Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-03-29

soundly two or three times, and a regu-
lar scrimage ensued.
Aunt Georgina flew to soothe her
bowling favorite, while the eat, who had
jumped on to neighboring cabinet, to
the imminent peril of Margaret's collec-
ton of gimcrack pottery, glOwed with
angry green eyes at her cOwardly assail-
ant, her tail the size and consistency of
a sweeps chimney brush.
4 1t was none too soon! As | looked
out of the window the men were Just
hosting the table out of the cart.
You keep her here" Margaret whis-
pered hurriedly to me. 81 must go and
look after them, and tell them not to
tread heavily" And she vanished from
the room.
1t is not too much to say that at this
moment l was fairly terrified. If | fail
ed, was responsible to Margaret. felt
a violent desire to seize Aunt GeOrgina
by the arm and march her up and down
the room as they do person who has
swallowed narcotic poison. A minute
more and the mems feet were distinctly
audible tramping past the drawing room
door. If my wife had told them not to
tread heavily they were certainly not
obeying her injunctions.
| Dear mel" said Aunt GeOrgina, put
ting up her eye-glaSs as if it enabled
her to hear better. "YOu don't mean to
say you have workmen in the house
still?"
Il think it is some men come to look
at the pipes" l replied. Pipes seem
usually the things that workmen come
to house to look at, so | felt 1t was a
safe thing to say, though not strictly
true.
But Aunt Georgina seemed bent on
investigating things for herself. In
fact, her hand was already on the door,
while thrill of horror shot through me,
when, fortunately, the door itself arrest
ed her attention. Margaret who is an
adept at painting on anything but paper,
THAT is to say, she paints on wood, china,
terra-cOtta and plush; but paper she says
she can never manage) had spent some
weeks in decorating the drawing-rOOm
doors, and the result was eminently
charming.
"It's very well done, indeed d-very well
done," she said, peering through her
glasses at my wife's artistic productions.
"Those foxgloves seem growing up quite
naturally out of the ground. By the
way, where is Maggie gone tO?" she eX-
claimed the next moment, sinking down
on to sofa which stood near.
"I-I think she has gone to look after
the luncheon" stammered. 'YOu see,
uo aro youDO bOuCa Eaanarc ayaD yat ~
And smiled deathly smile. l caught
a reflection of myself in the mirror OPP
pOsite, and it seemed to me that had
absolutely aged since had got up that
morning. "My hair will be white soon,"
l thought, "if this sort of thing goes on
much longer"
Dear mer said Aunt GeOrgina, sud
denly starting up from her seat, and
dropping the e-glasses through which
for some time, "While Maggie is busy
why should you not show me all over
the house? 1t will be capital OppOrtu-
nifty, and the stairs will give me an ap-
petite for luncheon"
Igroaned inwardly. had been dread
ing that she would make this request all
along.
~ am afraid there's nothing to see,"
stammered lamely.
Nothing to see!" echoed Aunt Georg-
ina. 81 conclude if there is nothing
worth seeing in the rooms, there are the
rooms themselves. Are you afraid of
it's taking too long? l should think If,
as you say, you do not possess a single
spare room to offer visitor, that is not
likely"
This was said rather stingingly, and
felt that it required decided answer of
some kind. Another crisis had come.
screwed up my courage to the sticking
point, though; like Macbeth, l felt that
l was nothing without my wife.
ITO tell you the truth, aunt" l began,
in desperation; ~ am afraid Margaret
would not at all like my showing you
over the house without her. Indeed, |
am sure she would be awfully diSap-
pointed. She has been talking about
your coming all the week." l went on,
warming with my theme; 'and looking
forward to taking you all over the house
and showing you the new furniture her
self, and would be awfully cut up, I'm
sure, if l were to play cicerOne without
her."
! felt my own man again after thus
asserting myself, and Aunt Georgina at
once looked Modified. 1t was happy |
thought of mine.
| had still another muodiS quart |
fheure before Margaret made her ap-
pearance, during which industriously
piled my charge with photograph albums
and books of prints. AS for the billiard
table men, thought they must have.
taken their departure up the chimney !
for | heard no more of them ON the |
stairs.
Words fail me to express how de-
lighted l was when the dear girl came
back to relieve guard. don't think she
had ever made me so happy since the
day she said she would be my wife. The
luncheon bell rang very soon after, and
as we were going down stairs she man.
aged to whisper to me, while Aunt |
Georgina was attending to her pug, that
the table was all right but the seats had
not come.
$50 L took the large armchair out of |
your dressing-roO and one OF two others
to put against the walls, and the room
looks all right and finished off. They've
fixed the rack up, too, and it looks love
ly. | made the men take off their shoes
before they went down again. l told
them some one was i'll in the house."
"Margaret!' l said, reprovingly.
"It's all right" she replied; "the cooks
got the toothache. There's no decep-
tion."
Our ordeal was over and we were safe.
We had a most delightful luncheon.
Aunt Georgina, who always enjoyed her
food, thoroughly appreciated it, and l
opened bottle of my best champagne
in her honor. She was in high good
humor, and when afterwards we escort
ed her In triumph over our house, she
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