Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-01-12

IN considerable fear OF his third return anC
another series of questions at the top of his
lungs. But he came not again, and dropped
off to sleep at last, and was troubled by
dreams of tempests and tornadoes, and white
squalls carrying away whole crosses of UNI
brellas, until Sarah knocked at the panels oil
my door with her customary information
that it was $50 o'clock.
was perforce an early riser There was
great deal to superintend, and my parloI
floor was gentleman connected with the
railway goods traffic department who wa:
always getting up early and going out tc
business ana letting himself in again with his
latch key about in the morning, when he
expected breakfast ready, and ate it walking
about the room, as a rule, preparatory to
running away again in hot haste. should
have considered Mr.. Goode an irritable
ledger if it had not been for the angelic con
trast that he afforded to Capt. Choppers. As
it was, he seemed only a little bit fussy and
precise, which was attributable chiefly to his
lot in life Mr. Goode was widower with
two sons at boarding school, and if those
boys had lived and died at boarding school,
instead of coming home twice year for the
holidays, l think Bridget and Sarah would
have rejoiced exceedingly.
remember NIOOue aSheQ oafan THAT
morning if he could speak with Miss Neild
before he left, and went up stairs at once to
see him. He was walking about with his
mouth full and slice of bread and butter in
his hand.
''That was dreadful noise last night, Miss
Neild," he began; II couldn't get wink OF
sleep The captain, suppose, again? must
certainly ask you in my name TO present my
compliments to him, and"-
ut was not Capt. Choppers"
"Indeed? No. Well, thought l heard
his voice." said Mr.. Goode, very much disap-
pointed.
There was no homogeneousness between
Mr. Goode and Capt Choppers may say
even that there were times when they hated
and loathed each other
"He's beggarly upstart civilian, mad
am the captain would roar in excited mo-
ments; and 'He q captainl'' MIR. Goode
would say, with whitening contempt. ''Cap-
tain of a penny steamboat, perhaps, nothing
moren
But to my strange story.
"A gentleman dropped his umbrella down
the area and knocked me up for it," ex-
planned, with little acrimonious emphasis.
s'Well, of all the COMPOUNDED imperti-
like to treat that party to bit of my mind
You never got up and gave it to him2'
mo, did not.n
II am glad to hear that For you must
take care of yourself, Miss Neild, and keep
strong. You are not looking well, y he said,
regarding me with his head on one side, as if
he had a troublesome wen ON the other which
he was anxious to keep clear Of the edge Of
his shirt collar, upon my word you are not.
You are pale and fragile looking. A little
change at the seaside now would do you a
world of good"
Eyes, dare say it would"
"This large house is trial to you-and
that captain, with his absurd faneies and his
ridiculous tempers, would worry the life out
of saint-and you are really looking ex-
tremely pale this morning. And-good gra-
cious, | had no idea it was so late!n
Mr.. Goode swallowed the last portion of
his bread and butter whole, and dashed like
harlequin out Of the front door. When he
had gone I surveyed myself in his parlor
glass and wondered if l was looking very i'll,
or whether, being dismal man, he was try
ing to brighten me, and l arrived at the CON
clusi N I was looking about the same as usu-
ala prim, pale, pert little puss, as my dear
old dad called me once, when | was argyin 3,
with him on the housekeeping expenses, ami
how the weekly money would rover hold out
if he would continually ask the dodgers in to
supper and game at cribbage afterward
Poor dad he died next year and left me
sole proprietor of the lease and furniture of
the house in Prossiter street, and there were
no late suppers and cribbage any moro.
was IL when he died, and I had had Eve
years charge of No. 10 since-''getting quite
an old maid, Lily Brian, who lived next door,
said; but then Lily was four years younger
than /, and assumed upon her youth, as girls
will A nice girl was Lily Brian and my one
friend and confidante, but perhaps too fond
of laughing at everything, although that
showed she was happy and had keen sense
Of humor and fine set Of teeth.
Well, perhaps was trife paler, was my
second conclusion after the first five minutes,
and with a lingo of redness-a mere tinge-
about the nose, just as if ! was breeding a
cold, as Bridget put it. And this was not
remarkable, considering last nights expert
ences, and sure enough the cold was bred be-
fore my early dinner hour when the sneez-
ing stage had set in with considerable force
This reminded me once more of the umbrella
which had been dropped into the area last
night, and l asked Bridget to bring it to me-
1.-THE what, m'mF' asked Bridget, with
wild stare.
"The umbrella
"Umbereller, and down our airy, did We
say, MN? There's not q scrap Of umbereller
down our airy. I've been in and out twenty
tonnes, and must have seen it, continued
Bridget.
bridget, there must be an umbrella"
said; Ego and see."
Bridget departed, and returned with the
information that there was no umbrella in
the area, and then went and looked for my
self, and, as it was still drizzling with rain, /
caught another cold on top of the first one,
and was at fever heat ere twenty -four hours
had eusued. But before then the gentleman
had called for his property, and | had met
face TO face the individual who had rendered
last night hideous.
He came at in the afternoon, sending il
his card by way of preliminary announce
ment that hs lad arrived. / did not associ-
ate him with the unbrella-indeed | was
feeling drowsy and "out of Sorts with pains
at the back of my head when a huge glazed
card was presented to me bearing the i'll
scription in large, fancy letters, of "Geoffry
Bird, carver and glider and picture frame
maker, 967 Goswell road, Islington, N"
81 don't want any picture frames, Sarah"
1 said TO my small help, YEARLY.
"It's the gentleman about his umbrella,
num- said Sarah.
"Good heavens Oh, indeed. Well, ask
him to step in, then"
My sitting room was a small apartment at
the end of the long passage, the only little
room had to myself and my day dreams
yes, my day dreams!-when the house was
full, which it had been all these years, for
they were the same dodgers who had lived
with US in fathers time-odd, inconsiderate,
queer tempered dodgers enough, but faithful
to my house, and keeping an old promise to
my father, too, "to stand by the little woman
bit when he was gone"
Mr.. Bird was ushered into my presence,
and he came in with low bow and with a
trifle too much of a smile to wholly please
me, although it suggested itself to me some
what quantity that he would not have much
to smile at presently. Mr.. Bird was a slim
and somewhat short young man, who wore
his black hair long enough for violinist,
and had TDOn the smallest of hands the red