River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-01-17
A WOman's Shrek.

A naval officer, who some time age
went to reside in Edinburg, having pre-
viously engaged a large mansion on {
short lease, dispatched his butler to re-
ceive his furniture and have the house put
in order.
The butler engaged young woman re-
siding in the neishborhood to clean out
the rooms and arrange part of the fur.
niture; and he assisted himselfto carry UP
large chest of rather singular appear
ance This gigantic box his master had
purchased as curiosity; but, unlike
that described in the song of the "Mistle-
toe Bough, it did not shut, but opened
with spring attached to the lock, which
being touched, the lid few open and q
tall brawny Highlandman in full costume
stood erect, and struck out his right arm
in which was wooden sword. The gen
tleman purchased it as curious piece OF
mechanism, and was wont to amuse his
children with it.
"That's a heavy chest, said the woman
as they p laced it on the floor.
YES answered the butler, who was a
wag OF the first water, "there's something
heavy it it, certain; but there's something
mysterious about it also; for, although
the key hangs at the end of it, not one of
us is allowed to open it."
"Did you never see the inside of it!"
replied she walking round it.
"Never," said he. "It's as much as
any of our places are worth even to speak
about it, So saying, the knight of the
cork-screw looked first at the woman,
then at the chest, then on the floor, and
then retired slowly down stairs, whistling,
to work on the ground flat.
The girl proceeded to put things to
rights in the room; but every time she
passed the chest she thought it looked
more odd. "Frailty, thy name is woman y
She raped on the lid with her knuckles
it had curious hollow sound-very
And none of the servants had dared to
open It'll What on earth could it contain?
Well, it was none of her business; so she
went diligently to work for five minutes,
at the end of which time she found her
self standing, with her arm a-kimbo,
gazing on the chest.
ut can do no harm to look into it,
thought she; so she quietly took the key
from the nail, and applied it TO the lock.
OF course she heard footsteps on the
stairs as every one will dc when afraid of
detection in the commission of some act
they wish to keep ia secret. Again she
regained her confidence and returned to
the chest; she stopped and turned the key
Up flew the lid; and the wooden High
landman, in kilt and philabeg, sprang on
his legs with more than human agility,
and fetched the petrifed girl sharp
whack across the shoulders with the fiat
Of his Andrew Ferrara.
A prolonged shrek, ending in a moan
of despair, indicated that the pooI{woman
had sought relief in a swoon. The butler
heard the shout, and guessed at once the
cause. Holding both his sides with Taught
er, he assembled the stairs, and watchc 4
the issue of thetransaetion through he
keyhoie of the door of thesadjoiningr m.
In the course of few minutes the wom-
an rose on her elbow, looking wildly
around the room. till her eyes caught the
Highlandman bending over her. Seeing
nothing but destruction awaiting her, two
springs took her to the door; down stairs
she went, followed by the butler (who
saw matters were becoming serious), as if
she wore wings, taking a flight of steps
at every jump, and roar
ing for aid, under the maddening i'm
preston that not the butler, but the
was at her heels; nor did
she either slacken her pace, or look over
her shoulder, till she found herself stand
ing in the house of lady in the neigh
borhood, into which she al once ran, on
seeing the door open.
The poor woman did not recover from
the fright for several days; but has ever
since had a greater antipathy to large