News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-05-28

Parkinson retired to rest in a back
hall bedroom, with the Elevated Road
shaking the very casters of her bed
every thirteenth minute, and a quar-
tette of cats on the roof rivaling the
German arias Of Madam Frida Won
POppenhusedin in the Garten below, she
seriously believed that gentle sleep
was banished altogether from her
eyelids.
In the middle of the night, Mrs.
Larkins was aroused from her balmy
slumbers by a rapping at her cham
Der door.
"Eh?" said Mrs. Larkins, sitting
up in bed, her classic brow crowned
! by cheveuX de frise of curl-papers.
1T amt burglars, is it? Nor the fire
department? Dear me, Cousin Melin-
da, what can you possible be wanting
at this time of night?"
''Lucretia," said Miss Parkinson.
''hush! Come with me at once"
'Lawsl'' cried Mrs. Larkins, hur-
riedly shutting her feet into list slip
pers and finging on an ancient fan
mel dressing gown. "What is the
matter? Ain nobody sick, is there?"
'It's a somnambulist," whispered
Miss Parkinson, as Mrs. Larkins join
ed her in the hall. ga poor crazy
creature on the roof next door, all
alone by herself, with nothing but a
step between her and DEATH"
"La!" said Mrs. Larkins, beginning
to tremble and develop strongly hys-
terical symptoms ''Are you sure,
quite sure, now, Melinda, that it amt
the Limburger cheese settin' heavy
on your stomach? 1t don't agree
with everybody, you know. And"
Come and see for yourself" said
Melinda; and she drew her cousin to
the curtained easement, which COM
manded the feline and the smoke
blackened view previously alluded to.
'There! Don't you see her dress fiut-
ter. DoyOu preceive how dangerous
ly near the parapet-wall she stands?'
'Oh, good gracious! cried Mrs
Larkins, covering her eyes with her
hands. Let's call Lemuel."
"Who is it that lives in the next
house," demanded Melinda. "For
we must go there ourselves, Lucretia.
There's no time to rouse up any
body"
"And Lemuel sleeps like a log"
said Mrs. Larkins, land always
thrashes round with his fists when he
is reused up sudden, thinkin' of burg
lars the very first thing, poor dear.
It's Mr.. Burnabee as lives there, q
manufacturer of ladies' felt skirts,
quite decent and respectable. Oh,
yes, my dear; p'r'aps we'd better go,
then, or the poor dear'll fling herself
over the parapet, and it'll be a clear
case of the corners inquest"
In the cloudy moonlight the two
women crept down stairs and rang
loudly at Mr.. Burnabee's door.
There was a delay. There always
is a delay after the ringing of a city
door bell. But to Miss Parkinson
and Mrs. Larkins there was a delay
which seemed almost interminable
before Mr.. Burnabee appeared on the
scene, a little old red-nosed man, with
scanty gray hair, a palm-leafpat-
termed dressing-gOwn and candle
whose feeble flame flickered to and fro
while he held itshaded from the night
WlnQ WlUn one mana.
lis it fire" said Mr.. Burnabee, cor
is it an accident on the Elevated
Road? I've always knowed it would
come sooner or later"
''The roof The roofl" gasped
Melinda.
"Save her!" shrieked Mrs. Larkins.
"Eh?" said Mr.. Burnabee. "Save
who? What are you talking about,
ladies?"
"The sleepwalker! cried Miss Par
kinson. g. The poor creature who
hovers between life and death on the
top of this house!
"We saw a woman on the roof"
exclaimed Mrs. Larkins, "and she
wouldn't answer when my cousin call
ed to her; and we're almost certain
sure she's insane"
Mr.. Burnabee's wrinkled cOunte-
nance broke into a smile.
"There amt no woman there"
said he.
MAN." said Miss Melinda, "you
are deceiving us!'
cts nothing on EARTH" went on
Mr.. Burnabee, "but my wire dummy
as | fit the skirts over. The roof
leaked all over her new pink cambric
slip in the hard shower yesterday, so
| Jest set her out on the roof to
dry. | put her out at night, because
| knowed if | did it in the daytime
there'd be no end of people asking
questions and minding everybody
| else's business but their own"
GEnloI51 ~a11 Do hoy.
awkwardly.
"Of course" said Mrs Larkins, Bit
ing her lip.
"Much obliged to you, all the same"
said Mr.. Burnabee, blandly, although
he still chuckled.
And the two women crept home
again.
''Lucretia," said Miss Parkinson,
standing opposite her own door.
"W-w-welll" " faltered Mrs. Larkins,
scarcely able to repress her shivering.
Don't speak of this to any one,
will your"
"No, l won't" said Mrs. Larkins.
But it is to be feared that she did
not keep her word. for Mr.. Larkins
was full of dark illusions the next
day and Miss Persephone could scarce
ly speak for laughter
Miss Parkinson purchased her pat
| terms and secured her summer styles,
and hastened speedily back to Center
vile; and ever since she declares that
all the wealth of the Indies would not
induce her to live in that sink of in
iquity and head-center of mystery.
New York! And if people ask her
why, she only shakes her head and
says, mysterious:
! "Never mind!"
N. Y. Ledger.