Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-10-31

~ don't believe he's awake" Wills
pcred Harry. ''Let's give il another
shove"
The shove was accordingly given;
the Negroes shoulders came in sight,
when, like second deluge, a whole
pail of ice water went through the
transom, and as the young men were
crouching on the floor directly beneath
it, of course they were drenched. The
dummy fell TO the floor with thump.
With cry which they could not
wholly suppress, Harry and Dick
sprang away and sped upstairs, just as
a second pailful came through. I'm
luckily, Sampson, who always roamed
through the house at his pleasure, felt
called upon to pass that way just then,
and the second instalment fell directly
upon him.
Well, the cat made no effort whatever
to disguise his feelings; the house rang
with feline anguish in just two sec
onds. Mr.. Crabbe's door and that of
the Misses Brown flew open simultane-
ously, and the three gazed at each
other in well nigh speeches. anger.
Dick and Harry were safe in their
room, dodgers in various kinds of I'M
dress uniform thronged the hall and
stairways, making incoherent inquiries
as to "What on earth is the matter"
The dummy lay on the floor.
Streams of ice water were pouring
over the oilcloth. Sampson, the in
slant his mistress door opened, went
through it like a meteor and disappear
ed under the bed; Jack, awakened
from his slumbers, perched on the
door and remarked,-
"Well, neverl"
al SUPPOSE" said Mr.. Crabbe, when
he could speak, ''that / am indebted
TO you ladies for this joke"
"Sir," retorted Miss Abigail, indig-
nantly, "you insult u.s."
Miss Priscilla began to cry, and both
ladies, suddenly remembering that
they were not dressed to receive COM
pany, retired to their room, slamming
the door after them with emphasis.
Mrs Smith, our landlady, appeared
with servant girl and mops and pals
at this juncture and began to clear up
the wreck. The vials of Mr.. Crabbe's
wrath were Immediately turned upon
her.
81 can tell you, madam, that / con-
slider this an outrage! Ies'm an out
rage! And shall vacate my room at
once-at once, madaml"
Mrs. Smith is meek, helpless sort
of a woman, and therein lies her pow
er. She rules us with an iron hand,
for we never know when she may
burst into tears. Now she showed
strong symptoms of bursting as she re-
Piled
"Really, Mr.. Crabbe, | don't see
what I'll do. You've been here so long,
and I'd lose a weeks rent, at least, if
you left that sudden"
"You shouldn't rent your rooms to
people who play jokes. madam"
"Didn't tell you SOP" said the par
rot.
"But | don't know who did it.. tear
fully;"but suppose twas those boys"
eyes, ma'am, we are the culprits,"
said Harry, who, with Dick, having
donned dry clothes, now came down
stairs and joined the grinning group
in the hall, who, now that their first
alarm was over, thoroughly enjoyed
the affair.
"Oh, you young scamps!" shrieked
Mr.. Crabbe. "I'll have you arrested;
that's what I'll dol"
"But Mr.. Crabbe," pleaded Harry,
al think it's partly your fault. We
wanted to know what device you had
to scare off burglars, SO we could for
tify our own room, and you wouldn't
tell us, though Pm sure we asked you
often enough"
"And you nearly killed us with ice
water" added Dick. 81 daresay we
shall have pneumonia, as it is"
"Serves you right"
And not taking the trouble to say
goodnight, Mr.. Crabbe allowed his
red dressing-gown to vanish through |
his door.
"Serves you right" said Jack.
Harry and Dick carried the demol- |
ished dummy out to the coal house,
and quiet having been restored. we re-
tired to our rooms.
The next morning the bachelor and
the maiden ladies utterly ignored each |
other until the former grutfly re-
marked,-
81 suppose owe you ladies an apol-
ogy, as | learn it was those young |
scamps across the table who disturbed
my rest last night"
The ladies were so pleased at being
the recipients of an apology from a
man that they melted at once. Anxious
inquiries as to Sampson, from the rest
of us, developed the fact that he was
as well as could be expected, the sis
tiers having spent the rest of the night
drying his precious fur.
The cook said that he stole pint of
cream that same afternoon, so we felt /
that his condition was not hopeless,
provided, of course, that he still man
aged to elude the fiat-irons and things
y II - H., % e,,.l, fs,,or