The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-08-04


housemaid" had lived up to her repu.
tation.
Haven't l done the room beautiful.
Typ she said, with a wicked giggle.
THANK you-thank you, oh, so much
for helping mer
mot in the least said l. eve got
sister of my own. But hadn't you bet
ter
"rm gone" she said, and vanished at
the word to hunt for her brothers cham.
bers.
Entered, her cap over one eye, Fan of
the Teeth, hoiling with rage She was
an austere woman of 35, not to be trifed
with.
And I'm sure me and Lucy, too, we
takes all the trouble that we can
with II 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 ave KEEP my
self ever since was a little girl of thir-
teen, nor Lucy neither. But when that
lady on the staircase spoke to me an tole
me that | was inattentive an Lucy, too,
an smuts all about your room, sayin
that | was to take extra care of you, sir, ]
was put out.
"Do as you would be done by, l thinks,
an show no favor to any chambers NOR
than another, for some one must lose by
it, and if it isn't you it will be some 9TH
er gentleman. An there aren't no smuts
in your room not to be seen, an Lucy, !
know she as been on the fourth floor
since l come down with the slops, but /
didn't say nothink to that lady when
she said what she said-an Lor, sir, what
ave you been doin to the furnichewre-
all pulled across the room? An you 'avin
to see your friends in your bedroom-as
if it was our faultr'
Fanny" said l, 'if there has been
any fault, that fault is mine. Take, oh,
take those lips away, and-here's half
sovereign"
1t was damning confession of guilt,
received as such. Fan removed herself
with an unholy light in her eye.
Ihated Fan, and this still further shook
my nerves. Worn with a thousand con-
flicting emotions, fled to the sideboard
and pulled myself together with the nee
essary liquids. Men never seem to do
that on the stage after any unusual cri-
sis. They do in the prosaic world of real
life.
Re-entered Fan, the half sovereign in
her hand, and placed it on my table.
GIVE took them in their teas" she
said oracularly, ian she was tellin i'm
all about it. She is a real nice little
lady, she is, an-an don't want no 'arf
suffering for that"
No comedy that l could think of had
any mention of the soubrette-to be
sure, Fan was rather too angular for the
soubrette-refusing tip.
And you're lady, too, Fam. said l.
keep it. Few people return money.
Still fewer dismiss preconceived suspi-
cions."
She withdrew slightly alarmed.
l stepped into the hallway to set down
the empty soda water siphon in the
place appointed. The door leading to
the landing was half open. l heard
voices descending the stairs.
"He WAS really very nice, Joe, about
it. Said he had sister of his own and
laughed"
"H'mph. Then I'm sorry for his sis
ter, that's all. He drinks like fish.
Why, only last night found him on his
hands and knees on the second floor
and had to help him to bed"
The next chambersl AS l hope to clear
my character before all judges, it was
the man in the next chambersl l had
heard the internal din of that episode at
2 o'clock in the morning, and a few Of
Joe's comments as he left the drunkard.
How should the maiden know exactly
into whose rooms she had penetrated,
and here was Joe saddling me with my
neighbours booted slumbers.
l gripped the siphon head in an agony
Of wrath. The steps were almost oppo-
site my landing. There was more soda
water than thought for in the tube, and
the internal connection exhausted itself
with fizzle, spit and grunt. 1t seemed
to roar through the house.
"Therer said Joe. "You hear, Milly?
That's soda water siphon. He's at it
again-so early"
"But he didn't look as if he took
The sweet voice died away, and l was
alone with my sorrow and my siphon.
Today know something of plot and
construction, and, as l say, 1 under
stand the verisimilitude of the modern
French farce. Yet would / sell all my
insight for the single privilege of ex-
planning to Nilly (my Milly-she has
busted my room) that am not-indeed
/ am not-the villain that Joe painted
me.-St. James Gazette.