Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-04-19

women are forced to spend IN this
pursuit could be added up. turned into
dollars and put out at interest. l am
sure they would pay the National debt,
with something left over to put in the
bank.
Well, the house we took for our Cal
ifornia winter was an old-fashiOned.
rambling house that had been brought
around the Horn in 40" in pieces, and
was full of hiding-places.
All around the fronts and sides were
wide verandas, shaded by great acacia
and evergreen trees; then the original
house and various additions, wings and
Is up one step, or down two. or at
tached by long. narrow halls. full OF
dim outlines. that a lively fancy could
easily turn into the shadow of a man.
A stray black cat, which no persua.
sion in the way of sticks and stones
could induce to retire. furnished many
a nightly alarm. and caused a more
thorough nightly search.
My maid slept on the same floor with
us, but the other servants, who. after
the fashion of the country. were both
moon-eyed Chinese. roomed in a small
detached house at the end of large,
neglected garden. beautiful with feath-
cry locust-trees, fan palms. great rose
bushes, one or two orange-trees, and
beds of brilliant flowers, which grew
with the wild luxuriance of semi
tropical climate.
The garden was full of fragrant
charms-and full of hiding-places- l
never dared even look in it after dark.
In the evenings-it was now April
Ethel and l usually sat on the upper
veranda, and there spent the hours.
drinking in the soft. delicious air, and
feasting our eyes, if it was moonlight,
on the lovely landscape, the valley
clad in the tender green of early
spring. The rounded, waving outline
of the Coast Range was lighted up off
in the western foot hills by the twink
ling lights of great turreted, PIN
nacled structure that looked like some
beautiful castle, transported from a
foreign land, but was. alas! only an
asylum fo- the insane.
One night, about ten o'clock, when
the early moon had already gone to
sleep. and soft darkness covered val
ley and hill, we went reluctantly to
our rooms to prepare for the nights
rest. 1t was so pleasant that it gave
guilty sense of wasting time to spend
it in sleep.
l had just put on my soft flannel
dressing sack, and unpinned my hair
it is my own hair, too-ready for
Ellen. my maid, to brush it out, when
Ethel, with light rap. opened the
door, and stood there for a moment,
framed in the dark woodwork, with
dusky hall for background, looking
"pretty as a picture"
She had put on a long white CASH
mere wrapper, let down her bright
auburn hair, which fell in curling
masses to her waist and floated around
her head like an aureola- A wax
taper, held high up in the air, threw
bright light on the blooming face, the
saucy nose. little turned up, and the
rosy mouth; the graceful folds of the
cashmere concealed the fact that she
has "no figure to speak Of" and
she looked SO cunning that
my heart warmed toward her, trying
as are some of her ways.
"Come. grandma, said she, gaily.
1--WE haven't looked for the 'man-in-
the-moon' YETI
This is sportive name she used to
denote her cheerful skepticism on the
subject of my fears. Size isn't afraid
Of any thing. 1t don't look well for
girl to be so courageous. In my time
girls were afraid of every thing. even
mouse; nowadays they dissect mice.
l caught up the poker, and Ethel
seized a lawn. tennis racquet that had
been laid aside for repairs; Ellen. my
maid, brought up the rear of the col
umn, armed with large, ivory-backed
and altogether we had quite
the air of that amusing painting of
Toby Rcsenthars, 1.-The Seminary
Alarmed"
I'm tell you what I shall do. grand
ma. if the 'man-in-the-moon' ever
does come down." said Ethel "Just
feel of my triceps" (or biceps). and.
up her arm. she put my hand
on it to feel place as hard as door
knob.
She gotthat going to the gymnasium.
upstairs on her hands instead
Of her feet throwing dumb-bells. just
like boy. l don't approve of such
things. In my day girls danced the
minuet.
II should just strike out from the
shoulder, so!''
And. suitins the action to the words,
she "struck out"
Away went the racquet right through
the mirror shivering it into a thousand
fragments. We all stood aghast. but
Ethel recovered herself at once.
IL tell Won. grandma IF I sIoarld do