The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-03-25

utqute long enough. ~ should thlnk
So" said Aunt Clarice). "But / never
knew that you minded birds so much. :"
"Birds!" said Aunt Clarice, with an
indescribable intonation. "But I do
mind birds very much-such birds as
this: birds that walk on four legs, and
wag their tails, and make grabs at your
ankles"
"Aunt Clarice,"I cried, "it's Hero
that you mean-Jack's great, horrid
dog. Do you mean to say that he is in
the parlor? Oh dear! what shall l doa
Jack says that there is no harm in him,
but he always dances and grins at US so.
How shall we ever get him out, for nei-
Their Jane nor dare touch him?''
Aunt Clarice had relaxed slightly
when she found that had nothing to do
with Hero's presence in the parlor, and
now she began to laugh.
"Don't trouble yourself about getting
him OUT" she said. "He is safe enough
there, for I shut the door upon him. He
kept quiet until Jane had gone, but as
soon as I was left quite alone and un-
protected, he foundered out from under
the very sofa that l was sitting upon,
and danced and grinned' at me until l
fairly took to my heels. Now I'll 60 up
stairs and take my things off,"
Jack only laughed when I complained
to him of Hero's escapade, said that as
my pet had the run of his study it was
only fair that his should have the run of
the rest of the house. He positively re-
fused to chain him, or even to keep
him in the yard and cellar, as I i'm
plored him to do, if only on Aunt
Chalice's account.
"No, no." he said, "my relations
have had their turn; it is time that yours
took their share now.'
OF course, when Hero had once found
his way up stairs there was an end of
everything. Nothing would induce him
to stay down after that. It is my belief
that he had found out some way of
worming himself through key-holes, for
no amount of locking and barring would
keep him out. The worst of it was that
he took violent fancy to Aunt Clarice.
Or rather I am inclined to think that he
found her irresistibly teasable, and
was deep and artful enough to
pretend y firm confidence in
her fondness and admiration for
him. At all events, wherever Aunt
Clarice was Hero was sure to be some
where near. If she sat down upon q
sofa, Hero wriggled out from under it :;
if she entered a room, Hero bounced at
her from behind the door; nay, he even
secreted himself under her bed at night,
for the express purpose of coming out
in the small hours, and waking her by
the contact of his cold wet nose and
warm wet tongue. After she had twice
aroused the whole household by her
wild shrieks at these uncanny visits,
Aunt Clarice mildly but firmly an
nounced her determination.
"My dear Madge," she said, 81 am
very fond of you; I am fond of Jack,
too; but really q man who keeps such a
wild beast about his house is fit only for
Bedlam. I can't expect you to turn
him out for me, so l have decided to
turn myself out for him. am not quite
ready to 60 home yet, so have taken
board for a few weeks where I shall be
quite comfortable"
Jack only laughed, and said " Tit for
tSbUS "uCu u0 uCoIu Vi auuU O1dI .
departure. He laughed still more when,
on comparing notes, we found that she
and Uncle Philip were now inhabitants
of the same boarding house in Ninth
Street, curious coincidence, certainly,
but not worth going into Mysteries
about. It really seemed as if Jack
would never get over it. Every now
and then, during the whole evening, he
would suddenly throw himself back,
kick up his heels in the most undignified
manner, and roar. When I asked him
his reason for such behavior, he would
say only, "Uncle Philip and Aunt
Clarice!-h no! ho!" And for days
the mention of either name would bring
q most absurd and diabolical grin to his
face, which was handsome enough one
in general.
It was rather curious, l thought, that
since Aunt Clarice had left us so alb
ruptly we had seen nothing either of her
or of Uncle Philip, although more than
a week had passed. Aunt Clarice was
always out-or so the servant said when
I called; and as for her, she had never
once crossed our threshold since that
unlucky day.
I was just expressing my feelings upon
the subject to Jack, with Bijou hopping
about the carpet at my feet, when the
dOor-ben rang, and Jane brought in the
mornings mail. There was only one
letter, and that saw in a moment to be
from Amt Clarice
"High time, Think" 1 said, as I tore
it open. Then, in another moment, and
with shrek, "Jack, look here!"
This is what Jack looked at:
MY DEAR MADGE: have not seen you for
the last week because l was trying to make
up my mind whether or not to be an old fool,
and in such cases the fewer witnesses one
has the better. Pve decided at last, whether
for better or for worse remains to be seen.
Perhaps you know that Jacks Uncle Philip
Phelps and are old friends, and meeting
now and all Well, the long and short of it
is that we have made up our minds to be
married.
This is all at present from
Your attached aunt,
CLARICE VAUGHAN.
P. S.-If Master Jack and you hadn't seen
fit to turn your house into menagerie, 1t
wouldn't have happened. A mutual hatred
of pets was our first bond OF union.