St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-05-13
Copyright, leQ3 BY
the Author.l

!: ! !. !
UM ANis the Author.l
Hl e WAS tn,
LW III veriest oil
INV n = bachelor tha
Inn II over wore
" - v e-leather
WAS NJ r
NA George Barne
-cccen ric
precise. and-ob, SO proper! Why
0iess you. he wouldn't have taken Mrs
zones room at all il she had beer
youngish and the least good-looking
The d rst thing he asked her was il sh.
took in ladies. He couldn't dream O
taking lodgings there if
Oh. dear no, SIR" he was promptly
ess Ire d, with a twinkle of fun in Mrs
Jones optical organ. 81 never take M
ladies; they're too troublesome. Mine
Is only for gentlemen"
On which Mr.. Barnet permitted him
SELF to be shown the front parlor and
the first-fioor back room, let with il
Tor a bedroom. Mrs. Jones marched
IN, throwing back the coverlet to show
that the bedding was spotlessly clean;
out her invitation to ''Step in. sir. and
see for YOURSELF" had the reverse
enect, for the old gentleman, who had
peeped timidly in, backed out blushing
and stammering: Thank you, ma'am
-er-ycS, yes; ] see. thank you; it's
quite nice"
That trying ordeal got through, he
laced round on two doors clearly be-
longing to two front rooms and in
quircd what they were and who
lodged there. Mrs. Jones answered:
This door, sir, next here. is sit
tiug-room. and that is the slip-room Ia
bedrooml. A young man has them
two rooms-a most quiet-bc'aved, re-
spectacle young man he is, SIR"
Ah-h'm. I hope SO. ma am, ! hope
so. l could not remain where my very
next neighbor was irregularly conduct
ed. you know"
'Oh, no. sir; but that amt Mr. Well
BY. He don't interfere with nobody"
The old bachelor took the apart
mcnts- Before long. being of course
ten times more curious than any wom-
IN. he soon managed to encounter his
next-room neighbor in the passage.
He was distinguishing young fel-
low, who stood aside for the old gen
tleman with a polite Good morning."
and then ran lightly upstairs.
by Jovc! what a queer old party IL
is, Mrs. Jones'" said he that evening.
Looks to a L the awful piece of pro-
priety you said. lIa. ha.-you didn't
tell him what am?"
Law, sir-no! He'd hy out Of his
skin, let alone the house. How are you
getting on, STRIP asked the landlady.
''Oh, first-rate, Mrs. Jones l shall
soon have all perfected and think the
entertainment will be a success"
Mr.. Barnet was appallingly regular
in all he did: the routine of one day
was, with the rarcst variation, the
routine Of every day. He was the most
to-be-pitied creature-a bachelor Of
moderate means and no occupation.
For a whole fortnight Mr.. Barnet
busted himself trying TO find what that
next-room tenant did for his living.
BY dint of a score of devices known to
the curious, he discovered that young
Welby came in and out At all hours.
As all was comparatively quiet in the
front room in the evening he fondly
took it that the tenant thereof not only
''came home to tea, but stayed at home
studying till an carly bedtime.
"Really, a most properly conducted
young man." said Mr. Barnet to him
self one evening at about the end Of . |
fortnight
Alas for his premature approval;
only two evenings later it was some
what disturbed. He heard young
Welby come in alone: but instead of |
there being only slight movements |
overhead there was something of al
The table and chairs /
were moved about Then the lodger /
himself walked about noisily and the
deep mutterings OF his voice penetrated |
TO the puzzled listener below. Good |
gracious, was he talking to himself.
TO Mrs. Jones or to whom? Was il
possible that any other than Mrs. Jo-I
No, no; the thought was too awful. 1t
quite took Mr.. Barnets breath. Re-
sides, he would have heard the most
fairy-like footstep or rustic of feminine
garments, rs his door was ajar. 1t al
ways was, by the by. Why. there WAS
young Welby going out Yes the door
shut; and what was more, it hadn't
opened again to that young man at ten
o'clock
This was really looking serious. and
Mr. Barnet pursed his rcspecta BILE lips
IS he slowly retired to his dormitory-I
,u,tc . quarter Of an hour late.
II shall just lie awake and watch"
the old gentleman rs he got
nto bed, which was next the thin
PARTITION wall IF that young scamp
S going to-ahem-keep all sorts of
improper hours-really, anything might
,appen next, and my character be COM
,romised!"
But Morpheus was not to be SO easily
luded. and Mr.. Barnet dozed for .
old half hour. He was awakened By
burst of laughter from the sitting
oom next his apartment Mr.. Barnet
It mp, rubbing his eyes. utterly indig-
ant 1t such nocturnal orgies. He had
indeed actually raised his hand to give {
a angry knock at the wall, when . q
ound broke on his ear which made the
emaiuine hairs on his respectable old
cad stand on end with horror.
A silvery feminine laugh and voice
rom that next room!
There was no mistake about il; no
iso,iered nightmare or half-waking
apcy in the matter. A giddy laugh
ID a pretty voice, that said saucily
nd very distinctly: q
.My dear fellow, of course l know /,
on are dead gone on my little self, but