St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-25

goes" wherever she goes" wherever she
goes"
How these nursery day rhymes jingled in
my ears few DAYS ago. | could not get
rid of them! And all because of Il little
informal call l made upon Miss Nougat,
who lives upon Clinton avenue.
dropped in for a careless chat, and had
hardly began to talk of this and that and
what not before heard the mutlied tinkle,
tinkle of tiny bell that seemed to come
from no place in particular. AT first it did
not disturb me, but gradually, as the merry
music continued without visible cause. 1t
began-well, not exactly to annoy, rather
say tease or pique me.
| soon discerned that the iingling sound
was regulated in volume by the movements
of Miss NOugat. | closely eyed her wrist
bands, necklace, finger rings, but there was
nothing at all resembling a bell. l had
read somewhere that the darlings of fash
ion had taken to wearing these tinkling
cymbalS on their boot tops; and SO, when it
could be done with seeming delicacy, l
dropped my eyes to where the young
ladyS feet were most likely to be
trusting. of course, that they would not be
hidden under her dress. No. they were
quite open to view. But my timid glance
had neither chance or need of peering be-
yond dainty ankle to convince me that L
should not find there an explanation of the
PULLING BELL-RINGS.
The lady's feet were encaSed in pair of
low shOes-SandalS | believe is the techni-
cal term-the tops of which l could see
plainly as need be, and there were no bells
there.
The never-ceasing ringing irritated me
strangely. Several times l found myself
stopping abruptly in the middle Of sen
tence to listen TO the intrusive tink-a-tnk.
1t actually made me nervous and distract.
Twice | was tempted to ask my companion
the source of the mal-apropos music. But
her womaniy intuition seem to warn her OF
what was in my thoughts and she cleverIy
turned the talk from what might prove
forbidden path.
Yet she rather enjoyed my discontinue.
She moved about somewhat more than the
quiet current of our converse demanded.
And she had a way of emphasizing many
of her remarks by stamping her foot with
much the same effect as the use OF three or
four exclamation points, whereupOn
the little bell emitted perfect
shower of tintinnabulatiOns. L began
to wOnder-but l stopped right there. If
l ever began TO wonder there is no telling
where l would pull up at Yes, / had
better go before my uneasy, curiosity led
me to embarrassing queries. Miss Nougat
noticed an apparent brusquenesS in my
manner, and when she babe me good night
at the parlOr door there was just the quaint
est twinkle imaginable in her eyes. L
heard her walk towards the library hum
ming
. CASINO WALTZ
very softly with pianssimo accompani-
ment of that same eXasperating tink-a-tink
not quite unlike the mellowed notes that
one catches on summers day from far off
fields and meadows.
The mysterious sound haunted me so per-
sistently after leaving the house that be-
gan to think that | was the victim of de-
fusion, that if any ringing did exist it was
only in my mind. Still l could not get rid
of the tinient sensation. On the con-
trary, every succeeding tinkle sung some
new change on the now-familiar tune. AT
first it was the Jingle from Mother Goose
''She shall have music wherever she goes.
wherever she goes, wherever she goes, "
until l found my head noddng in uncon-
scOus accord with the verbal rythm. Then
! was engaged in a silent struggle to mould
my thoughts in cOnsonance with the varied
movements of Poes Bells" as l had
heard them recited by an amateur elocu-
ZIONIST at recent evening at-home."
Then | thought of Matthias, the wretch
whose crime was visited upon him in the
shape of bells, which no one heard but him
self mean the character portrayed by
Irving when he goes through the play in a
sort of five-Step waltz, as if moved by elfin-
strings to keep time with the spaSmOdic
iangling. But as l was quite certain that
| had never murdered any peddler who
drove about the country in an open sleigh,
felt no especial uneasineSs.
Still the ringing was there! l rubbed my
ears, as if to drive away the phantom
noises, but l only seemed to set the bells
rafting at livelier pace.
l would go to bed and sleep. 1t would
pass away with good nights rest.
But the veriest trifeS Sonspired to fur
Their my uneaSineSS. | pushed a chair
away from the fireplace. and each of the
casters sent out beIl-like note pitched in
a different key. | took glass of water
from the table. and in doing so struck it
against the pitcher. Nothing very un-
usual about that? No. but OH this occasion
that goblet seemed called upon TO ring out
high G until the surface of the water fairly
dubbed with sound-waves. Everything L
touched with a trace of metal or glass
about it began some manner of harmonious
vibration. AT my wits end for peace, L
threw myself on the bed. But whereas
that couch usually deported itself with the
quiet that becomes a place of rest, tonight
every individual spring uttered distinct
and different note. To my excited imagina-
ton it was no difficult task to fancy that
these notes arranged themselves in system
attic and harmonious sequence. L thought
myself at performance of the Swiss
BELL-RINGERS.
Every movement as | tossed about un
easily seemed to introduce some new feat
ure of the program. Now it was marche
militaire, now polka redowa. now gavot,
now funeral dirge, now some measure
from DelibeS ballet; and when the fire.
tongS happened to fall against the andiron
! at once concluded that l was being treated
to the usual piece de resstance-the An
vii chorus" and the entertainment being
over l went to sleep.
In my dreams-or rather nightmare
figure as the clapper in 1.-The Curfew
Must Not Ring Tonight" which had heard
young lady in gray moire-antque dress
declaim at Conversations few evenings
before.
was awakened in the morning by the
Changing of the chimes i'm the church tower
opposite, but as L had frequently heard
these bells l knew that they did have an
actual existence outside of my disc dered
brain. Still, my uneasiness of the proceed
ing night was not dspelled. With the
calmness of daylight there did come an au-
dacious idea that suggested solution to the
mystery. But was determined to ascer-
tain beyond doubt whether or not during
my call on Miss Nougat L had hea d YER
liable bell or whether / must conclude that
had experienced well-known symptom
of incipient insanity.