Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1876-07-14
AZ II til q ~ rs.
Mr.. POsonby's Adventure.

MI. Posonby's Adventure
Yesterday afternoon Mr.. Posonby,
while busy in his office, was surprised by
the entrance of Mrs Posonby, who
came in to say that she was going 10
take tea with Mrs. Biderback and would
not be home until . o'clock, but she
would leave the key under the mat at the
front door so that he could let himself
in when be went home, and he had bet
ter get his supper down town. Their
son, Herbert, would accompany her.
Now, it so CHANGED that while Mrs
Posonby was thus explaining matters to
to her husband her hopeful son was
making desperate efforts, assisted by
all the dogs he could whistle up from
the entire neighborhood, to get at a rat
he had seen run under the front porch.
Master Posonby punched with a long
pole and scraped and dug with hoe,
and the nine dogs deployed at irregular
intervals around the porch and along the
verbena bed, scratched with might and
main, yelping Historically as they scratch
ed, and pausing from their labors now
and then to fight over the question which
had dug the deepest hole, to the iun-
measurable delight of Master Posonby.
But as the sun vent down and the soft
light of sunlight faded into the misty
glaoming, he remembered that he had
been told to lock up and join his ma at
her friends. He put the key under the
door mat, and then with 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
the rat when it should come out. Then
he carefully dismissed his allies, and
stoned them in different directions lest
they should go back to resume the siege
and fall into his torpedo pit.
Mr.. Posonby did not come home I'M
til quite late, not until his wife and son
returned and retired, tired of waiting
for him. As the house was quito 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 useful little "open scsc me" was
in the lock on the inside of the door, he
couldn't find it. He felt further under
the mat, and then thinking he thought
he might have pushed itaway, began to
feel around the porch for it,sweeping his
hand out in circling swoops, accompany
ing these erratic movements with sundry
Explanations and muttcrngs. In one
Of those vigorous sweeps he thrust his
hand into something that lifted him to
his feet A terrible. cold, vicious some
thing that shut down on his hand like
wild beast and just raised him up until
only his tip toes touched the porch floor
The wall that broke from his paid lips
sienced all the dogs in the Sixth Ward
and woke up a private night watchman
who was passing his vigilant beat on top
Of salt barrel just around the corner
with his eyes shut. 1t awakened his
son, who thrust his head out of the win
dow and shouted ''fre!" in the most
stentorian tones that youth of eleven
years can command. 1t reused his wife
from her peaceful slumbers, who thrust
her head out of another window and
screamed 'thieyes p with all the full pier
cling vigor of womanly voice 1t wakcncd |
his neighbors in all 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 a
moment he becau calm enough to in
vustigate; he removed the trap, explain
ed, and was admitted to the house lie |
explained to Mrs. Posonby, as she
bandaged his wounded hand, that he
thought sure it was snakes" and when
that good lady 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 eye with a
sweet, sad smile