The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-06-23
MIR. rosonbY's Adventure.

From the Burlington IInwk-Eyc.
Yesterday afternoon, Mr.. Posonby,
while busy in his Office, was surprised
by the enterance Of Mrs. Posonby, who
came in to say that she was going to take
tea with Mrs. Bilderback, and would not
be home until 0 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, il 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 upfrom the entire niegh
borhood, to get att rat he had seen run
under the front porch. Master Posonby
punched with d long pole, and scraped
and dug with hoe, and the nine
dogs deployed at regular intervals
around the porch and along the verbena
bed, scratched with might and main,
yelping hysterically as they scratched,
and pausing in their labors now and then
to fight over the question which had dug
the deepest hole, TO the undesirable de.
light Of Master Posonby. But as the sun
went down and the soft light Of the sun
light had faded into the misty cleaning,
he remembered that he had been Told 10
lock up and join his ma at her friends
He put the key under the door mat, and
then with his head 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 that rat
when it should come out Then he care.
fully dismissed his allies, and stoned
them in different directions lest they
should go back to resume the seige and
fall in his torpedo pit.
Mr.. Posonby did not come home until
quite late, mot 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 natural.
ly 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
1t. He felt further under the mat, and
then thinking he might have pushed it
away, began 10 feel around the porch for
it, sweeping his hand out in circling
swoops, accompanying these erratic
movements with sundry EXPLANATIONS
and muttering. In one OF these 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 q wild beast, and jus,
raised him up until only his tip-toes
touched the porch floor. The wall that
broke from bis pallid lips silenced all the
dogs in the Sixth Ward, and woke up q
private night Waterman who was pacing
his vigilant beat on the top Of salt bar
rel, Just around the corner, with his eyes
shut. 1t awakened his son, who thrust
HE head out Of the window and shouted
sire p in the most stentorian tones that a
youth OF eleven years can command. II
reused his wife from her peaceful slum-
bers, who thrust her head out OF another
window and screamed thieves |" with all
voice. Il awakened his neig6bors in both
directions, who leaned out Of their win
dows and shot at the suffering Mr.. Poson.
by, who stood on the porch dancing about
In an ecstacy Of agony, bowling AZ every
Jump. In a moment he became calm
enough to investigate; he removed the
trap, explained, and was admitted to the
house. He explained to Mrs. Posonby, as
she bandaged his wounded hands, that he
thought sure 1t was the Snakes" and
when that good woman ridiculed the idea,
and said there was no snakes about here,
he shook his head YEARLY, and looked at
her out Of the corner Of his eyes with a
sweet, sad smile.