Middletown transcript., 1892-09-29

Indignantly.
Susan was silenced.
The creatures long claws had made
tiny rents in the curtain, and what
Mrs. Whipple most feared, now hap
pened-the rents grew larger and
larger.
This was more than flesh and blood
could stand, she must make one effort
to secure her curtain.
Shoo," she cried family, shaking
her apron as though it were a re-
fractory hen she we're speaking to.
"Shoo Shoe !" echoed the girls,
shaking their aprons.
Their unwelcome guest left the cur
tain in tatters and leaped to the
mantel- piece,-There he deliberately
broke the birch-bark ornaments in
pices and threw them one by one on
the floor.
At every piece faint ooh my "
from the four women
Mrs. Whipple felt that something
must be done to check his Satanic
Majesty, but fear held her mouth
closed.
"We orter be on our knees" she
whispered to Miss Alvira, Z" but I can't
take my eyes off the critter."
Nuther kin l." whispered back
Miss Alvira. we may be turned into
pillows of salt any minute"
The creature having cleared the
mantle.piece, swung himself lightly on
the big Bible.
"For the lands ,sakes !" cried Miss
Alvira, will he trample.on the Holy
Scripter p
1t seemed he would, for opening the
covers he tore out leaf after leaf, chat
tering all the time diabolically.
At the sound of the tearing of the
first page the spectators gave cry Of
horror If there had been any doubts
as to the personality of their visitor
they vanished in moment.
My poor husbands letter y moan
ed Mrs. Whipple, as bits Of il
went flying over the room. And bury
ing her face in her apron she sobbed
aloud.
"There goes your book-msrk
Eliza" sobbed Susan
It's a Judgment upon yCuF cried
Miss Alvira, looking from one the
other.
"We only took one little look,
confessed Eliza.
1t makes no difference" said Miss
Alvira, exultantly," the Judgment
has come"
And, sure enough, it seemed so
for the creature, growing more and
more excited at the cries of the
women, tore out the leaves. and
whatever lay between them, faster
and faster.
"Susan Eliza r sobbed theil
mother, "what have you brought upon
US ?"
Again and again their cries of ter
ror and sorrow rang out on the sum-
mer air.
The noise attracted the attention ol
man passing by, and coming to the
window he thrust.in his head.
He etared at the group of weeping
women in amazement, then seeing the
monkey surrounded by the ruin be
had wrought he exclaimed -
1.-The devil, there he is now T.
{" l told you SO !" cried Miss Alvira
triumphantly,." knew it the moment
| see him y
The man gave rough laugh and
leaping through the window he seized
the money by the tail.
Take care take care!" screamed
Miss Alvira. YOU'RE taking your
life in your hands =
By this time the man had the
monkey safe under his arm and was
turning 10 leave. "If ever l see
sech blamed lot OF idiots !" he said
stopping to look at the women sobbing
Historically.
Mrs. Whipple seeing with great as
tonishment, that the man was still un.
harmed, venturned to call his atten-
tion to the destruction of all around
there.
81 I'm sorry" said the man, "but
you should have hit him a whack over
the head. A monkey'll tear anything
he can get his hands on"
i" Monkey" chorused the women ir
breadth.
Yes, monkey" answered the
man. "What did you think it was
an elephant He got away from tht
Great Combination and pretty chase
he's led me. And in another moment
he was far down the road, bis captive
making the air hideous with his cries
Left to themselves, the women look
ed from one to the other in silence.
II guess" said Miss Alvira, speak
ing first. "I'll jest be moving on and
see the doctor. Miss Beckett was il
the worst kind of way about that hant
of hern." And picking up her calash
which she had dropped from her necl