Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-06-16

open, and there, in pair of noiseless
list slippers, stood the Demon Boots
"Beg your pardon, EUR. What time
did you say you was to be called in the
morning? Your boots is tried, and I'm
gwine along to bed"
[ felt inclined to assault him with the
bootjack.
Seven o'clock; I told you before;"
I Numbered out; and then, all ideas of
Irritation being obscured by consider
atoms connected with my personal eff
fects, added:
"Don't forget my boots |! Cork soled
boots, with red tops !" took some
what abrupt farewell of the widow, and
stalked off to bed, where I soon fell
asleep, and dreamed that Crisi, wearing
my cork soled boots, became Madame
Hughes Crisi; Maria espoused the an
gelic Betsy, and the widow was married
to DR.. Connolly at the Hanwen Lunatic
| Asylum.
When awoke it was daylight, and
heard the sound Of vehicles passing to
the railway station. I looked at my
watch-half- bast seven! The Demon
Boots had failed to call me. rang the
bell furiously, and five minutes later he
opened the door with placid grin and
said:
" Five and-twenty to eight, zur p
Give me my boots,' roared.
"Here they be, zur!'
slammed the door upon him, seized
the right boot, and commenced pulling
it on. But tried in vain; it auost11n' t
come on. It must have shrunk in last
nights drying. There they were, the
beloved soles, with the red tops, for
which paid two guineas week before.
[ tugged and tugged till the prespira-
tion stood on my forehead. A quarter
to eight and I had to lecture at Bristol
that very day. kicked the toe of the
boot against the leg of the bed; I kicked
still more violently against the skirting-
board of the room. All in vain. [
formed a desperate resolve. Taking
out my pen-knife slit the boot open
from the middle down to the heel.
"The " FIVE minutes" bell ceased ring
ing. With considerable effort forced
my foot into the ruined boot, and I
had hardly done so before heard the
whistle of the departing train, The
next train would not leave till quarter
to nine, SO threw myself on the bed,
fatigued and savage.
Enter Mr.. Hughes, beaming all over.
"Train's gaun, EUR. Next train quar-
ter to nine.
I pulled the boot off and aimed it at
his head, with homicidal intentions; but
he avoided the vehgeful missile with a
CELEBRITY which upset all my caloula-
tons, and the unoffending door panel
became his soutredoaleatr. Ten min
utes later the monster tapped cautiously
at the door.
"May come in, zur2"
"Come in! What do you want
now ?"
ooh, if you please, Eur, would you
let me look at your boots -
"Why?"
Well, Eur, there's one other gen
tleman stopping at the house, and he
sleeps in the next room, and he say that
the boots as I've took him isn't his'n."
"Eh?" said I, starting up in consider
able perturbation; edo you mean to say
that he also wears cork-soled boots2"
LEES, zur, he do"
''But not with red tops2"
Sees, Eur, they be"
"Nonsense, Boots; you must have
made mistake. Go to the gentleman
and get my boots, and then I will give
you his"
A minute later the Demon brought
book my boots-my beautiful, my own!
The Demon took up the ''other gentle
mans" boots, and saw where the hand
of the spoiler had been.
Summit wrong with this boot, EUR,
bain't there?
"Well, yes. You had better tell the
other gentleman that he will find
slight alteration made in one of the
boots. I think it all improvement"
Mr.. Hughes shook his head dubi-
ously. but took away the boots; and I
heard him tap at the door of the adj
joining room. His explanations were
evidently not received in an amicable
spirit, for the "other gentleman" broke
out into language of the most uncom-
plimentary kind respecting Hughes;
and, with rapid crescendo of vitupe-
ration, arrived at an appalling fortissimo,
eliminating in threats of personal VIC
lence, which led to the precipitato re-
treat Of Mr.. Hughes down the stairs.
From that moment [ felt that there was
a bond of sympathy between the ''other
gentleman" and myself. We shared a
common hatred of the Demon Boots.
I descended to the coffee room in
search of breakfast A dapper little
man was seated by the fire with a pair
of slippers on his feet. Obviously this
was the "other gentleman" and he
knew in a moment who [ was. His
manner toward me was far from cordial,
but his frigidity relaxed when explain
ed and apologized, and offered to pay
for the damage I had innocently done,
which offer he firmly but politely de-
clined, and he became quite sympathetic
when I expressed very strong senti-
ments respecting the Demon Boots
We parted pleasantly, and I ran lightly
up stairs to see if my luggage had been
all taken out of the bedroom. While
passing along the landing Iheard voices,
and looking down cross passage I be-
held nv radiant ANGEL str11pp1inD in the