Litchfield enquirer., 1877-04-05
TRAMP, TRAMP.

| A lonely country road with the night | closing upon it; the sun set and the sky
 black, and white streaks where he hal
 been; the color gone from all the earth
 even from the many tinted naples and
 sumacs that an hour before had flameC
 in thelr October brilliancy; the air frosty and fresh-just the night to go bowling swiftly home in light wagon over well graded road, with the prospect of bright fire and hot supper at the end of the journey. l Mrs. Cuthbert wished that her husband would come ''bowling home" as she light ed the lamp and placed it in the center ol the pretty tea table, 80 daintily set forth with her wedding glass and silver; the supper would not be fit to eat if he were much later, and Mrs. Cuthbert was too 1 conscientious a housewife not to feel alarmediat the idea of her good things l being spoiled, but, like the even temper | ed little woman she was, she only put an extra stick on the wood fire cracking on ! the hearth. and settled down in her favor ite arm chair, with her sewing to keep her hands busy, while her ears were on the l alert for her husbands step, or cry | from the baby up stairs.
 She was quite alone, it being one of | those periods that 80 often befall Ameri- can house-keepers, when the "help" has taken it into her head to depart without waiting for successor to be appointed.
 The fire snapped and blazed, the clock ticked on, and all was quiet But If Mrs. Cuthbert had chanced to look up, she might have seen a face pressed close against the window pane-an ugly face with a rough beard and tangled hair. a broken nose that looked most unprepos- sessing fattened on tho glass, and eyes that gleamed greedily at the silver on the table-but she did not, and all was quiet
 The clock struck seven, and Mrs. Cuth- bert started, surprised and distressed. She forgot about the supper frizzling away to nothing in the oven, and began to worry about her husband-it was such g lonely walk, if it was only two miles, and she did wish he would come. Footsteps on the front porch sent her fears to the winds, and spirit of mis- chief took possession of her Tn their stead; ]; thadoor was locked, and she would make aim wait few minutes to pay him of for making her wait so long.
 She bent her head and pretended not to notice, even when she heard the steps descend from the porch and tramp over the grass to the window. s
 The sash was violently thrown up, and the ugly face that had been regarding her short time before was thrust Into the room, and a fierce voice demanded:
 "Why don't yer come and open the door for me?"
 Mrs. Cuthbert nodded her pretty head, and without turning round answered, saucily:
 ''No, sir, I don't mean to let you in to- night.''
 The ugly face looked thunderstruck, then frightened, and finally two grimy paws clutched the window, shutting it with crash that made the glasses quiver, and the ugly face was gone. -.
 "Oh, dear! now he's angry-I always do carry my fun too far" erred Mrs. Uuth. bert, springing from her chair and rush ing into the hall.
 :'George! Georgei''
 She turned the lock.
 "Georger'
 The porch was empty, but she caught sight of dark figure hurrying up the path to the barn.
 "Oh, you're not going to hide from me in that way, sir!" she called out. running down the steps and on towards the barn.
 The dark figure was swallowed up in the the great black doorway before she reach ed it. . "
 b"Oh, you great goose" she said. stand ing on the threshold. ''don't you suppose l can find you? You had better give yourself up at. once" +is' Then she waited. The dark figure crouched still closer behind the old car riage, and there was no answer.
 'I shall find you. sir; know every cor ner, she gave warming; then, with arms stretched out before her. commenced the search. In and out among the burrels and boxes she went in the utter blackness calling out merrily now and then that she would find him and punish him for giving her so much trouble. Once she almost touched the shrinking figure; but.it held it's breath, and she passed on.