The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1894-11-28

much more soberly expressed epistle
which had been placed in his hands. Il
never wrote anything of the kind"
"Oh, didn't you? Perhaps you will
deny your own handwritingP But we
shall have experts to prove that the let
ter could have been written by no one
else Perhaps you will deny that in
your letter dated March 16 you did not
call her your Widowed Darling and
say she was 'sweeter than butter
SCOTCH"
Il never said it, answered Tomnoddy
doggedly.
@Oh, yes, you did, an you read it out
to her," chimed in the kitchen maid.
"It was on Wednesday night, which
remembers, bein' my night out. and
Mrs. Marsting wouldn't let me 90 be-
cause she said as how her beau was a
comm to see her. She was sittin' on
your knee in the parlor, an | was
listenin' at the keyhole, which remem-
Der took cold in the eye through there
being such draft. An you said as
how you had wrote the letter to post,
but had brought it yourself instead, be-
cause you was dyin' for sight of your
darlin' popsy wopsy."
At this moment Quasimodo, or Tom
my, as he was to be called, chung to his
assumed mothers skirts and gave vent
to fretful howl.
Placing his hand upon Tommv's (the
child's) head in fatherly manner, j ohm
ny Cool dashed an imaginary tear from
his eyes and repeated, looking sternly
across at Lord Tomnoddy:
Beware, sir, how you trife with the
affections of the widowed and the
fatherless. Even the child must have
known the relationship in which you
stood to his mother, and no doubt in
fancy had already come to regard you
as father"
This was the cue for which Quasimodo
had been waiting. Raising his voice to
a howl of childish agony, he made a
dash for Lord Tomnoddy, scrambled on
to his knee and locked his arms around
his neck.
"You know you promised to be my
dada, and you said should be called the
Honorable Tommy and the Right Honor
able Tommy on Sundays. and that the
Duke of Bayswater would be my grand
father and give me a shilling every
half-holiday. An you promised Sallie
new dress"
At this Sally, the kitchen maid, bowed
obsequiously to the duke and said:
"Yes your grace, he said as how if
I'd see as no one came in to disturb
'em when he and missus was canood-
ling together he'd buy me a sating dress
and hat wiv red ostrich feaVer in
it."
Lord Tomnoddy's brain reeled be-
meath the shock of all these startling
revelations.
Father, there is some terrible mis-
take here. These people evidently be-
lieve they are speaking the truth, but
on my honor there is some mistake. 1t
was not who visited Mrs. Marston and
made love to her while the kitchen maid
looked through the keyhole. Who it
was [ have no idea, but swear it was
not l."
This was too much for Sally.
"Oh, listen at him! An he sat there
in our parlor nusin' of her an kissin'
of her for hours at time.
"And the base ingratitude of the man.
Ii he's had one pork chop in our house
he's had a hundred. The times 1 have
been out to the butchers with shawl
over my head to fetch them at 9 o'clock
at night. Missus used to cook them
after I'd gone to bed. I could smell |
them on the stairs when Mrs. Mars
ting brought 'em up steaming hot. Me
a munching bread and cheese on the at
tic landing all in the dark and he a
gorging himself with pork chops in the
parlor."
Her voice could be heard all over the
house, and the duke, anxious lest a
public scandal should be caused, en-
deavored to persuade her to desist The |
s@I1- h., L
enough.
Johnny Cool had followed, too, and
seeing a chance of further fun he i'm
mediately joined in. saying:
Joke indeed! l see no Joke in it. |
Are the most sacred affections of my
client to be trihed with, and are we to |
have no redress? 1 will have you to
know, my lord, before the English law
peer and peasant are all alike equal,
and we will appeal to the law for re-
dress"
Then apparently choking with indig-
nation he turned abruptly to Dolly Cart |
wright, the supposed kitchen maid, with
the words, This way. madam" and so
saying gave her his hand with courtly
grace and conducted her to one of the
cabs which still waited for the party at
the door.
The duke stood dumb with amazement
at this further carrying of the joke.
For the moment he half believed that
after all the legal action for breach of
promise was not the pretense which he
had supposed it.
James and Thomas, the two footmen,
had followed their masters to the door,
and as the cab drove away they with
drew on tiptoe to indulge in their
laughter down in the servants hall.
They were followed there by little
Quasimodo, still acting the part of the
widows son, Tommy.
The entrance of the child gave the
servants an opportunity of finding out
the nature of the dispute. information
which they were all eagerness to secure.
Consequently they were seated at
table, and the cook piled them with all
the good things which her larder con-
tanned, while the two footmen piled him
with questions as to the nature of the
visit which his mother and her friends
had made.
Thank you, ma'am, Ill have some
cold goose, with lot of stuffing, and a
mug of table ale, if you have any"
Queer sort of babe, to be drinking
table ale at his time of life" said cook,
as he departed with the jug, but the
two men were too eager in their thirst
for information as to Lord Archibald's
doings to notice Tommy's peculiarities.
you were saying that your mamma
was friend of Lord Archibald's" p" said
Jeames.
Then great idea presented itself to
the mind of Quasimodo. He looked
Stolidly at Jeames for moment and
then said: