, 1880-11-26
of a woman Of forty-fve to remain out


of bed after nine o'clock P. NJ.
The presence of the mother was not
SO obnoxious, save when she would sud
denly turn around Just as Romeo would
thoughtfully place his arm around JUL
cts waist to prevent her from falling of
the chair and fracturing her collar-bone,
or something, while he tasted whether
she had new kind of rouge on her
damask cheeks. Then it was annoying (;
and Romeo would impatiently and audi
bly, mutter "Why the dickens don't
the old thing go to bed Thank heaven,
she can't hear, anyhow " And Mrs.
Fitzallister would innocently turn to her
sewing with a look that said as plain as
large print "Ah, well, / was young,
too, once, and know how it is myself"
One night there came what the Demo
cratic party wants-a change. 1t came
with an overwhelming majority, as it
were, and the young people had no de-
sire to 60 behind the returns.
Romeo called as usual, and found Ju-
liet and her mother in the parlor. The
lovers occupied the sofa, and the widow
drew a chair up to table, with her
back to the young folks, and soon be-
came deeply absorbed in the mysteries
ef some needlework. Romeo and Juliet
talked, and talked, and talked Then
they talked some more, totally ignoring
the presence of the mother, who had
] apparently commenced to doze, but
. whose face, whenever there was sound
like game of Copenhagen in full blast,
would assume an expression of intense
interest. The conversation, which had
been quite free, and partaking of the
quality of half-cooked taffy, gradually
drifted into this channel:
"And, dear Romeo" murmured Ju
liet, with voice full of tenderness,
"now that ma has consented to Our
union at an early day, you will promise
to love me always, and never, never 60
out at night after we are married-won't
youP
CT PROMISE" hesitatingly replied
Romeo-the perjurer-and sealed the
lie with kiss.
"And when We 60 to housekeeping,
dear ma will come and live with us, and
we will be, on, ever so happy--won't
we, darling n
Mrs. Fitzalister's sewing fell into her
lap, and her teeth appeared to close more
firmly on something she held In her
mouth but well-simulated snore be-
tokened calm weather rather than an
impending catastrophe.
"Ah-er-ye--no," responded Ro-
meo. "That is, don't you think, dear
Juliet, that we could be much happier
without your mother living with us |"
Mrs. Fitzallister moved uneasily in
her char, as if she had bad dreams, and
her fingers worked nervously, as if they
we're hungry for handful of human
hair.
"Why, dear Romeo" whimpered Ju-
liet, nesting her head in the young
mans shirt-bosom, "you don't DISLIKE
dear ma, do yolP
Well-yes, / do," bluntly replied
Mr.. Myrtleton. Every night the old
cat sits here as if she had taken root,
when she knows blame we'll that her
room is better than her company. l
would not have tolerated the old nuisance
this long if she had not been as deaf
as a -
AT this point there was a cyclone of
aStonishment-a bosom of infuriated fe.
maIe-so to speak,
Deaf, am l ?" shrieked the old lady,
taking an audiphone be.ween her teeth,
and turning fiercely on the young man.
"Deaf, am [? and I'm an old cat, am I ?"
she hissed, shaking her fist under Ro-
meo's nose. "And I'm an old nuisance.
too, am IL" and she made a frantic
clutch at Romeo's hair.
Mr.. Myrtleton looked indisposed. A
vague, undefnable something told him
that he would feel better if he was at
home. 1t suddenly struck him that he
had remained half an hour longer than
was good for his health and he grabbed
his hat and was about leaving without
bidding Jullet's mother good-by, when
that enraged female caught him by the
coattails and yelled:
And my room is better than my
company, is itl And you think you
could be happier without me, do you p
you vile wretch and base deceiver -
and electric sparks fairy shot from her
eyes. "Mr. Myrtleton," she Continued,
taking him by the ear, "there's the door!
MY daughter and myself will try to be
happy without you. Coz
Romeo went.