Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-05-15
TWO OF A TRADE.

"Plague take the beast." excla med
DR.. Nelson, wrathfully, with an instinc-
tive movement towards a bootjack which
a second thought convinced him would
come in too late to be available.
DIR. Nelson was a good looking
bachelor Of four-and thirty, owner of the
comfortable house by W ndow of which
he was standing at that moment. survey
Ing 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 neiehbor
on his left-a grabbed old maid. whose
three pets, savage, snappy little cur,
with long tattered coat of dirty white,
screaming parrot with a never-ending
tongue and vocabulary that would
have made pirate b'u,h, and the aforc
said cat, were making life burden to
the doc tori ap reptitiously over the
fence, stalk across to one of flower beds,
and, after scratching up two or three
smaller plants that were in her way. set
tie herself for summing against a tube
rose, with a press urc that broke off
several of the flower-laden stalks. AS
the doctor flung up the window, the
guilty quadruped beat a hasty retreat
over the fence and out of sight.
''This ing has gone on long enough"
exclaimed the doctor, pulling the bell
cord. "Gallantry or no galIantry. RI
ct that old maid know She can't ride
over everybody with her plagued mena-
gre. Bri get" he added, as neat
looking Irish girl appeared in answer to
his summons, ego in the garden and see
if you can prop Up that tuberose so that
1t will do until have time to attend to
1t, and then go next door and tell that
W. man that If she doesn't keep her cat
out of my yard, I'll find some way TO
compel her to-that's ALL and, selling
his hat, the doctor strobe from the room.
Bridget desc, nded to the yard in some
perplexity. She had ony entered the
do, tors service the day before and was
not acquainted with the ncighbors or
their peculiarities She VAS consequent
ly at loss to de- ermine the quarter from
whence the outrage had emanatel.
Aided, however, BY happy thought,
she scrambled up by the fence and peerei
into the yard nearest to the desecratcd
flower bed. A sleek, white cat was
seated in the middle of the grass-plot,
washing her face with that air of serene
and self-satistied comp AGENCY peculiar to
the cat who has just committed some
more than usually outrageous INSIDE
meanor.
y CHI, you murthcrin' baste?" ex-
claimed Bridge, with vindictive shake
of her fist. "If yer m sthress is dacent
woman, it's sound throuncin' veil be
afther gettin'."
Repairing the damage as we'll as she
could, Bridget next proceeded to lodge
her complaint. In spite of her mingled
valor and ind gnation, howe, err she was
somewhat aba he'd before the quiet, self
possessed, and decidedly pretty little
lady who oTened the door in answer to
her vigorous summons. But there was
no back-down about Bridget, and accord
tngly she blurted it all out in breath.
'Sure, ma am, me masther says will
yez be kind enough to kape that villain
GUS basic of yours out of his Ward I!
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!'
elias my Muffet been doing any mis-
chief in your garden?" was the response,
in a sweet and perfectly self-composed
tone, as the bri ght blue eyes of the
speaker looked straight into Bridgets
face.
eff that's the name iv the four legged
baste what's enjoying herself on the
grass beyant, just as if she had no con-
science at all, at all, it is! Sure, she's
kilt the docther's iligant flower en-
tirely"
'1'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 cat9" asked the doctor on his re-
turn.
"sure, did, sorr! an I must say that
nicer spoken lady l niver saw" said
Bridget, delivering the message.
"Humph" grunted the doctor, as he
busted himself with the plant, happily
unconscious that pair of bright eyes
were watching him from behind the
closed windowblinds of the house on
his right. "She hasn't given up hopes
of capturing me yet, see, and thinks to
make an ally of my new servant-girl! l
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 quarrel"
The doctors predictions seemed des-
tined to be verified, The garden con-
tlnued to bear evidence of feline depre-
dations, mostly nocturnal, however
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
Dor were increasing hourly. that the dogs
yelping and the parrots screeching were
augmented tenfold.
This thing must be stoppedm he ex-
claimed, rising one morning in a more
than usual bad humor, having been kept
awake most of the preceding night by
yelling of the parrot. "There's no use
sending verbal messagcs-she seems to
have learned the art of fibbing to perfec-
ton. Sitting down to his desk he dashed
OF few resentful lines.
Two hours later "the lady next door"
opened and read the savage missive.
MADAM: Unless some way can be found to
put stop to the repeated annoyances am
receiving from you, one of us will have to
leave the neighborhooi; and as | hold my
house by the right of ownership, and you are
merely the lessee Of yours, do not feel dis
posed to be driven away: Not only am