The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-29
The Christmas Visitor.

than heavy blanket descended upon
him from either side, crushing the white
hat down over his eyebrows. Susan
opened the china-closet door, and before
the unhappy lnnatic couldeven struggle
to free himself, he was hustled violently
therein and the door locked, leaving him
in total darkness, with two blankets still
over his head and croekery and house.
hold stores on every side of him. .sts
Admirably donei' said Miss Pamela,
who, with her sister, had been lying in
ambush behind the drawing-room door
Beautifully donel Susln, give Prodder
as much beer as he likes. Peter, you
have done. splendidly. Embrace your
sister, my noble boyp
The noble boy embraced his sister &C.
cordingly, though without any appear
ance of enthusiasm.
sand me also" said Penelope, taking
off her double eye-giass TO receive Peters
embrace, which was again delivered very
calmly. a 5Eq4ls er a.
Meanwhile the captive in the china
closet was struggling violently to free
himself from his embarrassing drapery,
and apparently doing considerable dam
age in his struggles to the contents of
the shelves. Suddenly tremendous
crash was heard.
"Good gracious!" said Miss Penelope,
"There goes the seeond-best tea-seryice! I!
Dear, dear; and that must be the large
jar of picked cabbage! The man will
certainly kill himself He'll have all
that row of marmalade pots down on his
head in a minute! What fightfui Ian
guage!"
The inmate of the cupboard had ap-
parently by this time partially freed him
self from his blankets, and was kicking
violently at the deer, mingling strong
language in the vernacular with excla-
nations in some unknown tongue.
"How sad to hear him!' said Miss
Pamela 81 dare say a noble mind is
here o'erthrown. And you see he has
even lost the control Of his voice, and
can only talk that unintelligible gibber-
ish." ''. NJ
"Lor, ma'am, is that the lunatic's Ian
gnageY' exclaimed Susan. 20, amt it
enough 10 make your blood stand on
endl" Ggt t&
Pamela, my DEAR" said Miss Pencil
ope, "come into the drawing-room. l am
very sure this is not the kind of language
(even though, fortunately, we can not
understand it) for your Innocent ears.
And you. Susan, run across to DR.. Dol
hmore at the Priory, and tell him we
have caught the lunatic, will he please
send several strong men to fetch him
away ut once, or we sha'n't have tea
cup left. Come, Pamela! Why where's
PeterY" gu. FL
Peter had vanished, but was discovered
IN the kitchen, drinking beer with Mr..
Prodder, and listening with much appar-
ent interest to that gentleman's descrip-
ton of new method of planting pota-
toes. He was tenderly rsproached for
his desertion, and carried off to the draw
ing-room again, the door being carefully
shut in order to exclude the rawlings OF
the imprisoned lunatic, who was still
making frantic efforts to escape from
durance.' By way Of further covering
the painful sound, Miss Pamela volun-
teered to sing song, and gave 'The
Forsaken" with great effect; the only
drawback being an unfortunate tendency
to miss note altogether every now and
then, giving a sort Of wheezy gasp in
stead, like broken-winded accordion.
You don't find my voice what it was,
/ dare say, PeterT said Miss Pamela,
when she had concluded.
"No, | dare say it amt what it was,
said Peter. "But, lor, we amt none OF
us what we was. Anyhow, we don't keep
So"
"Will you oblige, Peter" said Miss
Penelope, a little disappointed at this
qualified praise of her sisters perform
ance. "You used to sing quite nicely as
a boy. o, dear, what noise that pool
man makesl" n
"I only know one song" said Peter
Tt's called Down in the Valley where
the Daisies grow III sing that, if you
like?'
Accordingly Peter seated himself at
the piano. His attitude was peculiar
He placed himself astride on the music
stool as if it had been a horse, his legs
dangling down on either side. He then
began to sing with thin, cracked voice
and with noble independence Of time
and tune, at the same time accompanying
himself with one finger. When he had go1
to the end of the first verse, he sang il
right through again; and was about tt
do so third time, when Miss Penelope
whose nerves were unequal to the con
tinaed strain upon them, mildly sug
gested:
"My dear Peter, surely you have SUM
that same verse alreadyT' 1D
"Well, and what if I have?" said Pc
ter, somewhat offended. '1t's a very
pretty verse, ain't itY" 81
Miss Penelope was scarcely prepared
for this view Of the matter.
"Well certainly" she began.
But that sentence was never doomed
to be completed. There was gentl
tap at the door, and Susan entered, say
ing: q" 9"2''s -
"Please, ma'am, a gentleman from tn