The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-03-17

year 1854, anu we may therefore
take it for granted that she is al
least 43 years old. If we assume
that she began to LOOK under the
bed at the age Of Is, it follows
that she has performed that cere-
mony more than 10000 times.
Until last Friday night she never
found the smallest fragment of a
man under her bed, but on that
eyentful night her perseverance
was rewarded, and the long-sought
man greeted her astonished gaze.
Miss Johnson being an unmar-
ried lady, not wholly unconnected
with the milliner's trade, and full
of womanly independence, resides
entirely alone in a small house
containing but three rooms, a
kitchen, shop and bedroom. Dogs
she despises, and cats she mis-
trusts; while, as for men, she re-
CARDS them as poor creatures, who
may possibly have their uses in
time Of drought, when water must
be carted from the creek; but
who, as a rule, make more trouble
about a house than their necks
are worth. Holding those views,
it naturally follows that Miss
Johnson lives alone, and the cool
bravery with which she locks up
her house at night and seeks her
solitary couch, no matter if a first
class thunder storm is in progress,
has for years been the admiration
Of the more timid Of her sex.
It was about II o'clock last
Friday night when Miss Johnson
stopped down and looked under
her bed for possible man pre-
cisely as she had done on ten
thousand previous nights. Whe-
ther she was or was not astonished
at percei7ing a large-sized man
lying under the bed with the back
Of his head toward her, will never
be known, but at any rate, she
gave no sign Of astonishment, and
did not even inform the man that
she saw him. On the contrary,
she resumed with great delibera-
tion the nocturnal twisting Of her
back hair, and even softly hum
med Hold the Fort" with as
much distinctness as could be ex-
pected of a woman while holding
q comb between her teeth. Her
back hair being finally finished,
she opened her window, turned
down the lamp until it gave forth
a dim and modest light, and then
stepped gracefully into bed, but
not to sleep.
That sagacious woman was per-
feetly we'll aware that the man
under the bed, not suspecting that
be had been discovered, would
creep forth with a view to plunder
as soon as be found that she was
asleep. The bedstead stood in the
corner Of the room, and from the
position of the man it was plain
that be would creep out at the
side of the bed. Miss Johnson,
therefore, changed her usual man,
ner Of composing herself to rest,
and lay, as she subsequently ex-
pressed it, "fat as a pancake" ="
with her head projecting over the
side Of the bed at the precise To-
cality where she expected the
man to appear. For at least half
an hour she lay perfectly still,
watching for the man with a
stealthy vigilance that would have
done credit to an astute and ex-
perienced cat.
Not a muscle or a hairpin of her
frame moved, and her breathing
was as slow and regular as that OF
a profound sleeper. At length
the man, confident that she was
asleep, softly began to worm him.
self from under the bed, moving
after the manner prescribed by
way of penalty to the original ser
pent of the Garden Of Eden. Lit
tie did be imagine that a pair OF
pitiless gray eyes were waiting
for the appearance of bis head
while a pair Of 1.-the and nervous
hands we're ready to pounce upon
his ears. It was not many min
utes, however, before each cal
was suddenly caught in al mex
orable grasp, and his head begar
to oscillate with remarkable speec
between the floor. and the edge O.
the bedstead.
Won Moltke himself could moi
have surpassed Mss JohnsonE