, 1889-01-10
Mr.. BIRDS UMBRELLA.
ny 7. W. ROBINSON.

ftsit i-ISlt-t;lt- q tstt u tat a tat 1itll
Their was a pause and long enough pause
3 20 give me the impression that / had beer
dreaming % earthquakes, or Of the bomharI
ment OF IN" British museum, or Of q volcanic
eruption in liu>sclI square, 10 convince INT
( even furcihly that must have been dream
ing. aS | SAT Up ia bed, and rubbed my eyes
and listened. Thcn-BanE! bang! bang
Tat-a-tat-a-tat- tat-a tat-a -tat-a tat - Bang
Xcs, there was somebody evidently knock
ing ut the street door, hanging 10y the street
door knOckcr, and throwing his whole soul
into the inStrument-the house was on fire
perhaps, or we We're wanted next door at
Brians or u Iunatic had escaped, and was
clamuTing for admittanCc, straight waiStCOnt
and all, or else the up stairs dodgers had come
back prematurely from their visit &c
Tunbridge. and were anxious to get i'll
out of the rain, which was coming down
with a yehcmence that certainly
startling. l could surmisc nothing
more at a moments notice and ut 2:G0 in the
morning.
We all slept very snundly III No. 10 ProSsi-
ter street ProsSitcr place, Russell square,
Bloomsbury, for We worked very hard at
No. 10, and the house was Il large one. 1t
was house of many lod.,ers-parlor floor,
first floor and second huur-aud all com
fortably let. and those lodgers who were ut
home We're all fast asleep, or else waiting for
me, the poor, weakly proprietor of the es-
tabliShmcnt Jane Neild, ut your service,
gentle reader, age -, and an orphan with all
establishment on her mind, and living &c
get out of the eStablishment, TO call to the
servants bridget, able bodied, general, =
aged 10, and n frightful temper, and Sarah,
aged Is, child with chronic cold and q red
nose, but handy help to Bridget TO SO
up and see what was the matter at No. 10, OF
with the party outside No. 10 who was
''kicking up such deuce of a row."
That was the way it was put at last 10y
Capt. Choppers, my drawing room floor, an
irritable old gentleman-not to say violent
when rouScd-who came out on the landing
at last i'll an attire which Bridget told me
afterwards was far from decOrous, and began
bawling vociferously up the staircase the
names Of each Of my maids in turn conclud.
Eng with my own name in n shrek OF sheer
despair.
Miss Neild-herc, l SAYS everybody
dead! Miss N-e-e-e-ild'
"BleSs my soul, captain, what is it now.'
/ cried through the crack in my door.
Don't YOU hear that Internal noise down
stairs madam! Who the deuce is il at this
time Of night, who the-what do you say
madamF'
I'm going to open the window and inquire
unless you"-
'It's no business of mine, Miss Neild,n
bawled the captain. II don't expect any
body-rm not going into the drawing room
at this time of night, with my cold. I'm dis
turbcd enough, as it is, through your being
all SO diabolically deaf. 1 shall leave this
day week, Ina'am. Thereln
And slam went the back drawing room
door, and crick crack went the KEY in the
irascible captains lock. 1 was in my dress.
ing room, with a flannel garment, which |
take the liberty here OF calling q ''muffier, =
wrapped round my head and shoulders; and
as went toward the window, trembling
must say, III every limb, the knocking was
repeated for the third time, and with three
fold vigor, born of the delay and irritation
TO past summOnSeS
waited until there was silence again, or
nearly silence-for I could distinctly hear
Capt Choppers loading all his firearms-and
then opened the widow, and peered into the
damp. shiny street, which the wind and rain
had all to themselves, with the exception of
g dark figure ON my top step, whose hat
| could see shiny as the pavement.
"What is it" l inquired; but the wind
| whisked my voice into Museum street, and
had to repeat the inquiry in shrill falsetto.
| The man below paused with his hand to the
! knocker again-for he was just going to be-
! gin afrcSh-liStened, and then ran down the
steps and stood ON the edge of the curbstonc,
with his hands behind him, looking up at me
! at last l could make nothing of him in the
darkness from my point of view.
/ What do You want, sirf' / asked, now
that had secured the attention of this indi.
vidual. What are You making such n noise
! for at this time of night:'
"Tm very sorry to disturb you, LADY,
=, y I -. 4
| did not hear me, and perhaps it was us
well he did not. have not a reputation for
being severe in my remarks, but then this
was an exceptional proceeding, and deserved
rebuke.
'The fact is, madam, the wind has blown
my umbrella clean out of my hand into your
area. would not mind so much, i" lie conde-
scended To explain still further, at the top of
his voice, but it's an umbrella l set great
store by. Besides, its raining tremend-
| ous.y."
II really cannot come down at this hour
and get your umbrella" l said, severely
''you must call Tomorrow for it"
Isn't there any one i'll the house-any man
| who can get it,
THE house is locked up for the night
"Its such q very deep area or would drop
| over and get it myself But then don't sec
how to get out again" he said.
Il can't help you, sir; | am very sorry
replied, but | can't go down tonight for it.
II should bc Il brute to ask you, ma a'am, =
| he said politely now; and here | could See
he raised his hat To me; ''Of course | could
not tell who was III the house, or whether il
might not he easy to get my umbrella-whicll
| really value very much, l assure you; its
an umbrella which-hut am very sorry TO
have disturbed you. | will call III the morn
! ing-thank you; good night"
\ And away the gentleman strobe, turning
I up the collar of his coat above his ears as he
went on down tue street l closed the win
1 dow, set my '.muftier' aside and in another
moment should have been in my humble
couch again, when Rat-a-tat a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-
/ a-tat t-a-tat u -tat-Bang! once more aroused
| the echoes OF the neighborhood, but brought
| no policeman to the rescue, or any anxious
| inauirers TO the windows, except myself, who,
| once more enwrappcd, and this time trem-
! bling with indignation, was u minute after
ward III my old pusitil tacinS the dangers
and Inconvenience Of the gale, and looking
| down once more at the figure below me,
| standing in his old position on the brink OF
! the deep gutter i'll the roadway
Il beg your pardon again very much, ]
! am awfully sorry 10 DO such q nuisance, but
! really don't know whers I ann he cried,
! rattlinS on with great vOlubility. Il haven't
! the least ilca, and the streets are all alike,
! and l am quite stranger to this part of the
world, and am afraid 1 Shan't know this
! house from any other in tho daylight. Might
l just trouble you for the address,
''Prossiter street." | called down TO him.
II thank you very much. BoshiDgton
street"
"ProSsitcr street," screamed.
GsprnSSit,.r-a Thousand thanks and aDOlO-
,ies- And what number, ma'ani, may ask q
a.Nn u