The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-05
TWO OF A TRADE.

Dr. Nelson, wrathfully, with an lnStlnc
tive movement towards bootjack which
second thought convinced him woulc
come in too late to be available.
DR.. Nelson was good-looklns
bachelor of four and thirty, owner of the
comfortable house by window Of which
he was standing at that moment, survey
ang the neat garden at the back, whose
two Towering beds were his special pride
and pleasure. That pleasure, however,
had just been rudely disturbed by OBJ
serving cat belonging to his neighbol
on his left-a Grabbed old maid, whose
three pets, savage, snappy little cur,
with a long tattered coat of dirty white,
. screaming parrot with never-endine
tongue and vocabulary that would
have made pirate blush, and the afore-
said cat, were making life burden to
the doctor-leap surreptitiously over the
fence, stalk across to one of flower beds.
and, after scratching up two or three
smaller plants hat were in her way, set
tie herself for summing against tube
rose, with a pressure that broke off
several of the fower-laden stalks. As
the doctor flung up the window, the
guilty quadruped beat a hasty retreat
over the fence and out of sight
''This thing has gone on long enough !"
exclaimed the doctor, pulling the bell
cord. ''Gallantry or no gallantry, Ill
ct that old maid know She can't ride
over everybody with her plagued mena-
ger;e. Bridget" he added, as a neat
looking Irish girl appeared in answer to
his summons, ''go in the garden and see
if you can prop up that tuberose so that
it will do until have time to attend to
it, &C then 60 next door and tell that
", man that if she doesn't kee) her cat
out of my yard, I'll find some way to
compel her to-that's all :" and, seizing
his ha', the doctor strobe from the room
: Bridget desc :nded to the yard in some
perplexity. She had only entered the
doctors service the day before, and was
not acquainted with the neighbors O.:
their peculiarities. She was consequent
ly at loss to determine the quarter from
whence the outrage had emanatel.
Aided, however, by a happy thought,
she scrambled up by the fence and peerei
into the yard nearest to the desecrated
fower-bcd. A sleek, white cat was
seated in the middle of the grass-plot,
washing her face with that air of serene
and self-satisfed comp AGENCY peculiar to
the cat who has just committed some
more than usually outrageous misde-
meanor.
- ch, you murtherin' basc?" ex-
claimed Bridget, with vindictive shake
of her list. ''If yer m sthress is dacent
woman, it's sound throlncin' yell be
afther gettin'."
Repairing the daragc as well, as she
could, Bridget next proceeded TO lodge
her complaint. In spite of her mingled
vslor and ind ;gn :tion, howe, or, she wa,
somewhat aba he'd before the quiet, self
possessed, and decidedly pretty little
lady vino o ,.encd the door in answer to
her vis orous summons. But there was
no back down about Bridget, and accord
ingly she blurted it all out in a breath.
''Sure. ma am, me masther says will
yez be kind enough to kape that villain
Gus bastc of yours out of his yard
Faith, it's broke off his beautiful tube
rose, bad cess to its dirty self, an he's
that mad he could kill the crather!''
"Has my Muffet been doing any mis-
chief in your garden9" was the response,
in sweet and perfectly self-comp posed
tone, as the bright blue eyes of the
speaker looked straight into Bridget's
3 face.
IF that's the name iv the four-leggcd
baste what's enjoying herself on the
grass beyant, just as if she had no con-
science at all, at all, it isl Sure, she's
kilt the docther's iligant flower en-
tireIy!"
'I'm very sorry. Please take my re-
grets to your master, and tell him I will
try not to let it happen again" Then
the door creaked suggestively, and
Bridget withdrew.
'Did you attend to that matter about
the cat2' asked the doctor on his re-
turn.
"Srre, did, sorr! an must say that
Dicer-spoken lady l niver saw" said
Bridget, delivering the message.
"Humphn' grunted the doctor, as he
busted himself with the plant, happily
unconscious that a pair of bright eyes
we're watching him from behind the
closed window blinds of the house on
his right. "Shc hasn't given up hopes
of capturing me yet, see, and thinks to
make an ally of my new servant-girl!
believe she'll let those pests annoy me
more than ever now, for the sake of try
ing to strike up an acquaintance, even
though it must begin with quarreln'
The doctors predictions seemed des-
tined to be verified. The garden con-
tinued to bear evidence of feline deprc-
dations, mostly nocturnal, howevcr-and
Bridget's complaints, instigated by her
master, were met by polite regrets and
assurances that she was taking every
pains to prevent further annoyances
while it seemed to the irate doctor,
whose hostile feelings toward his neigh.
DO, W re increasing hor.ly that the dog
yelping and the parrots screcching were
augmented tenfold.
''This thing must be stopped" he ex
Gained. rising one mornln>, in more
tlan usual pad humor, having been kept
awake most of the preceding night by
yelling of the parrot There's no us(
sending verbal messagcs-she seems tc
have learned the art of fbbng to perfec
ton. Sitting down to his desk he dashed
of few r,sentful lines.
Two hours later ''the lady next door
opened and read the savage missive.
MADAM: Unless some wa can be found tx
put stop to the repeated annoyances all
isceiving from you. one OF US will have tt
leave the neighborhoo1: and as | hold III,
house by the right of ownership, and YOU ar