Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-12-12
rave vent still more loudly to her

gave vent still more loudly to beI
amazement and displeasure.
All these three combined, OF
rather rapid successive noises
aroused Mrs. Moore, and she start
ed wildly into an upright posture,
rubbing her eyes, setting her cap
border and exclaiming:
s.BIess my soul, Annie! What
was that! Somebody at the doorl
What time is it, and WHO and what
can it bes So late as this, tool!
"It's not very late, mother. Only
alittle after eight. iii go and see who
it u.s." said Annie, demurely, and
at the same time taking the one
candle from the table.
"No! Here, Annie, you wind
up my ball and brush up the hearth
while ] gosto the door. Drat THE the
So For @the old lady i fee tsWeTe y
this While Struggling tbe2per:
picked meshes of the unraselled
yarn.
In her hurry Mrs. Moore forgot
to take the candle with her, and as
she stepped out into the small. un.
lighted front entry she unwittingly
closed behind her the door Of the
room she had just left. Almost at
the same moment she put her hand
on the handle of the outer door,
and opening it she found herselfil
the ardent embrace Of a pair OF
stout arms. A whiskered face was
brought into close proximity with
her own, and before she could fully
realize her position, she received "a
prolonged kiss-a hearty smack,
given with significant glsto, which
indicated that the unknown was
taking his revenge for some past
slight-paying off some old score,
for it said as plainly as words could
have done: "There, take thatD'
Aud all this fell upon her unoffend
ing, virtuous matronly lips!
ooh, murder, murder! faint
Josiah, neitherH'
For she had by this time Invested
herself of the impression that it
was her usually sober spouse re-
turned home in u strangely exalted
condition, thus to indulge in such
unwonted demonstrations of cOnju-
gal affection. "Git out! Git out, |
say! Murder! Fire! Thieves! Aunic!
Annie! DO come here! Here's a
man kiSsln ME like mad!'
But the intruder had BY this
time discovered his mistake, and it
did not need the indignant pun
melting and pounding of the old
lads respectable fist to make him
relinqulsh his hold and race off as
if pursued by SINE avengine fury
Annie, nearly choked with
smothered laughter in spite of her
trcpidation, now came to the res
cue.
sob neyer.wasaeai, r., G. 9
In=aiiopy5 6or1 Jay. me liisa
scalnpl WHO could it have beef
Annie, have you All idealu
But tile dutifnl daughter was
all appearance as innocent and Is
norant ;ts an infantile dove. SD
tried to soothe the indignant M
iron by representing that it migI
have been ~ one of the height Dor.
who, under the potent influence G
wee drop too much, had mistake
the honse-the housewife? Sh
searched the entry for the missin
spectacles. arranged the crumplet
cap ribbons, wound up the tangle,
yarn, Stirred the fre-all ip tn
Nest alaisbls manner possible-Aut
at last had the satisfaction of see.
ing her mother subside into he
usual tranquility Of spirit.
But Mrs. Moore was fully awak,
'ow.
She had got d new idea into he
head, and instead Of settling her
self Tor another nap she pursued
her train of thought and her knit
ting both together; with wonderful
rapidlty. At length, stopping ant
looking keenly at Annie over hel
spectacles, she said:
ut may be a queer notion oil
mine, Annie; bnt 1've a fancy that
man was David Winthrop"
Oh! but didn't Annie's face
catch fire then! You might have
lit any number of candles by it.
The suspicious symptoms did not
escape Iheeye OF the skilltul inQuis-
itor, who calmly continued:
"Pears to me, cause them big
whlskers put NC Ill mind of his'n,
and then theawkward way he grip
ped me with his big paws"
"No answer, but Annie was won
derlully busy. She bent over her
work and drew her needle through
so quickly that the thread snapped
and then she didu't lave time to
talk she was SO taken up with try
ing to coax the thread through the
eye again!
Infexible Mrs. Moore went on,
81 don't believe that kiss was in
tended for me after all. Do you,
Anniea Well, Of course it wasn't!
But then, I do wonderful you don't
know something more about it
than you he fl 10 tellg"
"Ale, mother2"
Eyes, me, mother. You were
mighty anxious 10 get me am pap