Litchfield enquirer., 1876-06-29

there, and you, Kate. One evening-it couldn't have been much later in. the year than now-she and were coming home from evening meeting, It being about nine o'clock. Kate had on a white dress; that remember distinctly"
 ''Then 1t must have been considerably later ill the year than this, father, because girls don't put on white for @ month or two yet, said Kate.
 ''Very likely; I'm not particular about the season." he replied. 1.-The dress was white. anyhow We'll, Kate and I were walking along in the bright moonlight, laughing. and talking. and having high time She was always full of fun when coming home from meeting, or any other place where she had been obliged to be sober. Such places never damped her spirits as they do some peoples but only bottled them mp, and when she got out you might expect an explosion. She was mlmicking some of the personal peculiar ities of the good brethren who had parti- cipated Ill the meeting. She was an ex- cellent mimic, but so tender-hearted that when she had been taking anybody of, she always ended with saying, I'm sorry for him.
 some little ScampS were around ring ing door-bells. just as they are tonight, and Kate, having exhausted the material of the prayer-meeting, took a crazy notion into her head that it would be, good fun for us to try it just for once, and dared me to ring somebody's bell. It was in vain I argued with her, and showed her how seriously it would compromise per sons of our age and responsibilities to be caught in such prank. She would not listen to reason. The risk. she said, made it all the more fun. There is nothing crazier, tell you, Reginald, than Q girl who is bent on a prank. She actually scares man by her foolhardiness.
 'All my efforts to reason Kate out of her freak" continued MT. Phelps, "were useless, and she finally declared that un- less would take my life in my hand and ring somebody's door-bell, she would. And she meant it, too, for, suddenly drop ping my arm, she was halfway up the walk to the stoop of house, before saw what she was bent on Then whispered: |: Come back, Kate, come back. I'll do it..
 "How we'll remember just how she looked under the bright moon as she paused and glanced back at me! I can see her black eyes dance now. She was standing on the grass by the brick walk, daintily holding her dress up from the dew. For moment she seemed irreso- lute whether or not to keep on, but finally came back to me.
 "'Not this house, said I, anxious to gain time, and inventing a fib for the pur- pose. There's somebody sick here.' :.
 ''The next was Deacon Tuttle's, whose gift of praying and talking against time was invaluable, when the evening meet ings were thinner than usual. Neverthe- less Kate had taken dislike to him be. cause his wife always looked scared, and no story of sickness or guests that could trump up would do, but that must ring that bell.
 But at that moment steps approached from behind, and Deacon Futile himself overlook us. He had not been at prayer meeting for wonder, and so we had sup posed him to be at home. Seeing us pausing at his gate, and looking toward the house. he naturally inferred that we were going to make call.
 said with effusion. T suppose you've come to labor with me for neglecting the means of grace according to Scripture rule.'
 ''The deacon. as a regular attendant, felt that he could afford to make this joke. But he was so urgent to have us come in that did not know how to get out of it, and was afraid we should actu- ally have to accept his invitation and make him a call, which would have been rather stupid ending of cur freak. But Kate never lost her head. whatever hap pened. She smiled bewitchingly on the deacon,-women are the only strategists who use the same artillery against friends and foes, and answered mischievously, nudging me:
 ring your bell or not, deacon, as you came along, but I'm afraid 1t is rather late for a call. We shall have to postpone your discipline to another evening.
 ''And so, with goodnight to the dea- con. we went along.
 "'Got out of that neatly said Kate. Isn't 1t fun ?"
 'The next house showed light in the front windows and voted it unsafe. But the next was unexceptionable for our pur- poses. The front windows were dark, and the gate was quite near to the stoop, so that retreat would be easy, while row of shrubbery along the fence offered still further cover to the fugitive. A new conner whom we will call MT. Jones, though that was not his name, lived there. knew him as a lowing acquaintance, but nothing more; and, whether he had family, or in what it consisted, we had not heard. He was not in our set.
 "'Do be careful, whispered Kste, just as if she hadn't put me mp to it. That little scene with the deacon, though she managed it so cleverly, had left her rather futtered and nervous, and believe she would have been willing to let me off. Pretending to be children was funny enough for few minutes, but it had al ready palled on us. Still I thought it would be pity after so much talk and maneuvering not to do something, and so, telling Kate to be ready to run, l stepped lightly up by the side of the walk to the door. I felt for the handle of the bell, bound to have 1t oyer with as soon as pos sible, and jerked it with that thorough Eess one puts into thing which he does in spite of himself. =
 Another moment would have seen me flying up the street dragging Kate by the hand, but while was yet in the act of pulling, before had let go, the door opened; the dark hall, like the mouth of a dragon, gaped upon me; and MT. Jones sprang out with vindictive ejaculation. It took only an instant. Instinctively I lodged, just in time to save my collar from his grasp, and was in the act of talk ing to my heels in panic, when he start ed back, exclaimlng with an appearance of great regret and chagrin:
 '''I beg pardon, sir, thousand times, I took you for one of those rascally boys who have been tormenting me all the evening. had been lying in wait, and thought had caught one for sure; can- not sufficiently apologize
 His profuse regrets gave me time to recover 8 small share of my scattered wits. and managed to humble in reply,
 "'Certainly, sir, very excusable; odd mistake, and even forced 8 very feeble 'ha, ha.' 4aaa
 "'Come in, sir. come in, said MT. Jones with efrusion, anxious to make amends for his rough reception. and evi- dently aseribing wholly to that, my state of confusion. f sasl
 1T had no choice but to follow him in. As I did so, heard something that