Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-12-26
MAN UNDER THE BED.
4 Pretty Woman's Discovery
and It's Results.
BOARDERS AT A FASHIONABLE
HOUSE PLAY A JOKE ON A
FAIR WIDOW.
She Had to Be Wrapped in a Sheet.
She Had to Be Wrapped in a Sheet,

"The man under the bed" has again been
practicing his fiendish avocation, but not ex-
actly in the conventional fashion. Hereto
fore stories of the manner in which ravish-
ing maidens haze discovered boots protrud-
from under their beds and the excuses in
vented by the said maidens for leaving their
rooms without exciting the intruders' sus-
picions have frequently been told, but it is
doubtful if the following authentic tales
equal has ever been placed on record. That
this imam under the bed" had no terror for
the young lady who discovered him must be-
come evident when it is said that, after taking
good look at his burly form she deliber-
atey turned off the gas and went to bed with
out making the slightest outcry.
This story is told by young and unusually
beautiful school teacher: 1.-Two winters ago
l boarded at quite fashionable place." she
said, "where there were a number of young
folks who took great delight in playing
practical jokes. They knew that l was in
clined to be cowardly. for generally had the
landlady's little daughter sleep with me, and
so one night while l was away they decided
to rig up dummy and put it under my bed.
When l got home they were all sitting up
waiting for me, and mistrusted right away
that something was wrong. didn't let them
know that l suspected anything, however.
and went up to my room to see what had
been done. Something seemed to tell me to
look under the bed. did so and there, sure
enough, was man. 1t didn't take me long
TO discover that there wasn't much flesh and
blood about him, though. and determined
to turn the Joke the other WAV
Pretty soon my little roommate came up
and as she entered the room l thought I
heard some giggling out in the hallway. But
didn't say anything and went on preparing
to retire. just as | was about to turn off the
gas the little girl who slept with me said,
"Oh, Miss C., you haven't looked under
the bed" told her l knew all about it, where
upon she laughed and confessed the whole
plot. decided to leave the man under the
bed in order that 1 might invite the jokers up
to capture him the next morning. Well !
never knew until that night what imagination
could do. Along about midnight 1 woke up.
Everything was fearfully ill and the rustic
of a window curtain at the end of the room
farthest away from me made sound that in
the day time would never have been noticed.
was sure it was the curtain when I first
heard it, but PRESENTLY the noise began to
SCUM like that made by man walking
around in his stockinged feet. I could even
hear him feeling his way along the wall
'My heart stood still. l dared not move
for fear of attracting the burglars attention
in which case knew that 1 would be mur-
dered without ceremony. While 1 lay with
my head half raised from my pillow 1 sud
denly thought of the man under my bed.
knew it was only bundle of old clothes auC
yet its being there horifed me. One gloomy
thought brought on another until finally
imagined could feel the bed move. Then
was sure l could hear the man breathe. All
this time dared hardly draw my own breath
and the burglar over at the other end of the
room kept right on searching along the wall
| lay there trembling, as it seemed to me
for hours (but guess they were only min.
utes), and never want another such IN ex.
perience. AT last my Imagination got the
better of me. [ thought I heard the man
under the bed begin to steadily crawl out
and then gave one shrek that brought the
whole household to my door in short order
l was half sick for week after that.
'But the worst of it all was that, instead Of
taking the rag man out from under the bed
it was left there and I went into another
room to sleep with a young lady friend of
mine. Next morning the chamber maid,
who had heard nothing of the affair, caught
a glimpse of the man under my bed when she
went in to put the room in order. She didn't
stop to investigate or make any excase fol
leaving. She just rushed out and down the
stairs four stepsat a jump, shrieking Muir
der!' and 'Burglarsr at the top of her voice
After the dummy had been dragged out She
faiated and could not do her work again fol
three or four days. So that rag man came
very near doing as much damage as rea
man under the bed could have DONE"
Not long ago young widow lady living in
asmall place not far from here came to town
to purchase wedding outfit for her second
marriage. While in the city she stayed with
friends at certain fashionable boarding
place. Learning that the first thing she did
on entering her room at night was to always
look under the bed. some of the young folks
conceived the idea of playing practical joke
upon her. Accordingly, a rag man was
dressed up one evening while she was at the
theater, and put under her bed. When she
got home all the boarders were eagerly wait
| ing for the fun that they expected would fol-
low. After talking for short time the wild
ow started up stairs for her room, and all
| the jokers ranged themselves around in the
hall so that they could go to her assistance
the moment she might make an outcry.
For some unaccountable reason the pretty
victim neglected, on this evening, to take
the evening peep under her couch until she
had removed all her clothing except a pain
fully short gauze shirt or "under wrapper -
| Clothed in this all too brief and clinginp
garment, the unsuspecting Venus started for
the closet to get her night robe. While cross
ing the room she happened to remember that
she had not looked under the bed, and. with
never thought of making an unusual
discovery, she dropped down upon her hands
and knees ahd looked! A wild shrek fol-
lowed and into the room rushed every board
er-male and female-in the house. Now LET
it suffice to say that one of the other ladies
had sufficient presence of mind (after the
gentlemen had all closed their eyes and be-
taken themselves into the hall again) Ia
grab sheet from the bed and drape it over
the half fainting widows lovely form.
She departed from that boarding house
early on the following morning, and every
man who had taken part in the joke regis
tered solemn vow that he would never again
have anything to do with putting rag dunn
mics under lovely women's beds.