The daily gazette., 1875-12-21
PRICE CENT

that the cook had given warning
we got over that difficulty: but tb =
was nothing to the trouble to come
BLACK beetles were bad; but there was
something red to come-the greatest of
al the nuisances yet endured. But of
that anon.
| broadly limited that our house was
troubled with something worse than
Dtack beetles. So it was; but before
announcing what that trouble was. T
might as well put a name to a few Of
the other evils of the place. For in
stance, by some wonderful Architectural
arrangement, possibly for sanitary
ventilating reasons, there was .
oraught In every room, whether Won
sat by the door, by the window, or in
any OF the four corners; not that the
uIaught would have mattered if its
enects had not been so unpleasant; fer
instance, stiff necks, swelled faces,
tootache and rheumatic pains in the
shoulder or back, all of which were.
Justly or uujustly, put down to the
draughts.
hells were another trouble; and these
alvlde into two classes-those which
would not ring and those which would,
lhe bells which would ring were these
communicating with the bed rooms.
WHICH were rarely wanted and the front
gaze, which rang incessantly; what
wlth tradesmen, regular and irregular
peggars, respectable mechanics out of
WORK, leavers of bills respecting the
great sale of damaged shawls, silks.
stuns, ETC., saved from the wreck of
the Neverslnk, samples of which would
ior the convenience of purchasers, be
brought round by an agent, licensed
haw ker No, 600, ,G92; dealers in tish and
Irult, and even a horrible wretch of an
Ita!ian, who ground an organ, and
smileu IN the most horribly imbecile
IaShlon, ending by ringing that dread.
luI nel! ana asking for coppers.
Inc oells which would not ring were
those from dining and drawing rooms.
ana the handles would either pull right
out IN the most idio;ic way, and there
stay, or else act in the most springy of
manners, but never sounding an alarm:
the consequence being that-to use n
strong word-you were thorsugh1v
humbugged; and, after pulling. went
and sat down, waiting for a response
which never came.
A&OCl llSIlGu IN o UI D1Ck
kltchen: flies, to an alarming extent.
IN the front, which seemed to be their
prime breeding ground, from whence
they sent forth s#arms or colonies to
the other parts of the house. There
were gnats in the bed rooms, some of
which singing and blood sucking
torments must have been near relatives
to the West Indian musketo. Spiders
spun and webbed our walls, on ran
lines acrcss tho passages; while as to
the bed rooms, there were behind the
paper and In the cracks-shall tell Won
what' No, dare not.
The doctor said that the situation was de-
cldedly unhealthy, and my wife turned
upon me reproachful eyes, though She
nau mucn TO DO with my taking it MY
mamma-in-law hoped that. if I valued
my wife and children's lives I should
never think of staying; my father.in-
law said that | must have been half mad
to have taken it and then, as if mat
ters were not bad enough, there were
the soldiers.
DO you live anywhere near the bar
racks? If not, bless your stars tbat
your stars have blessed you in keeping
you away from such a terror
soldiers infested the barracks close by
US, and somehow, in spite of every care
70 the contrary, we took the contamina-
ton, and had this scarlet fever badly.
Sook, housemaid and nursemaid in turn
fell victims to the passion which CON
sumed La Grande Duchesse," and
quite adored the military. They would
not believe. poor lasses, that the great,
nungry-looklng rasoals were entirely
board -loyers; and the rate at which
our proyisions-bread, cheese and cold
was something ter
riole; have always felt since that, af-
Ter the large share took in keeping up
the stamina of that portion of the army,
l deserve to be let cff income tax; but
the collector cannot see it.
Matters grew to such a pitch that nv
wife dare not go down stairs for fear Of
encountsring some great stranger, uni
formed and drilled but we got rid of the
pest at last upon homeopathic princi-
pies. 1t was case of vaccination TO
produce one disease so as to ward off
another, and this is how it was worked.
The policemen upon the beat were en-
couraged to call occasionally, and at such
times as the military were likely to be
waiting to attend; the consequence be-
ing that the tickle feminine heart soon
grew to yearn for the law and order of
the peaceful police the soldiers were for
gotten in the new attenders, and Though
the remedy might by some be looked
upon as worse than the disease, yet it
was not so, for p. c. number so-and.so is
a different character to that free swell
and lover, the soldier; and besides, one
had only to report a case at headquarters
to get the offender appointed to another
beat: Not that l have ever done so,
mind, for fortune favored me at last in
the shape of friend, who took fancy
to my house; and, after q sufficient
amount of drawing back on my part, |
let him have it for the remainder of the
lease; and, freed from incubus, have
rejoiced ever since, though Nemesis, sits
at my elbow night and morn. in the
shape of conscientious scruples, con-
scious smitings, lest he some day
should revile me for a cheat. and an
action at law for damages be the result
of my connection with that house