The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-05-14

down just as he was? It was an awful
bore to nave to dress and undress SO Of
ten; but then, on the other hand it
would be an appalling thing to meet that
lovely, golden-haired maid in the hall, or
on the stairway in his present scanty
array.
It was q bothersome dilemma, and Mr..
Thomas, being a man, swore mild little
oath or two, and pranced around inside
the wardrobe in vain attmpt to find a
way out of his perplexity. Then sud-
denly his feet became entangled in stray
set of his Henrletta's crinoline, and the
more he kicked the closer they clung to
him.
Finally, with heart-rending groan,
he sat down on the hard, cold floor, and
went resignedly to work, trying to un-
ravel the tangle.
While thus engaged, he heard some
one softly enter the bedroom, and lean
ing forward, he peeped cautiously out.
Through the half-open door to see who
the untimely intruder was.
To his utter confusion he saw the love-
ly nymph of the No. 2 slippers, standing
composedly before his wife's toilet set,
contemplating her own pretty pink and
white face in the mirror.
At any other time and in almost any
other plight, Mr.. Thomas would have
lost himself in admiration of the sweet
picture; but now he cast alternate glances
at the unconscious damsel, and at that
little pile of raiment of his that was lying
lust out of his reach, on the carpet.
For some moments he was undecided
how to act, but finally concluded to keep
quiet, and wait patiently for the fair ap-
partition to vanish. This, however, she
seemed in no haste to do, but turning
her attention to a lovely blue silk even
ing dress that Henrietta. had left lying on
chair, she apostrophized it thus:
"Oh, you precious beauty. you're too
sweet for anything! I'm going to try
you on" And suiting the action to the
word, she began removing such articles
of her own apparel, as would interfere
with the trying-on process.
Now, some idea of poor Thomas nerv-
Gus trepidation may be gathered from
the fact that, at this critical juncture, all
the early teachings of q sainted mother,
and all his ample stock of innate modesty
oozed out at the end of his fingers, and
he sat there, on the floor, like a4crooked
marble statue, staring helplessly ut the
strange. mysterious transformation going
on before him.
He wanted to cough, or whistle, or
sneeze, Just to let the sweet innocent
know that there was somebody "behind
the SCENES" but he couldn't utter
sound; and so he resolved to ''sit out"
the performance, if it lasted all night,
and that too, without going out for ire
freshments" between the acts.
Finally he saw the lovely arms slip
out of sight, into the sleeves of the blue
silk dress, and his eyes would follow the
movements of the graceful, undulating
figure as it advanced, receded, and
foated round, in front of the large
mirror.
''Zounds, but isn't she a beauty?" NUT
tered our incarcerated benedict, under
his breath, 81 wonder why in thunder
she don't go on the stage, she'd make
sensation in less than - Hark, what's
that?"
t'That" was the soun1 of the front
door closing, and well-known footsteps
coming slowly but surely up the stair
way, and an icy little shiver crept down
our hero's spinal column, as he thought
of the sharp, grey eyes that, he felt sure,
would not view the innocent little scene
rs leniently as he might desire. He
caught one glimpse of a pale, startled
little figure creeping out of the blue silk
dress, and then he crawled softly back
into the darkest corner of the wardrobe,
and cuddling up to pile of carpet-rags,
held his breath, and awaited develop
ments.
Crash! Bang! The wardrobe door few
suddenly open, and. then shut again,
with snap, and a terrified little bundle
of humanity sank down at his feet, gasp
ing Tor breath, but totally unconscious of
his proximity.
Horror of horrors! Here he was, shut
up in the wardrobe with his wife's maid !;
and as he heard the stately mistress of
the house enter the apartment and
pause, he could, in Imagination, see
those keen eyes seeming the discarded
wearing apparel of both himself and his
unfortunate companion. Oh, if she
should open the wardrobe, and discover
them! Nothing on earth would ever
convince her that it was all the result of
strange combination of accidents. A
cold perspiration started at every pore,.
but Just at that awful moment, there
came to Thomas, a heavenly inspiration,
and he acted upon it. Leaning suddenly
forward, he whispered in the little maids
ear: '.Keep still, till she goes down
stairs to hunt us, and then"
"Oh! oh! Burglars! Murderl" shrek
ed the frightened damsel, as she bounced
up and hammered the wardrobe door
with. both fists. Then the door was jerked
open and the girl went head-frst outipto
the room.
ooh, Mrs. Thomasl'' she gasped,
s'there is horrid man in the wardrobep
'.There is, is there? And you undress-
ed and went in to find him, I suppose?"
"Oh, no, my dear lady, just"
s'Never mind" interrupted the cold,
sarcastic tones that made every individ-
ual hair on poor Thomas head stand mp.
'sH there is man in the wardrobe I'll
interview him first, and attend to you
afterwards"
The next moment some long fingers
twined themselves in Thomas scalp-lock,
and drew him remorsely out into the
light, where his startling state of disha-
billie was thrown into strong relief.
''Oh, my goodness gracious!" cried
the blushing cause of all the trouble, as
she struggled into her dry goods and
made for the door.
Thomas raised his eyes beseechingly to
his Henrietta, but he might as well have
appealed to one of the everlasting ice
bergs of the polar regions.
'sOh, Henrietta, just let me explain!"
he implored; but the awful grey eyes
transfxed him with one, never-to- -be-for-
II o4k H., ,,,1 Il