Middletown transcript., 1894-12-22

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piano or guitar, no doubt?"
Gather that last or a fiddler, sur,
said Mike. II sor the HE gHrril a-carril
it in Yesterday in its own nate lit
coffin"
"She'll play and sing from mornin
till night, out of time and tune, and
shall be obliged to close my doors AN
suffocate."
"Auyhow," suggested Mike, 'ther
cant be no babies.''
''Thtnk Heaven for thatp' said MI
Guernsey, fervently; though l dom
know but what the guitars worse
You can scare young children by max
ing faces at 'em. When do they NOV
in, Mixer"
Tomorrow, sur" said Mike. "Och
but it's dreadfulP'
"We'll 60 fishing, Mike. Be ready
tomorrow morning at daybreak, ant
we'll stay week. l never could beal
the noise women make when they're
putting house to rights, as they cal
it; and if l can't stand it after We
come back, why, I'll pull up stakes arc
60 for good, that's ALL"
"Yis, sur" said Mike.
When Miles Guernsey and his man
returned from the fishing excursion
| Miss OSBORNE and Miss Osborne's
Mother and Miss Osborne's maid of al
work were installed in Rose Cottage
and, sure enough, the first sounds thai
greeted the ears of the fishermen Were
the pleasant tinkling of the guitar and
an eqnally pleasant voice singing al
old-fashioned love song-not out ol
time, however, and decidedly in tune
And the very next day small dog
after snuf1ing curiously about on the
outside for while, squeezed himself
nearly fiat, and, crawling under the
gate, frisked gayly over the tiny lawn.
and from thence mp to the porch, where
sat the lawns owner reading the news
paper.
The intruder was bright-eyed little
terrier, slightly slightly lame in one of
his hind-legs, and he proceeded to
caper about the old bachelor as though
in him he recognized an early but long
lost friend.
"MikeW shouted Mr.. Guernsey.
"Sur' shouted Mike, running out
with potato in one hand and a knife
in the other.
"Remove this dog"
"Ramove it is, sur" said Mike,
dropping both knife and potato.
But ''this dog" clearly objected to
being removed. He skipped nimbly
around, barking all the time in a
what lalksw manner; darted uEder
'he garden chairs; got entangled in a
woodbine that was climbing t. the roof
# the porch, aud tore it down; seized
the knife Nike had dropped, in his
mouth. and made off with it; and the
WILDLY man," making alter him.
slipped on the treacherous Potato and
came down with whack.
"This thing must be stopped at
oncew excl ,imed Mr.. Guernsey, set
ting his broadbrimmed hat firmly upon
his head, and grasping his cane. Out
of his own gate he marched in the most
dignified style, along the path, through
the rose-crowd ded garden, To the door
of Rose Cottage. II want to see your
MISTRESS" he said 10 the black-eyed
maid servant who answered his ring.
"Which?" asked the girl.
'What?" retorted Mr.. Guernsey.
80! l thought p'r'aps you didn't
know the old lady's laid up with rheu-
matiz-got cold moving. Will Miss
Osborne do?"
"Any body" said Miles, walking
into the parlor, as she threw open the
door. Evidently Miss Osborne was
extremely fond of roses. The white
muslin curtains were looped back with
sprays of half-opened ones; vase
filled with them stood Oh the centre
table, on the hearth lay shells from
which they peeped, and vine that ran
up the window outside had beeu coaxed
through a broken pane, and hung,
heavy with sweet white buds, over the
picture OF handsome young man the
dress of clergyman. The guitar
leaned against the arm of cozy old
fashioned crimson sofa, hanging
shelf of books occupied one corner of
the room; a mirror, whose tarnished
frame was almost hidden by pretty
arrangement of autumn leaves, hung
in the other. ''Eumph she's got some
TASTE" said the old bachelor to himself,
and began, without knowing why, to
wish he were at home-in fact, was
meditating an inglorious retreat, when
the old maid entered the room.
Tall, graceful, with chestnut-brown
hair parted simply over frank un-
wrinkled brow, and gathered into a
silken net at the back of her head;
honest gray-blue eyes that looked full
at you; arched eyebrows two shades
darker than the hair; small, straight
nose; cheeks a little faded, but still
throwing out pink roses on occasion
lovely mouth, with the faintest su S.
picion of a shadow at the corners,
which was ins tantly lost en- sunshiny
smile.
"Our neighbor, Mr.. Guernsey,
I believer" she said, in a remarkably
plea SAINT voice.
EYES," replied Mr.. Guernsey, blush
ing violently (the idea of it an old
bachelor, forty-five his last birthday,
blushing because an old maid looked
at himD, and having uttered this
monosyllable, he dropped his hat, and