The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1877-01-04
II Came To Ask.

EuEEEGLlE GAtl1t OF People. AlNELNASEEuEll
i8serte- IS low asi in anv drSt-class paper.
II Came To Ask
Two pretty, oId-fashioned cottages
standing nesr each other on q seclud-
ed, tree-shaded country road, separa-
ted by little meadow, which from
the birth of spring TO the death OF
autumn rejoiced in waving green
grasses aud white daisies and yellow
dandeliOHs, and after that wore a
robe woven Of snOW-fiskes as fair and
pure IS when they fell from the skies,
until old winter, to whom the robe
belonged, hearing the returning birds
ask for :he violets, gathered IL about
him and vanished again.
In one of them, the larger in front
OF which was q nestly kept lawn, and
at the back a small hOt-hUu5e and
miniature vegetable garden, lived
, Miles Guernsey and his man Mike,
the one an old bachelor, the other, as
be described himself, 'a WILDLY man,
thanks be to the Lord that sint her
rest"
In the Other-Rose Cottage they
called il, for in rose time il was COM
pletely surrounded by roses they
filed the space IN front and Chamber
ed over the porch aud up the sides Of
tue house-hsd lived a quite elderly
couple for many years, until about a
month before my story (if it may be
diginified by that title) b'gins, when
they went to heaven on the very
same day, rs they had often prayed,
two loving old souls, .and left Rose
| Cottage waiting for new tenants.
| "Just as I'd got comfortably set
tlad,n grumbIed Miles Guernsey, "to
be all upset again Other old men
and women live till they're q hun
dred. Why couldn't these have done
so, instead Of dying at the early age
I Of eighty? And there's no knowing
who'll take the cottage. Somebody
with cats, dogs and babies, I've no
doubt-three kinds Of animals de-
/ test"
"Thrue fur ye, boss" said Nike,
with an omluQus shake cf the head.
There was something else Mr..
Guernsey insisted he detested, and
that was an old maid. "a man." he
used to say, "dOn't need smiles and
kisses and pet namss and children
hanging around him to keep him
sweet, but a woman does OF course
some Of the poor things can't help
their iorlorn state the men don't
propose, or they do and rql away, or
their parents cut up rough, or they
have invalid relations TO take care of.
Pm very sorry for them they have
my Lesrtiest sympathy hut, all the
same, I don't like 'em."
And so when Mike came one love-
ly June morning to tell his master
the cottage was rented, adding with
sly grin, "An' shure it's q ovid maid
am her mother" Mr.. Guernsey said
something of which be ought to have
been ashamed, and which, for that
reason, l sha'n't set down, and then
went on, sarcastlcally "And now
we'll have all sorts Of 'slUeet cunning
pets suppose but if any of them
come near nag premisss'-furiously-
"I'lI poison 'em, drown 'em, wiring
their necks. Do you hear, Mike?"
Faith, do" said Mike, grimiy.
"J've lived here ten years." resum-
ed the msster, sin peace and quiet,
driven here by Sn old maid in the
first place, and il will be hard indeed
if l am driven away by another.
With piano or guitar, no doubt ?"
"Aither that last or a fiddle, SURF
said Mike. 81 sor the gurril a.carry-
in it in yesterday in its Owa nate lit
tie coffin.
"She'Il play and sing from morn
ing till night, out Of time and tune,
and shall be obliged to close all the
doors and suffOcste."
Anyhow" suggested Mike, "there
can't be no babies"
"ThaLk Heaven for that ~ said Mr..
Guernsey, ferveEtly; Though | don't
know but what the guitars worse.
You can scare young children by
making faces at 'em. When DO they
move in, Mike ?"
Tomorrow, cir" said Mike. "Och.
but it's dreadful 90
"We'll go a-fishing, Mike. Be
ready Tomorrow morning at day
break, and we'll stay away q week. 1
never could bear the noise women
make when they're putting q house
to rights, as they call it f; and il
can't stand It after we come back,
why, I'll pull up stakes and 60 lOr
good that's ALL"
eyes, sir" said Mike.
When Miles Guernsey aid his man
returned from the fishing excursion,
Miss Osborne and Osborneis mother
and Miss OsborDe's maid of all work |
were installed in Rose Cottage, and,
sure enough the first sounds that
gree ted the ears OF the fishermen were |
the pleasant tiDkling OF the guitar
and and equally pleasant voice sing |
ing an old-fsshioned love soug-nOt |
out of time, however, and decidedly |
in tune.
And the very next day q small |
deg, after smiling curiously about on |
the outside for while, squeezed him.
self nearly flat, and, crawling under |
the front gate, frisked gayly over the |
tiny lawn, and from thence up to the |
porch, where sat the lawns owner
reading the newspaper.
The intruder was bright-eyed lit |
tie terrier, slightly lame in one of his |
hind legs, and he proceeded to caper |
about the old bachelor as though in |
him he recognized an early but long |
lost friend.
mike l'' shouted Mr.. Guernsey.
''Sur % shouted Mike running out |
with potato in one hand and knife !
in the other.
Remove this dog"
"Rsmove it il, sur" said Mike,
dropping both knife and potato.
But "this dog" clearly objected to
being removed. He skipped nimbly
around, barking all the time in q
"what Iarks :" manner; darted un-
der the garden chairs got entangled !
in q WoOhbiue that was climbing to !
the roof of the porch, and tore it |
down seized the knife Mike had |
dropped, in his mouth, and made off |
with it 4; and tine "wIddy man" /" max |
ing after him, slipped on the treacher-
Gus potato-and came down with a
whack.
This thing must be stopped at
once ~ exclaimed Mr.. Guernsey, set
ting his broRd-bTimmed hat firmly
upon his head and grasping his cane. |
Out Of his own gate he marched in
the most dignified style, along the
path, through the rose-crowded gar
den to the door OF Rose Cottage. 81
want to see your mistress" he said
to the hlaek-eyed mRid-seTvsnt who
answered his ring.
(Which ?" asked the girl.
"What ?' retOrted Mr.. Guernsey.
'Oh thought p'r'sps you didn't
know the old lady's laid up with rheu- |
mstiz-got cold moving. Will Miss !
Osborne do ?'
"AHybody," said Miles, walking
iDto the parlOr, as she threw open the
door. Evidently Miss Osborne was
extremely fond OF roses. The white
muslin curtains were lOoped back
with sprays Of half-opened ones a
vase filled with them stood on the
center table on the hearth lay shells
from which they peeped, and a vine
that ran up the window outside had
been coaxed through q broken pane,
and hung heavy with sweet white
buds, over the picture Of a handsome