The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-07-09
A Bashful Man.

Charlie Johnson is first-rate fellow,
only he's terribly bashful. He called
to see Miss Jones one night. He never
would have been guilty of such an act,
had she not met him coming out of
church-cornered him right up by the
steps where all the girls could see him
and made him promise to come round
the next night-before she'd let him
go. SO the following evening Charlie
arrayed himself like lily of the field,
and started for the Jones'. This hap
pened last winter. He got there about
eight o'clock. It was quite dark.
Charlie mounted the steps ; rang the
bell and then-his courage failed him.
He clearnd the six steps at one leap
and fled down the street. Bridget went
to the door. Nobody there. Old Jones
hailed Bridget and asked her who rang
the bell. "Shure it's some of-of of
thin lads that do be ringin' the bill
livery night, and-and thin run away
bad look to thin, at arl and at arl!''
Once more to the breech, dear
friends" was Charities soliloquy, as he
slowly retraced his steps. With glad
and gallant tread did he re-ascend the
front stoop and blithely pulled the bell.
But nimbly did he again descend the
steps and swiftly disappear up the
street, reaching the quarter post in
forty seconds.
before. Bridget waxed wroth. And
old Jones vowed he'd fix that Internal
whelp so he got piece of stont
broom tied one end of it to the
iron railing on the further side of the
steps, about foot higher than the top
step then passed it through hole in
the filigree work on the other side of
the steps at the same heighth brought
the end of the string through the blind
of the bay window, thence into the par
lor; afterwards he went out and slack
ened the string so as to have it lay fiat
along the step where nobody would
notice it in coming up-but where, if
it We're frightened up from within the
house, after one had gone up the step,
one would be somewhat apt to "notice"
it in going down, especially if one were
in hurry. Then Mr.. Jones sat down
in the parlor grasped the end of the
string and waited for the bell to ring.
Bridget not aware that the old gent had
set the trap, had "!ittle something" F"
fixed up herself. She repaired to the
kitchen; took the boiling tea,kettle
from the range; meandered up stairs
with it !; sat down by window right
over the front door and waited, too,
for the bell to ring. 1t rang.
The old man pulled the spring
Bridget emptied the kettle-and Char
lie-Well it didn't hurt Charlie much.
That is to say, he was able in couple
of weeks to sit up and have his bed
made ; and inside of a month he could
get around very nicely on a pair of
crutches. To be sure, six OF his eye
teeth were never found and his left eye
looked as if he'd run a knot-hole into
it. But he didn't mind such little
thing as that still, he never seemed
to care to go down to Jones afterwards,
as g sort of coldness, as it were, had
sprung between them.
Nowad Us when Charlie wishes to
experience the estate delight of a call
on Miss Jones, he goes out and lays
down in the road in front of his house
and lets hack run over him it's just
as much fun and not near SO far to go.
He thinks that by the time he can let q
full grown omnibus drive over the
bridge of his nose, without making him
wink, he'll be able to stand another
Whirl down at Jones'.