The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-03-15

"Hel he' hep shrilly laughed, or seemed
to laugh, that accursed little pigtail.
Washford started at once to the perpendicu-
ar. With an enfrenzied grasp he tore the
jasey from his head, and with that in one
hand and his ill-acquired spoil In the other,
he rushed distractedly from the garden.
All that night was the humble couch Of the
once-happy gardener haunted with the most
fearful visions. He was stealing apples-he
was robbing hen-roosts-he was altering the
chalks upon the milk -score-he had purloined
three chemises from hedge-and he awoke
! Ia the very act OF cutting the shroa6of one of
Squire Hodges sheepl A clammy dew stood
upon his temples the cold perspiration burst
from every pore-he -sprang In terror from
the he'd
"Why, Joe, what ails thee, mani" cried the
usually incurious Mrs Washford; "what be
the matter with thee3 Thee has done nothing
but grunt and growl all t. night long, and
now thee dost stare as if thee saw summut.
What bees it, Joef'
A long-drawn sigh was her husbands only
answer; his eye fell upon the bed. "How o
devil came that herep quoth Joseph, with a
sudden recofl; "who put that thing on my
pillow7"
"Why, did, Joseph. Th' ould nightcap is
In the wash, and thee didst toss and tumble
so, and kick the clothes off, l thought thee
mightest catch cold, SO clapt t. wig atop O.
thee head
And there it lay-the little sinister-looking
tail impudently perked up, like an Internal
gnomon on Satanic dial plate.
When Joseph Washford once more re-
paired to the scene of his daily labors, sort
- i LII
tenanee, and gave him an uneasy feeling as
he opened the garden gate; for Joe, gener-
ally speaking, was honest as the skin be-
tween his brows; his hand faltered as it
pressed the latch "Pooh, poohl twas but
an apple, after all! said Joseph. "Had it
been an apple pie, indeed!--"
"An apple pie!" the thought was danger
Gus one-too dangerous to dwell ON. But
Josephs better genius was this time lord of
the ascendant; he dismissed it, and passed
on.
On arriving at his cottage, an air of hustle
and confusion prevailed within, much at
variance with the peaceful serenity usually
observable in its economy. Mrs. Washford
was In high dungeon; her heels clattered on
the red-dled floor, and she whisked about the
house like parched pea upon drumhead; !;
her voice, generally small and low, was
pitched at least an octave above it's ordinary
level she was talking fast and furious.
Someth ing had evidently gone wrong. The
mystery was soon explained. The "cussed
old twoad of a cat" had got into the dairy,
and licked off the cream from the only pan
their single COW had filled that morning |
And tkere she now lay, purring as in scorn.
lib, hei esofore the meekest of mousers, the
honestest, the least "scaddleo of the feline
race-a cat that one would have sworn might
have been trusted with untold ish-yes-
there was no denying it-proofs were too
strong against her-yet there she lay, hard
ened In her iniquity, coo1ly licking her
whiskers, and reposing quietly upon-what9
Jerry Jarvis old wig!
The patience of Stole must have Welded !:
it had been too much for the temperament of
the Man of Uz Joseph Washford lifted his
hand-that hand which had never yet been
raised on libby save to fond1e and caress-it
| now descended on her devoted head in one
| tremendous "dowse" Never was cat SO as
tonished, SO enraged; all the tiger portion Of
| her nature rose in her soul. Instead of gal
Looping off, kissing and suffering, with
arched back and tail erected as any ordinary
Grimalkin would unquestionably have done
under the circumstances, she paused mo-
| ment, drew back on her launches; all her
energies seemed concentrated for one prodi-
| gious spring; demoniac fire cleaned in her
green and yellow eyeballs, as, bounding up
ward, shs fixed her talons firmly in each of
| her assailant's cheeks-many and many day
after were sadly visible the marks of those
envenomed claws-then, dashing over his
| shoulder with an unearthly NEW, she leaped
through the open easement, and was seen no
more.
'The devils in the cati" was the apostrophe
of Mrs. Margaret Washford. Her husband
said nothing, but thrust the old wig into his
pocket, and went to bathe his scratches at
the pump.
Day after day, night after night, twas all
the same, Joe Washford's life became bur-
den to him; his natural upright and honest
mind struggled hard against the frailty of
human nature. He was ever restless and
uneasy; his frank, open, manly look, that
blenched not from the gaze of the spectator,
was no more; sly and sinister expression
had usurped the place of it.
Jerry Jarvis had good-looking tulip
and his neighbor Jenkinson fell in love with
the pips and petals Of ''Neighbor Jarvis
| tulips" There was one or two among them
of such brilliant, such surprising beauty
the soups so well formed, the colors so de
fined To be sure, Mr. Jenkinson had enough
in his own garden; but then, Enough" says
the philosopher, "always means little more
than man has got" Alasl alasl Jerry
Jarvis was never known to bestow-his
neighbor dared not offer to purchase from sC
wealthy a man; and worst of all, Joe, the
gardener, was incorruptable. Aye, but the
wiga
Joseph Washford was working away agar
in the blaze of the midday sun; his hea6
looked like copper saucepan fresh from ths
braziers.
why, where's your wig, Joseph2n said th,
voice of his master from the we'll known win
dow; what have you done with your wigT
The question was embarrassing-its tail hat
tickled his ear till it had made it sore; JOSEPH
had put the wig in his pocket.
MIR. Jeremiah Jarvis was indignant; b,
liked not that his benefits should be i'll appre
ciated by the recipient "Hark ye, JOSEPH
Washford," said he, 'either wear my wig, o.
let me have it again,n
Washford's heart smote him: he felt al
that was implied In his masters appeal. at
here, your honor" said he; al had onl,
taken it Off because we had a smartisl
shower; but the sky is Frightening now
The wig was replaced, and the little tortuou
pigtail wriggled itself into its accustome,
} position.
; AT this moment Neighbor Jenkinson peepe
over the hedge.
J "Joe Washford" said Neighbor Jenkinson
Sir to you, was the reply.
, How beautiful your tulips look after tn
rainIn
"Ahi sir. master sets no great store b.
them flowers, returned the gardener.
, "Indeedl Then perhaps he would have n
, objection to part with fewz"
why, mol don't think master woul
> like to give then--or anything else-away
j SIR" And Washford scratched his ear.
3 "Joe!" said Mr.. Jenkinson-"Joein MI
} Jenkinson said no more; but a half-crow