The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-10-31
as terrible sounds of stranglng and groanine

as terrible sounds of strangling and groaning
were heard from Uncle Gideon above.
"She's crazy sir, and that old man was try
ing to catch her." said one of those oficious
mon who think they see at once the solution of
every difficulty.
"send for a policeman and have her taken
off sir"
At this Aunt Betsy, who had now seated her.
self, and gave loose reins to her tongue, and
cried, amid her coughing and choking, "Gld-
yon and me has caught some awful disease
ready in this nasty teown, else we was pisened
with our supper! don't be--blieve we'll ever
bury US here, where these villanous marcury
doctors digs up dead folks and hacks 'em to
pieces dear, dear"
The distressed host now changed his tactics,
remem bering his brothers words, that "Betsy
was one of them women that could never be
driv," and led her gently up stairs, his wife
| following them.
No sooner had they opened the chamber door
than they all joined in the chorus of coughing
The gas had been blown out! and the register
being open, the heat which had been shut of
from all the other rooms, had made this one
like fiery furnace! But even this did not ac-
count for the frghtful inham nation which the
| kind sister-n la saw on the limos of her ag
onxed visitors.
UucIe Gideon was jumping about with re-
markable vigor for one of his years, swinging
his hands and crying to suppress his groans-
As soon as all the windows in both atties were
thrown open, Aunt Betsy gave vent to her woes
| thus:
| "We coughed and choked terrible; but at
| last we got into bed. But all Of suddent was
took with such pain that hollered out that
somebody had stuck an cel-spsar into my leg,
| and was stranglin' me beside. He begun to
pooh at me, when he WAS took with the agony
himself, and hollcred as bad as myself We
started to go down and hunt you up, to get a
doctor, and | guess we stirred up an awful
mess among them are high dressed butterflies! -
A sudden thought struck the lady OF the
house, and throwing open the bed, she discov-
ered-an unusual sight for the city housekoeper
"a nest of wasps that had taken possession OF
one corner of the unused bedstead, a savage
squatter sovereignty that had opened fire on
the poor strangers.
AS they could have no other room till the
guests were gone, Aunt Betsy declared thatthsy
would sit up till then, rather than risk this one
again. "Why," she exclaimed, "hoow do |
know but the fiery sarpints that bite the chill
dren of Ezrel may be hid up in that bed : I've
heard before to day that city folks WASH over
particular what got into their beds, but didn't
know they harbored wasps there"
The rough old pair slept one night under da-
mask drapery, and then they set off for home.
No argument, no persuasion, could induce them
to pass another night in such an awful city
The kind hearted brother soothed their spirits
by the gift Of FIVE hundred dollars to his broth
er, and the watch his vile had just laid aside
to Aunt Betsy. So the honest pair set off on a
| triumphal march capeward. Their treasures
set them up on a pinnacle OF glory at Clam
Harbor, where gold watches and ready money
were scarce.
The thing passed of at Clam Harbor as re
msrkable instance of the love of home, or rather
of the power of inconsistencies and in the cir
Gle Of gay friends in New York as the breaking
loose of deranged relative who was the next
day quietly returned to the asylum!
Thus does fortune often play cruel pranks in
separating those who in childhood played be-
neathtthe sa.ne g-ean tree.- Yo4thl. Cose5asioa