Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-12-31


said.
wantod nothing more, and in another
minute had him on his legs, and we
were on our way TO No. 4.
A little girl was on the doorstep with
pot OF beer 10 her hand. and we had no
sooner s opped before the house than she
made kuowu want incidental TO the
lives OF maidens who stand only three
feet two inches in their s.ookiogs
Please, sir, will you ring the second
bell from the topP'
Second floorP' l said, as | complied:
that's wherc Mr.. and Mrs. Adams live,
isn't itP"
Yes. sir, and he's my father" said the
young lady. VITO evidently looked upon
tbs couple alluded to as one flesh. /
thought il odd 1 tad never seen this child's
shadow on lho blinds.
well, want to see him, then" re-
piled. "R0d so does this gentleman"
"Ohy blt you can't, though" said the
little gi,l, who by the way appeared to
be a precious shrew-"for fathers at sup.
per, ald there's fowl, and fathers been
i'll, and you cal't disturb him just as he's
a little bclicl-so that you can't"
"You jos, hold your tongue, miss, will
you T" sand voice at this lunctuEe, land
let me talk to the gentleman"
looked up and saw that the door had
been opened by a tall, gaunt looking wo-
man, with large nose.
What did you please TO want, sirP'
she asked in q whining tone, which dis
liked very much.
told her briefly who we were. and the
object oi our visit.
"Oh, wbal joyful surprise y said the
gauut woman. whining rs before in a
manner infinitely offensive to me-
Get along up stairs. Lizzie she cou
,inued. addressing the child, land tell
him that thc kind gentleman as assisted
him iu his illness is coming TO SEQ him;
I'm his wiio. kind gentlemen.-" Chis
the shadow had interested myself in D
"Im las poor wife that nursod him
through his illness, and-take care OF the
stairs, ind genl,emen-and this is the
room. gentlemen; and here's Joyful
surprise, james; the gentleman that's
been SO kid all the time ou'ye been i'll;
and be pleased to take . seat, gentlemen,
and honor cur poor room by sitting down
in it,
vas thundsrstGuck. A little common
o1Slng man vas sitting Mt the table on
which smoking fowl, a bit OF bacon and
some potatoes bad been placed. lie
bore the evident marks OF illness, and
rose with some effort at our entry. lie
resumed bis seat, however, as | and my
companion sal down. | took chair, as
| should have taken anything that was
offered m, O sheer surprise aud bewii
dormont. looked once moro az the
mans wife. What, was that the sub
stance Ol tho nest iiltle shadow which l
bnew 30 weil-.hat great, gaunt, slopns
creaiureP Were shadows so deceptive AS
this? Would any yOody tell me that my
opposite reisaoor could have had such q
I bat "A a ~
have stood ou' in bold relief and lett lie
mark upon my memory every time she
approached The window.
The husband, too. That was not my
poor ,ngraves. He was an inofensive
man enough. as he sat there iull OF clum'
sy expires. ions Of gratitude to my com
panion loy ;Ao assistance accorded to him
during hiI recel, attack OF fever. lie
was harmless lit,e man, no doubt, but
still he was not my engraver.
All this time, even while her husband
was speaking, the gauns woman Kept up
an unjerclrrent Of gratitude Of the slim
slEsl lpklN'is ~ WHASA wv Wv hNH
tleman answered not word, Tor he
seemed is little prepared for the real Mr..
and Mrs. Adams by what he had seen OF
their shadows Us was. In short. beyond
a few words OF inquiry as to the state OF
the invalid's health, which had managed
TO enter on first coming into the room,
We had neither OF US spoken word.
Suddenly the tremendous idea entered
my mind that there must be some mis-
take. | had been staring some time at
the little girl whom we originally met on
the doorstep, and who, to do her justice,
returned the compliment with interest,
when it struck me that her head came
considerably above the window-sill, and
that, consequently, It was most extra
ordinary thing that its shadow had never
caught my attention. My eyes having in
the course of this comparison of the young
lady with the window-sll been directed
toward this las part OF the room, next
observed that there was no bird cage
hanging in the window.
"Halloaw calculated; you've taken
down the bird d-cage."
"Bird-csge. sirP" whined the gaunt
woman, deferentially.
I'VE amt got no bird-cage," burst ont
III ,b,I5 81 Tho dOnr-StpD. ssnOr
never hadu't none-nor yet no bird
neither "