The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-06-29
Finding the Door Key.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. Posonby, while
busy in his office, was surprised by the
of Mrs. Posonby, who came in to
say that she was going to take tea with
Mrs. Bilderback and would not be home
until nine o'clock, but she would leave
the key under the mat at the front door, so
that he could let himself in when he went
home, and he had better get his supper
down town. Their son, Herbert, would
accompany her.
Now, it so CHANGED that while Mrs.
Posonby was thus explaining matters to
her husband, her hopeful son was making
desperate efforts, assisted by all the dogs
he could whistle up from the entire
neighhorhood, to get at rat he had seen
run under the front porch. Master Posonby
punched with long pole and scraped
and dug with a hoe, and the nine dogs
deployed at irregular intervals around the
porch and along the verbena bed, scratched
with might and main, yelping hysterically
as they scratched, and pausing from their
labors now and then to fight over the
question which had dug the deepest hole,
to the Unreasonable delight of Master
PosOnby. But as the sun went down and
the soft light of sunlight faded into the
misty cleaning, he remembered that he
had been told to lock up and join his ma ut
her friends. He put the key under the door
mat, and then, with his heart still set on
capturing that rat, he brought around an
old steel-trap, wicked as dynamite; and,
having baited it literally set it and placed
it on the porch for the benefit of the rat
when it should come out Then lie carefully
dismissed his allies, and stoned them in
different directions lest they should 90
back to resume the siege and fall into his
torpedo pit.
Mr.. Posonby did not come home until
quite late, not until his wife and son had
returned and retired, tired of waiting for
him. AS the house was quite dark and
quiet when he approached it, he naturally
supposed his spouse had been detained
later than she expected. He felt under
the door mat for the key, but as that use.
full little "open sesame" was in the lock
ON the inside Of the door, he couldn't find
then thinking he might have pushed it
away, began to fee! around the porch for
it, sweeping his hand out in circling
swoops, accompanying these cratic move.
ments with sundry EXPLANATIONS and NUT
terings. In one of those vigorous sweeps
he thrust his hand into something that
lifted him to his feet. A terrible, cold,
vicious something that shut down on his
hand like wild beast and just raised
him up until only his tip toes touched the
porch floor. The vail that broke from
his pallid lips silenced all the dogs in the
Sixth Ward, and woke up a private night
watchman who was pacing his vigilant beat
on top of salt barrel just around the
corner with his eyes shut. 1t wakened
his son, who thrust his head out of the
window and shouted "fire" in the most
stentOrian tones that a youth of eleven
years can command. 1t reused his wife
from her peaceful slumbers, who thrust
her head out OF another window and
screamed "thieves," with all the full
piercing vigor of her womanly voice. 1t
wakened his ncighbors in both directions,
who leaned out of their windows and shot
at the suffering Mr.. Posonby, who stood
on the porch, dancing about in an ecstasy
of agony, bowling at every jump. In u
moment he became calm enough to in
vestigate; he removed the trap, explained,
and was admitted to the house. He ex-
planned to Mrs. Posonby, as she baadaged
his wounded hand, that he thought sure
it was "snakes," and when that good
lady ridiculed the idea, and said there
were no snakes about there, he shook his
head YEARLY, and looked at her out OF
the corners of his eyes with sweet, sad
smile.-Burlington Hdrk Eye.