Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-01-24
Trying his Father.
WHY THE OLD GENTLEMAN BATHED
AT NIGHT.

Wish you happy New lear anu
Twill take it in oranges" said the bad
boy as he smiled on the groceryman.
and began filling his pockets with the
luscious tropical fruit.
Just you hold on said the gro
ceryman, as he stopped the boy from
taking any more. Heres a herring.
When anybody wishes another happy
New Year he should allow the victim
the privilege of selecting the weapons,
AZ they do in duel Now, oranges
are liable to give you the winter
cholera, and if they did, would be
liable for damages, but you take this
smoked herring and eat it, aud will
take the chances" and the grocery.
man uuloaded the boys pockets and
handed him the herring.
"Dear me, what frce.hearted old
fellow you are said the boy, as he
took off his mitten and began peeliDg
the herring. Here, you'd better take
back the head and skin Of this herring
and give me a cracker, aud then |
will tell you what brave man pa Is
"Tell me about your pa. | haven't
heard anything from him for long
time" said the groceryman as he
handed the boy the cracker, and sat
down on a half bushel measure by the
stove.
"Well, you see, last night We got to
talking about haunted houses, and pa
said there was no such a thing a. a
haunted house. He said whenever
any unusual noise was heard in
house, instead Of ivestigating it, peo'
pie got scared and went arouad talk.
ing about the house being haunted,
and before long everybody believed it,
the reputation of the house was ruined
and everybody was nervous. Pa said
that haunted houses was on par with
spiritualism, and people Of sense never
took any stock in either. lie said if
ever heard of haunted house, to let
him know and he would go through It
and investigate it in the dark. /
thought TO myself, boss, you can't
fool Hennery, and | laid for pa. That
evening my chum's cat came over to
visit our cat, and when il was time TO
go to bed the two cats were sleeping
by the stove, and pa told me | better
put the cats out Of doors and 90 to
bed. 80 | took the cats up carefully
and raised up the cover 10 the piano,
and laid the cats down in the back
side of the instrument, among the
strings, and petted them, and they
went to sleep, and | shut down the
cover, and We all went to bed. Ia
and ma sleep right over the parlor, I
and I sleep at the back of the house.
Along about three o'clock in the /.
morning, about the time the cats usu-
ally get woke up and begin to prowl 1
around, there was a faint scratching Of !
toenails on the strings, and yowl, |
that sounded rs though it came from .
the sewer. 1t was evidently music, |
such as you get at boarding houses /
where boarder practices on the piano /
for her board. listened and pretty I,
soon there was two 'meous' aud spit, /
end the strings acted as though they .
were being walked on the way a cat ,
does when she puts her paws up in
your lap and lets her toe nails 60
through your pants. / got up aud
went to pas room, and ma was sitting
up in bed with her nightcap Of, her
hair standing right up straight, and
she was trying to GET pa to rise up and
listen, but il wasn't PAS night to listen,
and be put lis head under the bed
clothes and tried to snore, but knew
pa was scared. I told pa that wasn't
afraid but Sished be would let me
sleep on the lounge in his room, and
pa raised up and wanted TO know what
the row was, and just then the cats in
the piano seemed TO have come to-
gether for their regular evening fight
and Of all the music you ever heard,
that beat everything. Pa listened and
said it was somebody next door trying
70 play opera, but ma said something
a