The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-11-10

day, and went To bed ut night in most
unhappy state of mind. Was my rest
to be broken in upon again? had
hardly fallen off into feverish slumber
when | heard that accused hammer
again. covered my head with the
bedclothes. Rat-tat-tat it went. 1t could
not be n hammering of my Imagination,
for put my ear to the wall and felt tho
vibration through the ilimsy partition.
o. the unutterable selfishness of that
bed of n silver teapot or SO, or dozen
teaspoons! l was desperate now. l
rushed down stairs. Fortunately it was
not raining. l found my barrel at once,
and that was reassuring. l excoriated
myself again. | scaled the wall and
landed with crash on the other side on
pile of flour pots some one had care
lessly placed there. WAITED moment
for the noise to subside. knew that if
any robbers were there the row l had
made must startle them. rubbed a
very badly skinned ankle and waited,
and nothing came.
Night after night went on that ac-
cursed hammering. Was to De doom.
thieves in that old lady's garden; and
what was worse, my chivalrous conduct,
my dallying with death, receiving no
recognition? Evidently there was some
mystery. was the victim whose sad
end was being plotted.
never went to sleep after that with
out stutling cotton in my ears, and al.
ways in most wretched frame of mind.
/ was martyr of my disinterestedness.
l was being robbed of my sweet sleep.
Life became burden to me. The old
lady was either laboring under some
hallucination, or l was crazy. There
was only one thing which made me suf-
fer all these torments, and that was the
belief that was hero in the eyes of
the granddaughter. l cannot say that
she ever directly expressed herself in
that way, but looking at her at times
when | met her in the street, as l adj
dressed few words to her, thought
recognized an expression on her face
which told me of her sympathy.
These nocturnal visits at last preyed
on my spirits. went to bed now with
Ran ddGtRsi rsefsss
am quite sure that had met a small
boy about the size of Oliver Twist at
night in the old lady's garden, should
have shot him.
The rapping would cease for night
or two, and then commence again. /
felt that this business must come to
stop. My employers, leading grocers,
had noticed my sleepiness during bust
ness hours, and had complained aboutit.
One night this summer, YEARLY l
climbed the garden fence, pistol in hand
for it had become a mechanical pro-
cess now-and l dropped into wash
tub of water, placed with devilish in
genuity on !. three-legged stool. AS I
fell over, my pistol went Off The neigh
borhood was aroused at last, but l de-
stinctly heard, in the bathroom that
overlooked the old lady's garden, peals
of laughter, and young woman APP
peared ut the window who was appar-
emily enjoying the scene.
If this brutal conduct on the part of
that girl were not sufficient, think of
the impertinence of a young man who
business. As l have said, am a clerk
in the wholesale grocery line, and drug
gists' clerks are always stuck-up crea-
lures. The young sprig twirled stick
in one hand. and in the other he had
card. am to suppose his name was
written on it. ''See here" he said,
making his stick whiz through the
air within few inches of my nose.
"See here, oleomargarine, Goldfish,
prunes, pickles, and glucose, you have
been foOling around grandmother
place long enough, and you are pre-
cious ass, and Mary Jane-that's my
cousin, Il lady am going to marry
has had quite enough of your nonsense.
What prime proprietary idiot, with
revenue stamp on it. you are not to
know that the old lady has got robber
on the brain bad when she's awake, but
when she's asleep Of nights, bless her,
she snoIes away like n humming-top.
A Chinese cracker under her ear
wouldn't rs much as faze her. Now,
the old woman never had any use for
your hammer, but l guess from what
Mary Jane has told me she has been
pounding around with it quite pro-
miscuously. Now, see here, here is
your hammer, and do you take it. be-
fore 1 make you swallow it, handle.
claw and all, just as if it were glass of
cream soda; and the very next time I
hear you have ventured to cross that
fence, or put that big foot of yours in
my grandmother house, l will just
thrash you dizzy; and listen to some
good advice-change your boarding
house, figs. even if you have to 60 back
on your landlady."