Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1884-06-18

On, uear, lnerU announcer scratch
What awful hard work it is to be an
inventor"
And Mrs. Fillisy stuck her finger in
her mouth and sighed deeply, 1t was
eleven O'Clock before she had completed
her network of wire upon the last
step, and then, too tired TO do as she
had intended stretch the wire across
her bedroom door--She cOntented her
self with rolling the dressing-case
against the door, and retired, convinced
that no burglar would set foot inside
her room that.night.
But hardly had she laid her head on
her pillow when there sounded from
the little cot beside her the wall, 81
want drink | want drink! Use
awful thirsty"
Mcrciful sakesl She had forgotten,
in her interest in her invention, to
bring up any water! "There, there,
darling! Now go to sleep! That's
mammals pet"
81 'on'tl want drink! can't 60
to seep widout drink"
"Oh, dear! There's no help fol it, l
suppose. How ever in this world am
| to get down thoce stairs?"
Taking the night-lamp in her hand,
she surveyed the situation. "The only
way is to slide down." And, suiting
the action to the word, she initiated the
riotous schoolboy in his wild flight
through space. She reached the lower
floor safely enough, albeit somewhat
Jared by her unaccustomcd locomotion;
but when she had filled her pitcher and
retraced her steps to the foot Of the
stairs, she regarded the proofs Of her
Inventive genius with Mortified dismay,
From the dim regions above came
the wall, 81 want a drink while the
chorus of a still smaller vOre filed the
night with the music of its "Me0ws
mcows"
"Yes, darlings, mother is coming"
But how? She couldn't slide up. Be-
side, her hands were full. But those
clamorOus voices called forth every
energy, and, leaving her lamp at the
foot of the stairs, she crept up slowly,
hand over hand, foot over foot, ON the
outside of the bannistcr, and, cropping
her way to her room, quieted the voices
with the few drops of water remaining
in the pitcher, and then went down, in
another wild flight after Eer lamp.
Worn out with her exertions, when
she reached her room, she fell asleep
almost Immediately. She was awaken
ell a little later by shrill scream Of,
'Oh, wurra wurra. It's q murthcrin'
snake, it is.' and jumping up bewilder-
ed, she recognized Bridgets voice in
the
"Why, what is the matter, Bridget .
"Shure and matther is it? It's q
snake or some other murtherin' baste
has hurted me fut that bad, musha.
musha" and Bridget sat on the hall
llool rolling from side to side and hold
ing her wounded foot in her hand. :.
"Oh, no, Bridget, it's only the bur
glar alarm. | forgot to tell you about
it. See, my hands are all cut up by it,
too; but it'll keep burglars away
Burglar alarm, is it, thin? An
who put it there, if yez plaze?' by
this time Bridget was standing erect
and glaring at her mistress with ven
geance in her eyes.
"Why, did. You see Mr. Fillisy is
gone away and | wanted to feel safe
"Shure an its safe yez are from tli;
night on. I'll be LAWN yez in the
,aornin. | never worked afore where
daccnt gurrul couldn't go down the
stairs fer bit of Glove ilc to put in hel
achin' tooth widout steppin' on bur
glar alarm and havin' her feet hurted
that bad! Shure an I'll be afthel
lAvin' in the mornin', ma'am," anG
Bridget limped toward her room in /
state of unappeasable Indignation.
"lm so sorry, Bridget; | didn't
Think" began Mrs. Fillisy, deprecating
ly.
"Shure an ye'll think in the mornin'
ma'am," and Bridget banged her door
with force that shut off all further
explanations.
Mrs. Fillisy retired to bed to weep
she had been at such pains to procure
Bridget, whose culinary powers Mr.
Fillisy had especially praised that yer!
day. How angry Josiah would b'
when he came home and fount
Bridget gone. Dear! dear! and all be
Cause of that burglar alarm!
Somehow her pride in her invention
began to wane. She wasn't quito 81
sure now that Josiah would be pre-
pared to admit that woman had u
much genius as her so-called lord ant
, master.
She was crying silently over her trial
when suddenly she heard sound tha
r caused every individual hair on he
head tostand erect Somebody was a
the front door! She couldn't be mis-
, taken! There! 1t opened! and yes
hear those stcalthy steps along the hall
and there goes tho sitting-room door
, J Oh, dear! There's Il burglar in tn
, house for ccrtainl How frlghtcne
Q she wasl There. she heard him NOV
ing cautiously about in the sitting-roon
, What cOull no be doing? Getting th