Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-05-09

lmpatlently, and III SUCH q Self-asSured
manner, that Annie, rendered nervous
by suspense, started up with q little
scream, and set her foot on Madame
Puss' tail, who in turn gave vent still
more loudly to her amazement and dis.
pleasure.
All these combined or rather rapidly
successive noises, aroused Mrs. Moore,
and she started wildly into an erect
posture, rubbing her eyes, settling her
cap border and exclaiming: -.
"Bless my soul, Annie. What was
that? Somebody at the door? What
time is it anyhow, and who can it be :?
So late as this, toov'
"It is not SO very late, mother.
Only little after eight. I'll go and
see who it can be-" said Annie, de-
murely, at the same time taking the
one candle from the table.
"No! Here, Annie, you wind up
my ball and brush the hearth while I
20 to the door. Drat that catr' ,t
For the old lady's feet were all the
time struggling in the perplexing
meshes Of the unraveled yarn.
In her hurry, Mrs. Moore forgot to
take the candle with her; and as she
stepped out into the small, unlighted
front entry, she unwittingly closed be-
hind her the door of the room she had
just left. Almost at the same moment
she put her hand ON the handle of the
outer door, and opening it, she sud
denly found herself in the ardent en-
brace OF a pair of stout arms. A whis-
kered face was brought into close prox-
unity with her own, and before she
could fully realize her position, she re-
ceived prolonged kiss "a hearty smack
given with a significant gusto. which
indicated that the unknown was taking
his revenge for some past slight-pay-
ing off some old score; for it said plain
ly as words could have done ",There,
take thatw And all this fell upon her
unoffending, virtuous matron lips.
ooh, murder! murder! 'Taint JOSH
ua, neitherr'
For she had by this time divested
herself of the impression that it was her
unusually sober spouse returned home
in strangely exalted condition, thus
to indulge in such unwonted demon
stration of conjugal affection, "Git
out, I say! Murder! Fire! Thieves!
Annie, do come here. Here's a 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 old lady's respectable
fists to make him relinquish his hold
and race off as if pursued by some aveng-
ing fury.
Annie, nearly choked with smothered
laughter, in spite of her trepidation,
now came to the rescue.
"Oh, I never was so took aback in
all my born days! The mean scamp!
Who could it have been? Annie, have
YOU any idea?" ....I.
But that undutiful daughter was to
all appearance as innocent and igno-
rant as an infantile love. She tried to
soothe down the indignant matron by
representing that it might have been (D
one of the neighbors, who under the
potent influence of wee drop too
much, had mistaken the house and the
housewife! She searched the entry for
the missing spectacles, arranged the
rumpled cap ribbons, wound up the
tangled yarn, stirred the fire-all in the
most amiable manner possible-and
at last had the satisfaction of seeing her
mother subside into her rocking chair
and her usual tranquility of spirits.
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 together
with wonderful rapidity. At length
stopping and looking keenly at Annie
over her spectacles,. she said:
"It may be o queer notion of mine,
Annie, but I have fancy that man was
David Winthrop"
Oh! but if Annie's face didn't catch
fire then! You might have litany num-
ber of candles by it. .
These suspicious symptoms did not
escape the eye of the skillful inquisitor,
who calmly continued:
"'Pears so to me, cause them big
WuloAOAS Put Auo III IuAnN VI AAD - ssAes
then, the awkward way he grabbed me
with his big paws" H
No answer. But Annie was wonder
fully busy. She bent over her work
and drew her needle through so quickly
that the thread snapped, and then she
didn't have time to talk, she was so
taken up trying to coax the thread
through again. .....
Infexible Mrs. Moore went on:
Il don't believe the kiss was intended
for me after all. Do you Annie?
Well, of course we know it wasn't.
But then I do wonder who it was in
tended for? And I wonder if you
don't know something more about it
than you see fit to tell!'
"Me, mother?"
"Yes, me mother; you was mighty
anxious to get me and Pap off to Aunt
Ruth's to night; but I noticed YOU was
slicked up extraordinary for all you
were not going out"