Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-01-30

"You see Martha got in the habit Of
sitting up for me at an early age, and
she can't break IL of. l couldn't per-
suade her to 90 to bed and mind her
own business, so | studied on the mat
ter We 1--we in one of the centre houses
of block of five-story-snd-attic build
ings. There's scuttles In the roofs Of
all of them, and | persuaded Mr..
Greenup, who lives in the adjoining
house, To let me In his house about l
o'clock last night, and | went mp
through his scuttle and over TO mine,
aud so down into our bedroom. |
could see Martha from the head Of the
stairs, sizing in the front room cycling
the clock with look that was very tart
chrome But undressed and quietly
got la bed, aud there lay waiting de-
velopments. Every now aud then I'd
hear Martha give a short, fidgetty cough.
Then Ia hear her get up and prsnce
around the room little, and by and by
| 90 To the window and slam the shutters.
After I'd lain there about an hour l
heard her get mp aud go stand out on
the front steps for good five minutes.
Then she came in and slammed the door
and locked il and commenced coming
up stairs. Every other step she'd say:
'Oh, the wretch Won't give IL TO him
| | know where he is. know where he
! isl lie needn't think To deceive mel
Bout the time she had nearly got To
! the landing think she must have seen
! the light streaming out of the door I'D
lett open. could hear her stop, and
! then | commenced 10 snorc. ! WAS
afraid TO look, you know, but 1 could
hear her cautiously come up 10 the door
and look In. Well, sir, I'd have given
my pension from the war of l776 Ia
have seen her about the time she saw
il was me. III bet IL was fun. But
was afraid 10 do anything but snore.
Then she came into the room, l knew
by the way she breathed and stood
around. had to nearly bite my tongue
of me To keep II straight face on me.
could feel that she sat down la chair
and wss dumbfoundcd. never let on
but kept snoring like thunder but whom
she kicked over chair | turned aud
pretepded TO wake mp, kind Of dazed
like, aud says:
"Why, Martha, dear, amt you come
TO bed YETI"
"'Jarphly,' said she, awful slow and
solemn like, when did you come iny'
"Why, must be four or five hours ago.
Don't you remember when | told you
not To go to sleep In the rocker, but To
come 10 bedg aud / turned over aud
profcssed 10 go TO sleep again"
"She never made any reply. but acted
in a dazed, bewildered sort OF way, and
when she got TO bed ] could tell she
didn't sleep a wink for three hours.
This morning IL was fun 10 watch
Martha. could hardly keep straight
face. Al the breakiast-table, aId all
the time | was about the house, she'd
eye me when she thought wasn't look
Ing; then, when I'D notice her, she'd
turn away aud be awfully busy at some-
Thing. She caught me kind Of grinning
once, an !, by George, thought the cx-
plosion was about 10 come. But IL
didn't, though the look Of blank, un-
fathomable suspicion she wore on her
face all the time was the greatest show
Oh earth. IL nearly broke me up, and
I've laughed I'LL my ribs ache ever
since. know II won't last. xnow
there's "A day Of repcnting a coming,
and the thermometer is going up clear
out Of sight In the Jarphly family. But
who's going after roubIeS TN come
soon enough without hunting IL, and
I'm going to'cnJoy tba: scuttIe In the
roof until the explosion comes"
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