The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-04-20


loud crack. followed by an orninous
sound of tearing. And Jack saw, to his
no small dismay. that one of the seams
had split right up the legi
What the deuce was he to do? The
owner of the trousers might-nay, GER
tainly would-send up for them in
minute or two. And what rage he
would be in when he found what had
happened to theml If Jack had been
few years older and gifted with a trifie
more self possession. he would have re-
garded the affair as rather good joke,
and though he might have been little
embarrassed he would not haYe been
seriously disturbed by it. But being a
nervous, awkward boy, and very shy of
the prin 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 trousers?''
eyes" replied Jack, hurriedly, making
no movement to unlock the door. "Have
you got them there?"
eyes," answered the footman. 'sAnd
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 il a
hundred times worse. What should he
do? How should he manage to face the
vials 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 a 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.
mo-" he answered, Il have not.
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 tooh
them 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 a pair of morn
ing inexpressibles, with a particularly
sour look on his face. The old 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 I'M 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 gettinsth 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 toihim, Jack why, good
by to all his expectations from the avun-
cular qnarteri
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 size would
help him to the best of her p1!er. 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 sewing ma
chime, 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 op-
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 ont f0 see that nobody