happened the catastrophe Of this
tale. 1t might be called "a Tale of
q Mouse" We saw the mOuse's tail
sticking out from behind the tlOur-bar-
rel. 1t was a small tail. We sought
to grasp it, but we couldn't. 1t was
both small and slippery tail. We
held 4 council of var. We arranged q
profound strategic movement. George
was to slide the flour barrel out from
the wall, and Nelly was to catch the
mouse. l, being a slow old poke, was
of no use i'll a plan requiring both speed
and brilliant daring. | was a mere
army-bummer. | was a chaplain Of
the regiment.
George is q tall man. lie stands
SIX feet when lie has got the better of
NE iii an argument. \ nice ham hung
moderately high up, suspended from
the zitchcn-shelf over the hour-barrel.
y little distance below the ham, there
sat upon another kitchen-shelf pail
of soft soap. Soft soap is one Of the
most useful articles in this world But
mark what befel our unhappy house
hold, oh friend and weep. George
moved the four-barrel slightly and
and lifted up his head suddenly His
head struck the ham, and lOOsened ii
from its frail fastenings. The ham fell
against the pail of soft soap, and up
set it. The four-barrel happened to
be wide open. The ham by this time
was teetotally plastered with soft soap
The ham and the soft soap went into
the open fiour-barrel. The rest of the
soft soap went over Nclly's back and
shoulders. George gave an insane
plunge backward to avoid the soft soap
and things, and caught his best trow-
sers upon q sharp nail, and tore IN
awful rent i'll 'em, so that it took part
of the money we had saved up to pay
our rent to buy him z new pair of un-
mcntionablcs. Ham, soap, flour and
trowsers all gone to pot.
And the mouse got away.
But all that wasn't the worst Poor
Nelly was dclugcd with soft soap from
head to heels. 1t was mercy and
blessing that it didn't get into her
eyes. 1t got about every where else
over her. There never was anybody
50 thoroughly soft-soaped upon earth,
At this critical moment there came a
knock at the door. The chaplain Of
the regiment opened it. John Harris
was there. John Harris is n good
looking young man of an atfectionate
disposition and good moral character.
Besides that he's well to do, and up
to that disastrous mOusc-day had a
tender side for our Nelly. Nelly liked
him too, and we thought it would be
a match, and q beautiful one. He
was going to the city on the train,
had lust ten minutes to stay, and
wanted to see Miss Nelly particularly.
John is q business-like young man,
and has a way of coming to the point
with marvellous rapidity. I'm sure he
was going to propose, orsomething like
that. Because he looked 50 spooney.
Could he wait fifteen minutes said
l. Nelly would be glad to see him,
but she was SO particularly engaged
lust at that moment. | should think
She was y No; he couldn't wait five
minutes, said John Harris, eyeing me
suspiciously. | believe in my soul
John Harris thought we were fighting. |
And no wonder! There was racket |
enough going on to rouse the murdered |
man who is buried under the house. |
John Harris walked away in a huff. !
Nelly clawed the soap Off her q little
and ran to the front window just in
time to see him Curn the corner. Sun |