Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1873-05-29
ooh, Murder! Murder! Tain
Joshua neither!

herself of the impression that it was
her usually sober spouse returned
home in a strangely exalted condition,
thus to indulge in such unwonted de-
monstrations of conjugal affection.
"Get out Get out, / say! Murder
Fire ! Thieves Annie! Annie Do
come here! Here's q man kissing me
like mad!"
But the intruder had by this time
discovered his mistake, and it did not
need the indignant pummelling and
pounding of the the old lady's respect
able fists to make him relinquish his
hold and race off as if pursued by
some avengng fury.
Annie, nearly checked with smoth
cred laughter, in spite of her trepida-
now came to the rescue.
"Oh, never was so took aback in
all my born days! The mean scamp
Who could it have been? Annie,
have you an idea y"
But that dutiful daughter was to all
appearance as innocent and ignorant
as an intantile dove. She tried to
sooth the indignant matron by repres-
enting that it might have been (?} one
of the neighbors who under the potent
influence ola wee drop too much, had
mistaken the house and-tho house
wife! She searched the entry for the
missing spectacles, arranged the rumpl-
ed cap ribbons, wound up the tangled
yarn, stirred the tire-all in the most
aimiable manner possible and at last
had the satisfaction of seeing her
mother subside into her rocking chair
and her usual tranquility Of spirit.
But Mrs. Moore was fully awake
now.
She had got a new idea into her
head, and instead of settling herself
for another nap, she pursued her train
of thought and her knitting both to.
gether, with wonderful rapidity. At
length, stopping and looking keenly
at Annie, over her spectacles she said {:
at may be queer notion of mine,
Annie, but I've fancy that man was
David Winthrop"
The suspicious symptoms did not
escape the eye of the skilful inquisi-
tive, who calmly continued:
"'Pears so to me; cause them big
whiskers put me in mind Of his'n; and
then the awkward way he gripped me
with his big paws!
No answer. But Annie was wond-
erfully busy. She bent over her work
and drew her needle through so quick
ly, that the thread snapped, and then
she didn't have time to talk, she was
so taken up with trying to coax the
thread through the eye again!
1nhexible Mrs Moore went on: II
don't believe that kiss was intended
for me after all. Do you, Annie ?
Well. of course, we know it wasn't.
But then | do wonder who it was in
tended for? And wonder if you
don't know something more about it
than you seem fit to tell! !"
"NIe, Mother!'
Eyes, me mother; you was mighty
anxious to get me an Pap off to Aunt
Ruth's tonight: but | noticed you
was slicked up extraordinary for all
you wern't going"
Here Annie lost her needle, and
went down on the floor to find it.
"Now, Annie, her. mother went on,
I'm gittin' old, l knowI that, but l
haven't quite lost my eyesight yet, nor
my hearin' neither. have surmised
a little somethin' about these COINS on
between you an David afore now,
What ar you aplayin' possum fur?
Out with it, l say, Taint fair to be
tryin' to come it over your old mo-
ther.'
Thus adjured, our small feminine
Machiavel made a clean breast of it,
much relieved to find that mother
"hadn't nuthin' agin him." and "would
give father a talkin' to about it, an
bring him around"
'But, Annie" says Mrs. Moore, dry
ly in conclusion. 81 want you to tell
David I'd rather he'd not make such
mistake as that again. don't like
the feel of his big whiskers about my
face, and moreover I don't approve of
promiskus kissin'p
David never heard the last of that
kiss in the dark Old Squire Moore,
of course, heard oft, and used to take
great delight in slyly alluding to the
circumstance when all the parties con-