St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-27

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!. Elizabeth.
NO said Hiram Biggs, thought
, fully, 81 shall do nothing of the sort
But shall send no word at ALL"
"l;hey'll come, all the same," said
Elizabeth.
'But, said Hiram with sparkling
eyes. "they don't know where wt
live"
"They'll look ont your name in the
Directory" said Elizabeth. ~.
at isn't there" said Hiram. chuck
ling,
Not there ?" repeated his wife.
don't you remember that we didn't
move in here until the middle of June
.'How could our names be in the
Directory 7" argued Hiram.
Mrs. Biggs elasped her hands dra-
matically. "There's family of Biggs
in the next avenue" said she" II.
Biggs, Books, Stationery, and News
Agents. They'll go there.n
"Well, let them" said Hiram. ''Just
as they please, so long as they don't
come here" And he threw the letter
of Biggs pere into the scrap basket,
secretly feeling himself to be avenged
on the family for all the Sights and
jeers and neglect that they had cast
not only on him, but on his gentle lit
tie Elizabeth.
"But, Hiram" said Mrs. Biggs, ''it
seems so dreadful -
"NOt half so dreadful as visitation
of the whole Biggs family would be- y
said Hiram with groan.
But Hiram knew little of the perse-
verance and energy of the Biggses if he
believed that so trifling an impediment
as lack of invitation or a delay in
sending addresses would keep out the
invasion. 1t was Canute and the ocean
over again and in three days the
whole family arrived, all packed into
one hack TO save expense, with per
feet Leaning Tower of Pisa of baggage
on the roof, the driver perched in front
nobody knew how, and Mrs. Luke's
two little boys astride of the very apex
of the tower.
At the first wholesale grocery store
on Barclay Street a Directory was
handed in and duly studied, and the
driver, changing halfway down, like
one who gathers samphire, dreadful
trade" was hidden to drive to No. 26,-
OH Thirteenth Avenue.
>.
"Book- maker and news agent" ad-
ded old Mrs. Biggs, in a high falsetto.
And the man chirruped to his horses
aud drove on.
"Humph :" shifted Miss Josepha, who
had had the good luck to secure a win
dow, ''if this is Hiram's elegant city
mansion, it don't come up to my ideas
of style. Brown brick, with dormer
windows, and only two stories high
and the whole front store, with the
shutters up, just exactly as if there
had been n death in the family"
"Dear me-" said old Mrs. Biggs,
Chow you do startle one But there
amt 10 Grape on the door"
"Mother takes everything so dead in
earnest y said Mr.. Luke Biggs, scorn-
fully.
"Lemme see," said Mrs. Horatio,
crOwding across the old lady, and Civ
ing her best hat "poke" not intended
by the milliner. "Well, declare! |
guess the boOk-makers' business amt
so dreadful full of money after ALL"
''And liquor store next door, and a
pawn-brokers across the street," jeer-
iugly observed Miss Josepha.
''P'raps that's the way folks lives in
New York" said old Mr.. Biggs, who
was squeezed nearly fat between his
wife and Mrs. Luke on the back seat.
''Tain't what | expected to see," said
Mrs. HOratio, in accents of scarcely re-
pressed scorn.
81 don't know how they can accom-
modate us ALL" sighed old Mrs Biggs,
vainly endeavOring to straighten her
bonnet.
"Ehat's their lookout" said Mrs.
Luke, leaning comfortably back, with
the heel of her boot balanced on her
father-in laws most sensitive corn.
The driver by this time having tum-
bled Off his most perilous seat, and rung
the door-bell twice without evoking
any signs of life from within, looked
appealingly toward his fares.
'What am to do ~ said he.
''Ring again." said Mrs. Horatio.
And the hackman rang again, this
time with so much energy as to pull
the whole bell-wire out. and precipi-
tate himself backward on the pave
ment, like Hamlet at the first sight of
his fathers ghost, at which the little
boys laughed engagingly, and hat
box tumbled down from the Leaning
Tower into the gutter. where it split
open like an over ripe nut, revealing
Mr. HOratio Biggs' best black felt hat.
''BOys, boys, do set steady up there !"
screamed Mrs. Biggs. "Look! There's
some one coming at last. Is it Hiram
Or is it Elizabeth ?"
1t was neither one nor the other, as
it happened, but stout old woman in
a flannel dressing gown, carpet slip
pers, and red nose.
"Mr. Biggs' folks to home ?" shrilly
inquired Mrs. HOratio, who had consti-
tuted herself spokeswOman for the par
ty, without any formal appointment.
40 yes" answered the old woman,
in a snuffy, confidential sort of tone,
they're to hum. But p'r'aps the chill
dren hadn't better come in"
By this time the hackman had
opened the door of the vehicle, and
the tide of Biggses had begun to flow
out on the pavement. But Mrs. Luke
stopped abruptly on the carriage step,
with her father iu-law's brOnzed Wis
age peering over her shoulder
.'NOt come in ~ said she. "Why,
we're their relations come to visit
'em."
"Not but what they're deal better,
and the doctor says there amt no more
danger of contagion,n reassuringly ad-
ded the old woman.
''Contagion ~ echoed the Biggs fam
lily.
"Hadn't you heard ?" said the old
woman, with the solid satisfaction
which old women generally evince in
communicating any startling piece Of
Information. ''Well, it amt no secret
in the neighhorhOod, especially as
people amt best pleased with the
Board of Health's concludin' to insulate
'em here instead of sendin' 'em to hos
nital TheYiNe every ON. of ,em had