The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1881-04-30

O'ClJ utJ. Slareu ABOUT me
IN desperation. There stood heaven
y ash-barrel right at my elbow. ]
breathed an inward thanksgiving, and
hastily examining the hoop-skirt into
the barrel, Joined my visitors at the
front gate.
We are just in time to make a
tour OF your fower-garden, Mr.. Blod-
gett, SAID Juliet beguilingly, 81 do sc
dote on flowers y and she gave me a
tender glance, as if to say, 50 I have not
forgotten the dollhouse roses and snowy
camellas that certain individual used &c
send me p
With all my heart, ladies, this way
and Mr.. Clggswell, too" and | led them
IN triumph around the flower-beds. pluck
ing the falrest blossoms of all for Juliet
and Mrs. Ciggswell. 1t is fortunate that
Arabella did not see the solicitude with
which selected the perfect specimens.
The reverend Ciggswell squinted
through his eyeglasses toward the
kite hen fire.
You have-aw-some very fine veg
etables, too-aw-Mr. Blodgett. | per
celve. L am very fond of looking-aw
at a vegetable garden"
L could have murdered him. The
way to the vegetable patch led directly
past the ash-barrel.
Oh, yes, dear Mr.. Blodgett, do
show us the vegetables" said Juliet.
u do love to see the cunning little
yellow squashes, and the beets and on
ions, and all the other nice things
There was no help for it. Sitting a
groan, conducted them to the desired
place. Weneared the fateful sh-barrel.
Jullet's eyes were cast on the ground,
and L breathed freely as we passed it.
when amlnous sound" tsiss-ss-st -
greeted my ears, and my Mortified eyes
beheld long, ragged rent in Juliet S
pink cambria polonaise! That diabol-
zeal hoop-skirt-that haunting, remorse-
less fiend-that "Banq,lo" that would
not "down had protruded broken
wire through a chink of the barrel, and
the deed was donel If Arabella were to
be inundated on fifty trains, it would
make no difference now Juliet would
never fsmlle on me again. A woman
must be on angel to forgive an irrepara-
bic injury to a new dress.
OF course [ apologized and of course
she pretended not to care; but a certain
freezing dignity crept into her manner
Tor the remainder of the call, and by the
time we reached "the cunning little vel
low squashes " her enthusiasm was as
dead as Julius Caesar.
The visitors declined an invitation to
enter the house and rest. Mrs. Ciggs-
well, with an infinitude of pins and an
abundance of sympathy, made temporary
a
bowed them out of the front gate with
an unwonted chill at my heart.
Looking across the street [ espied O
rag-man's cart standing at the widow
Dickerman's. A wild impulse seized me.
L snatched. the "fiend" from the ash
barrel, and as 1 ran up airs called out,
bridget, run over to Mrs. Dickerman's,
please, and tell that rag-man to be sure
and stop here"
The rag bag always hung by Arabella's
sewing machine, in the bedroom. Twist
ing the " tiend into the smallest posi-
BILE compass, L wrapped and tied it Sc
curely In ragged dish-towel, and pushed
1t down, down, down, to the very bot
tom of the bag, No, that wouldn't do.
The lowest rags would be sure to crop
out at the top when he emptied the bag.
With Machlayellian cunning | pulled
the I" tiend PUP toward the middle. "He
will never discover it till he gets to the
paper mill, " thought /; farewell, ruth
less destroyer of my peace, farewell p
By the time my arrangements were
completed the Widow Dickerman had
come to the end of her chaffering for
halp-pint tin cups and griddle-cake turn
ers, and the cart was at the door. With
a stohd countenance, but throbbing
heart, L stood nonchalantly by, while the
peddler weighed and emptied the rags.
and counted out the cash. I did not
draw full breath till saw the back of
the cart vanish over the top of the long
billy street, on the road to H.
The next day Arabella, (dear girl) re-
turned with Aunt Carraway. As we sat
at dinner, plying our elderly relative
with all the deicacies of the season. [
heard an animated discussion at the
kitchen-door, between Bridget and a
strange man. Bridget's voice grew
shriller, the mans gruffer, then heavy
footsteps came near. / quaked with a
heavy presentiment. The door opened
and the rag-man stood before me with
indignation on his freckled face.
EFF you suppose that Hiram Salathiel
Bangs is agoin' tew pay five cents a
paound for old hup-skirt wire, you're
jest leetle out O your reck min, for he
don't Gale late to kerry on biznessin emmy
SIGH style. I'll trouble yew for 10 cents,
mister, and he handed me the "fiend, !"
still tied in the ragged towel.
Arabella was completely mystifed.
Aunt Caraway looked unutterable things
l handed out a dime, Hiram Salathiel
departed. l flung myself back in my
chair, In an attitude of utter hopeless
ness.
" It's no use, Arabella! I've tried to get
rid of that internal thing ever since
Tuesday! It's bewitched Where's my
hat a.? and | plunged wildly out of the
house.
When / came home, at tea time, Ara
bella met me with a queer little smile.
cts all right, Philly. Aunt Cara
way wasn't nearly SO Mortified as you
would suppose. She's asleep, In her
OWL. room, now, like blessed old lamb
kin. -
She led me up to the side of the room
where the bookcase stood, and pointed
roguishly to a looking,
serpentine arrangement on the wall,
lined with turkey red, finished off with
bows of ribbon, and filed with newspa-
pers.
"You know, Phil, you never can find
your paper again, when you lay it down,
so this afternoon l made you a wall
pocket for surprise"
1 looked again. Could / believe my
eyes? Yes-it must bet was-the
"fiend transformed into an object both
useful and ornamental, by the wit and