Morris tribune., 1880-07-08
POOLING IN EARNEST.

Miss Mehitable Parsons, stood before
the kitchen window, preparing sausages
and potatoes for breakfast. Her cat,
Spice, sat on the sill, surveying her mis-
tress' proceedings in serene anticipation;
and the small servant, who with Spice,
formed the whole of Miss Parsons limit
cd establishment, was vigorously sweep
ing the passage, with broom much too
large for her, the handle of which kept
up perpetual knocking accompaniment
against the walls.
1t was beautiful day, sunny and
balmy, with fresh, delicious perfume of
springing grass and budding leaves; and
few opening blossoms were sprinkled
like new fallen snow flakes on the branch
es of the old pear tree. Miss Mehitable
deyided her attention between these, the
sausages and potatoes, and the contem-
plation of three speckled hens, which
she intended to ''setn to morrow. She
had Just arrived at close mental COM
putauon of what would be the net pro-
ceeds OF the Matching, when the small
servant rushed in, wonder in her eyes
ana a letter IN her hand.
80, NUM-" says she, holding up the
misS1ve, ''jest see what I found tucked
in under the street door,"
Miss Parsons correspondence was not
an extensive one. With the exception of a
married sister in California, from whom
she heard once in six months, or cousin
in a town some thirty miles distant, who
wrote to her about twice in three years,
she boosted no regular correspondent.
She, therefore, surveying with interest
the birthstone colored envelope, which
the small servant held up, and wiping
her finger and thumb on her apron took
it glngerly by one corner, and examined
it with microscopic scrutiny.
"Miss Nehittyble Parsons, Present
No stamp nor poStmark. Nothing In
that can feel of. Name spelled wrong
too. Who could have sent it, What can
it be about, 1 wonder? Put under the
door, too, without knocking. 1 do won.
der what it is about, and who it is from3'
As the most direct means of enllghten.
ing her mind on these obscure points
Miss Parsons at length bethought her
self of opening the letter. She sat down
carefully opened the envelope, unfoided
the enclosure, and read aloud its con
tents, written in awkward schoolboy
hand, and embellIshed with sundry blotE
and erasurcs:
"MIss MEHrTFYBLE PARsoNs-Mad.
ami take the liberty to inform you
that as there is no peace or quiet in the
neighborhood, nor Is likely to be, so long
as your cat trespas on my premersis, and
set my dog sbarkin' all night, aud the
neighbors THROWN bootjacks at him and
threatenln' to shut him, I hereby inform
you that the next time your cat trespa:
on my wood shed ruff, or the gardine
fence, I'll shut your cat and git some
peace and quiet. Yors respectfully
CAPTEN TELLER
Miss Mehltable gave gasp, and lie
her hands drop nerveless in her lap.
"The land! Who ever heard of tn,
like? Why the man must be stick starl
crazy"
Then her eyes flashed with just indig
nation.
''To think of SIGH assurance--and Il
me, the darter of Deacon Parsons! Il
sll the forty-fve years since / was bon
In this very house, I've never had sucl
au outrageous thing to happen TO me-
neyer!'
Her lips quivered-her eyes filed Will
tears.
''If there was man of any sort in Ia,
house, he wouldn't dared to write tina
letter. 1t all comes of my being poo
lone unprotected woman. And he want
to shoot my Splcc!'
Here, suddenly arousing to sense o
Spices danger, she hastily turned to tn
window, but the Cat had disappeared.
sally Sally run inro the garden
quick, aud bring in the cat! That dread
full man may be getting his gun at thi
very minute. Run!
pccping through the window, as thougl
tribe of Indians in war-paint were am
buscading behind the sage and goose
berry bushes-''pleas, m don't see be
nowheres."
''Then go and leok for her-quick
skeerccly dare to shoot you. you llttl
cowardP'
AS Sally disappeared, her mistres
turned to the fizziiDg sausages and pota
toes, which having been neglected In he
excitement, were now giving out and ode
Of burning.
She had hardly time to turn ther
when the small servant rushed in, pal,
and with wide-open eyes, bearing SpIc
in her arms, carefully wrapped in he
check apron.
"Oh, mum! Capn Teller's over in hi
yard, and he do look orfulr'
Miss Mehitablc peeped from her wiz
dow. There indeed was her next dof
neighbor, bare-headed, an ak in his hant
slowly rolling up his shirt-sleeves, as h
glared at Spice, who had suddenly n
samed her favorite seat In the window.
"I'lI go right out and speak to him
said Miss Mehitable, with flushed fac
and rather dangerous sparkling in ht
eye, ''l'll let him know whether or NJ
I'm to be imposed on, If am lor
woman! I'll make HIM understand til;
there is law In the iandi;'
1t was only three weeks since Captai
Teller had taken the little cottage ne1
that of Miss MehItabIe Parsons. He ha
formerly lived at quite the opposite en-
of the town, where his sister Patty ha
kept house for him.
But Patty, having taken it into HI
head to marry and leave him, and IL
neighbors having kept an incessant waite
ON the captain, tn see how he would e
along without a housekeeper-and Il
widows in special having been extreme
officious in offers Of advice and assistan1
Captain Teller, had, in disgust, reno
cd himself. his dog Pickle and his fe
goods and chattels to the opposite end
the tnTn.
Here he had fondly hoped to live
peace In the intervals of his voyagin
Tor the captain, be it known, was cor
mander of the gallant barque Dauntles
on which he periodically breasted the tn
bid waves If the canal with cargoes
grain, timber and other such articles
commerce.
On his return from these expedition
he had been accustomed to find his hou