Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-01-06

. exactly the proper spear of gardener
/. Fruit or vegetables or flowers, or ever
o a handy Job about the house I don't say
nothin' of wotsOm-de but when Il
comes to lunatics, why. it amt line o
dooty that lays myself out for, and
: don't know that I feel equal to under
d takin' of it,
Here Mr.. Prodder paused in shame
t faced manner, and rubbed his mouth
:, pensively with the back of his hand
t This last gesture was a ray of light
The sisters know that it always indi-
Gated extreme thirst.
= L understand you,' Prodder,' said
Miss Penelope, with cutting sarcasm.
/ Perhaps you would feel more equal to
the occasion if you were permitted to
crafty your morbid thirst for beer Be
3 it so. Susan draw jug of beer-a large
jug
: Two Jugs said Peter.
: Mr.. Prodder frightened visibiy. And
= remarking soto VOice that it was "rum
start but he wasn't noways particular
if there was drop of somethin' hang
ing to it, he betook himself to the kitch-
r en- till his services should be required,
though with private conviction that
they were not likely to be wanted. In
this, however, he was doomed to be
|
blankets been brought down stairs and
{ placed in the hall than a rat tat-tat of
timorous and uncertain character was
heard at the front door. Miss Pamela
remarked that she should know that
was luDatic's knock anywhere. Peter
and the gardener took up their positions
in their respective corners and spread
| their blankets before them, The gar
dener's face wore its usual expression OF
berry apathy, as though capturing lu-
natics was as every day an occupation
as potting geraniums. Peters, on the
contrary, wore an expression of mis-
chievOus amusement.
Susan opened the door. A smart
looking elderly gentleman, in a white
hat and waistcoat and with flower in
his buttonhole, said, This is the Misses
I Pimpernel's, [ think?' and stepped
|jauntily within the hail.
No sooner had he dono SO, however,
than e heavy blanket descended on
him from either side, crushing the
white hat down over eyebrows. Susan
opened the china closet door, and before
the unhappy lunatic could even strug-
gle to free himself he was hustled VIC
Iently therein and the door locked. leav-
ing him in total dark ness with two
blankets still over his head and crock
cry and household stores on every side
of him.
Admirably done = said Miss Pamela,
who. with her sister, had been lying in
ambush behind the drawing room door.
Beautifully done! Susan, give Prod
der as much beer as ever he likes. Pc
ter, you have done splendidly. Embrace
your sister. my noble boy
The noble boy embraced his sister ac-
cordingly, though without any appear
ance of enthusiasm.
And me also, said Penelope, taking
off her double eyeglass to receive Peters
embrace. which was again delivered
very calmly.
| 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 graciousu said Miss Penelope.
There goes the second best tea-service
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 marmaIade- pots down on
his head in minute What frightful
languagep
The inmate of the cupboard had ap-
carently by this time partially freed
himself from his blankets, and was
: kicking violently at the door, mingling
strong language in the vernacuiar with
exc!amatioEs in some unknown tongue.
How sad to hear him y said Miss Pa
mela. L daresay noble mind is here
; o'erihrown. And y"u see he has even
lost the control of his speech, and can
only talk that unteligible gibberish.'
| SO hot ho f;ot, loy
guage" exclaimed Susan. %, amt it
enough to make your blood stand on
/ end?'
Pamela. my DEAR said Miss Fene-
lope, come into the drawing ng-room. I
am very sure this is rot the kind Of Ian
, guage (evon though, fortunately, we
: cannot understand it) for your innocent
= ears. And you, Susan, run across to
; DR.. Dollimore at the Priory, and tell
/ him we have caught the lunatic, and
, will he please to send several strong men
to fetch him away at once, or we sha'nt
: have tea-cup left. Come, Pamela a;
= why, where's PeterH
Peter had vanished, but was discover
ed in the Kitchen. drinking beer with
Mr.. Prodder and listening with much
apparent interest to that gentieman's
description of q new method of paint
|
ed for his desertiOn, and carried off to
the drawing room again, the door being
carefully shut in order to exclude the
r rawlings of the imprisoned lunatic, who
was still making frantic efforts to es
| cape from GUrance. By way of further
[ covering the painful sound, Miss PANE
la volunteered to sing a song, and gave
The Forsaken' with great effect; the
t only drawback being an unfortunate
4 tendency TO miss a note altogether
, every now and then, giving sort of
! wheezy gasp instead, like broken
| Winded accordeop.
) You don't find my voice what it was
I daresay, Peter" said Miss PAMELA,
/ when she had concluded.
f No, daresay it amt what it was,
j replied Peter. But, Ior, we amt none
D of US what we was. Anyhow, we don't
keep so.'
/ Will yols oblige, Peter?' said Miss
= Penelope. little disappointed at this
1 qualifiedspraise of her sisters perform
. auce. You used to sing very nicely as
e a boy. 0. dear. what a noise that poor
man makes!'
/ L only know one song,' said Peter
: It's called Down in the Valley where
e the Daisies grow I'll sing you that, if
5 you like!'
D Accordingly Peter seated himself at
J. the piano. His attitude was peculiar
: He placed himself astride On the music
stool as if it had been a horse, his legs
d dangling down on either side. He then
j. began to sing with thin, cracked voice
;. and with noble independence of time
o and tune, at the same time accompany
b ing himself with one finger. When he
had got to the end of the first verse he
0 sang it right through again, and was
about to do SO third time. when Miss
a Penelope, whose nerves were unequal
:, to the continued strain upon the N,
e mildly suggested:
r My dear Peter, surely you have sung
that same verse alreadyn
: We'll, and what if l havei' said Pc
: ter, somewhat offended. It's a very
:. pretty verse, amt it"
h Miss Penelope was scarcely prepared
:. for this view of the matter.
e We'll, certainly began.
: Bat the sentence was never doomed
e to be completed. There was q gentle
| 4la INor and Susor saw