The Republican journal., 1884-09-18

|
the grammatical construction of the Ian
guage of that race, it must, in justice, be
said that he developed degree of tiuen-
cy which did him great credit. He purr-
ed and mewed. and cried and spit, unit
the perspiration ooZed from every pore
and made the sheets as wet as though
they had been "damped for the man
gle"
"Well, this is a remarkably nice posi-
ton for man to be placed in, certainly
observed Mr.. Beagle. "Did yOn ctei
hear such wailing and gnashing Of teethE
Are you never going to leave off, you
scoundrels ?" he added, throwing the boil
ster with great violence, as he fondly
conceived, right amongst them, Instead,
however, of striking the cats herewith,
be upset some furniture, which made
such a clatter that he began to "tut,
tut y and to scratch his head audibly.
.'Who's there" demanded Plumplee
in the passage below, for he slept in the
room beneath, and the noise of the arti-
cles in question had alarmed him.
Nv hos there? Dye hear Speak or I'll
shoot you like a dogI' and on the instant
the report of pistol was heard, which
probably had been fired with the view Of
convincing all whom it might concern
that he had such thing as pistol in
the house. 'Who's there ?" he again
demanded; 'you vagabonds, III be at
you :"
'Beagle !" he shouted, after waiting in
vain for the street door to bang.
"Here - cried Beagle, "Come up here
It's nothing. III explain For heavens
sake" he added, addressing Valentine,
"open the door" But Valentine was too
much engaged to pay attention to any
such request.
AT this moment the footsteps Of Plum
plee We're heard on the stairs, and Mr..
Beagle, who then began to feel some
what better, cried, Come in, my good
| friend come in "
"What on earth is the matter inquir-
| ed Mr.. Plumplee, as he entered the room
pale as ghost, in his night shirt, with Il
| pistol in one hand and lamp in the 9TH
er.
"lt's all right" SAID Beagle; " twas !
that made the noise. I've been besicged
by a cohort of cats They have been at it
| here making most healthtul music under
my bed for the last two hours, and in
I trying to make them hold their peace
with the bolster | upset the lurniture,
that's all"
Cats" cried Mr.. Plumplee, 'cats
/ Iou ate a little too much cucumber my
friend That and the crabs We're too
heavy for your stomach, You have been
dreaming You've had the nightmare !.
We haven't a eat in the house; can't
bear them.
"You are mistaken" reioined Beagle !;
''they are about here in sNarms. If Tre
turned one cat out this night, I'm sure
that I've turned out twenty I've in
fact done nothing else since came up !.
In and out, in and ont Upon my life, |
think can't have opened that blessed
door less than hundred and fifty times ::
and that young fellow there has been all
the while fast asleep as a church -
~ tell You, my friend, you've been
dreaming, We have never had eat On
the premises
"Meyow. meyow." cried Valentine
quietly
"Now have / been dreaming ?" tri-
umphantly exclaimed Mr.. Beagle ''now
have had the nightmare ?"
L
jumping upon Mr.. Beagle's bed, they
don't belong to me-
'l don't know whom they belong to-
returned Mr. Beagle, 'nor DO much
care; only know that there they are =!
If you'll just hook those breeches up
here, Ill get ont and half murder them
only hook 'em this way III wiring
their precious necks off :"
"Theyre out of my reach" cried
Plumplee. "Hish hish." Finding, low
ever, that harsh terms had no effect, he
had recourse to the milder and more per
suasive cry of pussy, pussy, pussy,
pussy, kit, kit, kit"
"Hish you villains :" cried Mr.. Jonas
Beagle, who began to be really enraged.
"kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty puss, puss,
puss." repeated Mr.. PlumpIee in the
blandest and most seductive tones, as he
held the pistol by the muzzle to break
the back or to knock out the brains Of
the first unfortunate cat that made her
appearance. But all this persuasion to
come forth had no effect they continued
to be invisible, bat the mewing proceed
ed in the most melancholy strain
"What on earth are we to Go p in
quired Plumplee Al myself have hor-
ror of cats"
"The same to me, and many of 'em :"
observed Mr.. Beagle. Lets wake that
young fellow; perhaps he don't mind
'em.n
"Halloo" cried Plumplee.
"Halloo" shouted Beagle but as
neither could make any impression upon
Valentine, and as both were afraid to get
off the bed to shake him, they proceeded
to roll up the blankets and sheets into
balls, and to pelt him with infinite zeal.
"Who's there? What's the matter 2"
cried Valentine at length, i'll the coolest
tone imaginable, although his eXertions
had made him sweat like a tinker.
"For heavens sake, my dear young
friend" said Plumplee, ''do assist us in
turning these cats out"
Cats" Where are they? Hish !" cried
Valentine.
"Oh! that's no Use. I've tried the
hjshiny business myself. All the hishing
in the world won't do. They must be
| beaten out; you're not afraid of them are
you?'
"Afraid of them Afraid of few
cats :" exclaimed Valentine, with the
assumption of considerable magnanimity.
"Where are they ~
"Under my bed," replied Beagle
| "There's a brave fellow. Break their
| blessed necks !" And Valentine leaped
out of bed, and after striking at imagin
AIRY animals very furiously with the boil
ster, he hissed with great violence, and
scratched across the grain of the boards
in humble imitation of those domestic
creatures scampering out of room, when
he rushed to the door and proceeded to
make very forlorn meyowng die grad
ually away at the bottom of the stairs.
Thank heaven. they are gone at
last !" cried Mr.. Beagle; 'we shall be
able to get little rest now, suppose"
And after very minutely surveying every
corner of the room in which it was posi-
bic for one of them to have fingered, he
| lighted his candle bade Plumplee good
night, and begged him to 90 Immediate
ly to Miss Madonna, who had been call
ing anxiously for an explanation.
AS soon as Piumplee had departed
Valentine assisted Beagle to remake his
bed and when they had accomplished
this highly important business with a
skill and deXterity of a couple of cham
bermaids, the light was again extinguish-
ed, and Mr.. Beagle very naturally made
up his mind to have six hours sound