Wichita eagle., 1888-09-16
How soT asked Haney.
"Miss Goggles is first on watch.

| MISS goggles Is nfSt Oh Watc0.
Ill
Mr. johnson was right. Miss Goggles
was first on watch.
The watery eyed spinster foresaw many
personal advantages in the scheme of es-
pionage agreed upon by the boarders. In
the first place, nature seemed to have en-
dowed her with especial gifts of poking
and prying into the personal affairs of
others.
Her eyes, expressionless though they
were, were remarkably sharp both at
bulged out like miniature cornucopias,
had very susceptible tympanums, which
accurately received and registered the
slightest undulation of sound Her nose,
long, sharp and pointed. seemed framed
to scent out scandal; while her high, mar
row forehead betolzened intellectual quail
ties in keeping with those other tokens Of
inquiSitiveness and cunning.
Then she had football as soft and vel
vety as that of cat. She glided noise
lessly about the house, and was con-
stantly turning up in the midst Of inter-
esting domestic incidents. The servants
said she had disagreeable habit of looking
through the keyholes. One night, when
young Mr.. Jobson came home slightly IN
der the weather, and Mrs. Jobson began
to moan and cry and threaten to return
to the aching bosom CT her mother, Miss
Goggles was caught peering through the
transom of their room. She excused her
self on the ground that she thought the
wretch was numbering his unfortunate
wife, and she wanted to be able to testify
against him in the criminal court.
Mrs. Jobson came near tearing her eyes
out the next morning, and Mr.. job
/ son, mortified and Inundated almost be-
yond endurance, consulted a scientific
friend as to the practicability Of
securing the germs of some malignan;
disease with which to quietly inoculats
the innocent, saintli1e Miss Goggles.
This showed Mr. Jobson to be bitter,
spiteful man, quite capable of the awful
crime which the spinster suspected him of
contemplating; but a man cannot feel
friendly and dovelike toward a woman
who has witnessed and gloated over his
first connubial tiff
Then, Miss Goggles was pleased with
the new programme because it emanated
from Mr.. Johnson.
The old gentleman had been particu-
larly attentive to the spinster of late. He
had taken her to the theater several times
and grown tenderly sentimental over the
subsequent oyster stews. More, than
once he had waxed confidential over the
parlor stove, and spoken of his financial
affairs in way which excited her 20 envy,
if it did not warm her to love.
She felt herself blushing whenever
those kindly. twinkling brown eyes looked
into the literally liquid depths of her own
passionless orbs. Affairs had reached
such a pass now that Mr. Johnson had
only to whisper an affectionate word, and
she was ready to flop into his arms and
proclaim vows of undying devotion.
/ But Mr.. Johnson did not whisper that
word, contenting himself with an occa-
sional sigh and glance If respectful adj
grafton. He sometimes called her Hen
rietta" that was her given name-but
the word seemed to come from him una
awares, and he lapsed into moody silence
every time it escaped his lips.
Now was the opportunity of her life,
she argued, as she slided up stairs to her
hall bed room. If she were industrious
in her espionage, if she discovered reck-
less abandon on the part of the fascinat-
ing Mrs. Claypole. if she We're the first to
procure proofs Of unlawful conduct, Mr..
Johnson would be profuse in expressions
of admiration, and probably be impelled
to make the longed for declaration.
When Miss Goggles reached her room
she closed the door noiselessly. Inside
there was another door which communi-
Gated with the sitting room of Mr.. and
Mrs. Claypole. This door, of course, was
locked on the other side. The key hole
was stuffed with paper, the chinks were
covered with list, and the glass of the
transom had a green baize covering to
shut out the gaze of curious eyes and
deaden the sounds within.
Ii was evident that the Claypoles knew
of and were DESTROYS of circumventing the
inquisitive proclivities of their next door
neighbor.
But the genius of Miss Goggles rose
superior to trivial obstacles of this kind.
Days ago she had seized chance to enter
the Claypole apartments and unfasten the
button which held the transom closed.
This maneuyer had evidently not been
noticed, since only that morning, while
Mrs. Claypole was down town shopping,
she had tried the transom and found it
worked responsively and noiselessly to her
touch.
AS to the key hole, a pair of tweezers
had picked the paper almost entirely out,
bit by bit, until only thin layer re-
NAMED, which could be easily removed
when the eXigencies of the case reqired
such a step.
Consequently Miss Goggles was well
situated to play the part of a spy and, if
needs be, to surprise the blonde in the
very height of her amours.
And Miss Goggles chuclzled softly to
herself as she heard the lid of the piano
close and the singing give place to sounds
OF earnest conversation.
Turning down the gas, the inquisitive
spinster mounted on chair, pushed the
transom open a little, and was delighted
to find that the angle of vision thus OBJ
tanned gave her full view of Mrs. Clay
pole and her visitor, besides enabling her
to hear every word that passed between
them.
What was transpiring in the Claypole
sitting room must have been profoundly
entertaining, since for full hour, at the
risk of cranp in her neck, Miss Goggles
remained IN this uncomfortable attitude,
with wide staring eyes and eager open
ears taking in the Scene below.
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