Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-07-26


said Aunt Alice. Quite like lady's.
Is she pretty
Come and see" quoth 1. with that
icy innocence that only cunning can
bestow. half opened the sitting room
door. coughed vehemently and drew
back as one choked with the dust.
impossible" said. she's not in a
sweet temper today because made her
do the rooms twice. We'd better not
disturb her, or she'll break my orna-
ments." This, meseems, could not have
been excelled by the most hardened
protliCate ON the stage.
My aunt left very slowly and deliber-
ately, mourning for the loss of her tea.
l escorted her and Uncle John down &c
the first floor. How could tell that her
housewifely zeal for her nephew could
have led her to bestow upon the house
maid, who was Fan of the Teeth. few
hints on the best management Of fires
and the proper care Of the room, which
the fellow servant was even then sup
posed to be cleaning?
You see it all means more work for
You in the end" said my aunt.
dashed into the sitting room to find,
helpless with suppressed laughter, the
maiden with the black velvet hat. was
coatless, as has been recounted-people
never stay long with a man who lacks a
cuat-my hair was on end, and l was
flushed. But there was no resisting that
infection of nirth. l laughed aloud. The
air was dense with dust, and all the fur.
niture was ont of place. That fool OF
a housemaid" had lived up to her repu-
tation.
Haven't done the room beautiful
ly:" she said, with wicked giggle.
Thank you-thank You, oh, so much
for helping me-"
Not in the least. said l. 1--WE got a
sister of my own. But hadn't you bet
ter
I'm gone" she said. and vanished at
the word TO hunt for her brothers cham,
btrS.
Entered. her cap over one eye. Fan OF
the Teeth. boiling with rage. She was
an austere woman of 81, not to be trifled
with.
And I'm sure me and Lucy, too, we
takes all the trouble that we can
with l. sets of chambers to be gone
through. and the bells ringing on every
landing all day long. 'Tisn't as if was
afraid of my work, for l ave KEEP my
self ever since l was a little girl of thir-
teen, nor Lucy neither. But when that
lady on the staircase spoke to me an tole
NE that was inattentive an Lucy, too
an smutS all about your room, sayir
that l was 10 take extra care of you, sir,
was put ont.
DO as You would be done by, thinks
an show no favor 10 any chambers more
than another, for some one must lose BY
il, and if il isn't you it will be some 9th
er gentleman. An there aren't no smut.
in your room not to be seen. an Lucy.
know She as been on the fourth flool
since come down with the Stops, but
didn't say nothink to that lady wher
she said what she said-an Lor, sir, wha
ave you been doin to the furnichewre-
all pulled across the room? An you 'aviI
TO see Your friends in your bedroom-a!
if it was our fault
Fanny" said l. If there has beer
any fault. that fault is mine. Take, oh
take those lips away. and-here's hal
sovereign"
1t was damning confession of guilt
received lis such. Fan removed hersel
with an unholy light in her eye.
hated Fan. and this still further shool
my nerves. Worn with a thousand con
tlictinE emotions. fled to the sideboart
| and pulled myself together with the nee
essary liquids. Men never seem to d,
that ON the stage after any unusual cri
sis. They do IN the prnsaiC world of rea
| 10.
| P@-entvrcd Fan. the half sovereign il
her hand and placed it on my table.
I've took them in their teas" sh
said oracularly, IN she was tellin III
all about ii. She is a real nice httl
lady. she Is, an-an I don't want no ar
suffering for that,
| No comedy that l could think of ha,
any mention of the souhrette-to b
sure. Fan WAS rather too angular for tn
soubrrtte- refusing tip.
And you're a LADY, too, Fam" said
Keep il. Few people return money
| Still fewer dismiss preconceived suspi
cions"
She withdrew slightly alarmed.
stepped into the hallway to set dow
the empty soda water siphon in tn
place appointed. The door leading I
the landing was half open. l hear
voices descending the stairs.
He was really very nice, Joe, abou
it. Said he had sister Of his own an
laughed"
"H'mph. Then I'm sorry for his sii
ter, that's all. He drinks like fish
Why. only last night found him on hi
hands and knees on the second foo
and had to help him to bed"
The next chambers! As hope to cles
my character before all judges, it wa
the man in the next chambersl l hA
heard the Internal din of that episode 6
o'clock in the morning, and a few {
Joe's comments as he left the drunkart
How should the maiden know exactl
into whose rooms she had penetrated
and here was Joe saddling me with M
neighbours booted slumbers
gripped the siphon head in an agon
Of wrath. The steps were almost opp
site my landing. There was more sod
water than thought for in the tube, an
the Internal connection exhausted itse
with fizzle. spit and grunt. 1t SCENE
to roar through the house.
"ThereT' said Joe. "You hear Milly
That's a soda water siphon. He's at