The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-04-06
" eel hls muscniar limbs into them. d

| AuNbt ~ w do VNlutDO bAAehb wy WA ~@O'
his own at all, but the property OF some
body else who was very much smaller
and thinner than himself.
Chang i'll" he soliloquized in a vexed
tone. as he surveyed the tight and scanty
garments clinging to his legs almost as
close as feshings, "those COMPOUNDED
footmen have made stupid mistake
and exchanged my breaches for some
body elses. / must ring the bell at once
and have my own brought up, for can
never go down stairs in these things"
He leaned across his bed to pull the
,oen rope, which hung on the other side
of it from where he stood. But, alas
| the movement laid too great a strain
upon the skin tight inexpressibles in
which he stood encased. There came d
loud crack, followed by an ominoinrus;
sound of tearing. And Jack saw. to his
no small dismay, that one of the seams
had split right up the legi
vhat the deuce was he to do? The
owner or the trousers might-nay, GER
tanly would-send up for them in a
minute or two. And what a rage he
would be In when he found what had
happened to theml If Jack had been a
lew years older and gifted with a trife
more self possession, he would have re-
garaed the affair as rather good joke,
and though he might have been little
embarrassed he would not have been
seriously disturbed by it. But being a
nervous, awkward boy, and very shy of
the prim old gentlemen who were his
uncle's guests, his accident caused him
quite unreasonable agitation.
But there was worse in store. A min
ute later knock came at his door, and
servants voice inquired from the other
| side:
"Beg pardon, sir; but did you ring for
your dress trousersT
eyes," replied Jack, hurriedly, making
no movement to unlock the door. ''Have
you got them there?"
Eyes" answered the footman. "And /
expect you must have got masters, sir,
for yours had been taken to his room by
mistake, and he can't find his own no
where"
A horrible thrill of increased dismay
shot through Jack at these words. The
affair had seemed bad enough before he
knew whose trousers they were he had
split. But the fact of their being crab
bed, crotchety Uncle Testers made it a
hundred times worse. What should he
do2 How should he manage to face the
walls of the old gentleman's wrath, which
would assuredly be poured upon him at
dinner in the presence of all the other
guests? This thought reduced the shy,
foolish youth to state of mind border
ing upon frenzy. And almost before he
knew what he was saying certainly be-
fore he at all realized the consequences
of his action-he had blurted out des-
perate fib.
"No," he answered. 81 have not. I
have no dress trousers here at all"
The man did not seem convinced, how
ever, until Jack had repeated his assev-
Grafton two or three times. Then he
went away, leaving the youths own
trousers (by his request) on the mat out
side the door. When he was out of sight
Jack opened the door and hastily took
chem in, and pulling off his uncle's
breeches SOON invested himself in his
own. The former he then stuffed in his
portmanteau, which he was careful to
lock. And putting the key in his pocket
he hurried down to dinner in anything
but an easy frame of mind.
He reached the drawing room min
ute or two before his uncle, who soon
made his appearance in pair of morn
ing inexpressibles, with a particularly
sour look on his face. The DID gentle
man, being absurdly prim and punctil-
ious about accuracy of dress, was more
upset by the disappearance of his gar
ments than ordinary folk would imagine
possible. And as he explained to his
guests the cause of his lateness and of
his hybrid attire, he inveighed in no
measured terms against the damned
idiot" who was to blame for it, and ex-
pressed his determination of sending
him about his business" as soon as he
could discover his personality.
This threat, and the sour i'll temper
which his uncle displayed all the even
ing, quite frightened Jack out of any in
tention of confessing the truth which he
might have entertained. On the con-
trary, he began to evolve desperate ex-
pedients for getting the trousers mended,
and secretly restoring them to the old
fellows room; since, if the articles con-
tinued missing, there was no saying what
steps their owner might not take to dis
cover their whereabouts. And should
they be traced to him, Jack-why, good
by to all his expectations from til avun-
cular quarter!
While he cast about in his mind for
possible expedients, it occurred to him
that he might seek the assistance Of his
Aunt Testers maid, for she was rather a
friend of his, having lived with his
mother several years before she came to
Woodleigh, and he felt sure she would
help him to the best of her power. He
knew where her workroom was, having
been to it already to have little jobs of
mending done.
If he went there that very evening,
after dinner, when his aunt and cousin
were busy down stairs with their guests,
he should be certain to find her alone.
He could take the trousers to her, tell her
exactly what had happened, beg her to
run up the split seam with a sewing ma
chine, and arrange with her some method
| for the secret restoration of the articles
| to his uncle's dressing room. AS NO
other reasonable, or even possible, course
suggested itself, Jack made up his mind
to adopt this one. And he escaped to
his room after dinner on the earliest OPP
portunity for the purpose of putting it
into immediate execution. Unlocking
his portmanteau, he dragged the wretch
ed trousers forth. Then doubling them
up into the smallest possible compass,
and taking them under his arm, con-
cealed as much as was feasible by his
coat, he looked out to see that nobody
was in sight and started along the pas
sage toward the workroom.
He had not proceeded far before he
became aware of some one approaching
with light in the opposite direction.
AT present the light alone was visible,
the bearer of it being hidden from him
by bend in the wall. What was he to
do? AS he was carrying the trousers
they were but imperfectly concealed
and any one meeting him with light
was certain to remark them. He must
hide out of the way till the person, who
ever it was, had passed. But wherei
A bedroom door on his right stood
temptingly open. He darted quickly in,
and concealed himself behind it. But,
as i'll luck would have it, his hiding
place proved decidedly insecure one.