The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-10-03
THE HOLE IN MRS. WASHING
TONS DOOR.


day. Our North Carolina Aunt Jane
came to our house on visit and of
course she must go to see Mount Yer
George Washington's old home,
you know.
Our house is a mile or two out of
Alexandria, so we hitched up the pony
cart and drove Aunt Jane into town one
morning, to take the electric car for
Mount Vernon.
Joe and and lunch basket were
going along.
While we waited at the car station
on Fairfax Street noisy crowd of
schoolgirls dashed up from the Rich
mond and Petersburg station. They
had come from Richmond on a "vesti-
bule," to go picknicking at Mount Yer
non.
So the electric was pretty full,
but Joe and 1 got one seat and the
lunch basket and Aunt Jane an
other. There isn't much noise on 'em,
you know; you just whizz along pretty
quietly; so by wriggling around in our
seats we could talk to Aunt Jane all the
way. She asked us if we had ever been
to Mount Vernon before.
Not on the electric says Joe, ."cause
it hasn't been running very long; but
father drove Arthur and me over there
once when we we're little boys"
The old lady gave sort of grunt. and
I knew she was thinking that we were
not very big boys now.
well. what did you see? says she.
"Whew! we saw lot" says l.
But, do you know, after Aunt Jane
had made us tell her everything we
could remember she said law she didn't
think that was much.
Now | am going in for offering a
prize" says Aunt Jane; "I've got gold
dollar in my trunk, shining fellow,
wrapped up in tissue paper, and | am
going to give it to the one who sees the
most today"
You may be sure we used our eyes
that day, and it seemed to us that what
we two fellows didn't see was not worth
seeing.
The car was too full for US to get seats
together going back to Alexandria, so
we spent the time counting up what we
had seen.
Presently Joe whispered out loud to
me. across the backs of two seats, Zone
hundred and ten" One hundred and
twelve | called back, and that set the
schoolgirls to giggling. But. for that
matter, the girls laughed all the way
both trips.
Joe put his head down in his hands
and remembered two more things; one
was the custard cup used by General
Washington at some great dinner, and
one was little mahogany table that
would turn a somersault and go flop
against the wall.
Now Joe was even with me, and |
must think Of one more thing. /
thought and thought. but I could
only seem to see the great wide river.
the high green bluff, the white succeed
house, the old fashioned garden set
round with box, and all these sights /
had counted in my lone hundred and
| twelve"
At last l remembered six rubber
buckets set under one of the cabinets in
the upstairs hall; they were for use in
case of fire. This set Inc lone hundred
and eighteen" so there now! l was
easy, and could look about and enjoy
myself while Joe was scrubbing up six
more things.
He had only thought up four more by
the time we got to Alexandria, but Aunt
Jane let the time run on till we should
reach our own front gate. So l whistled
as we drove home. and looked at the red
sunset through the trees. and pretended
not to be thinking about Mount Yer.
non, while Joe was frowning and screw.
log up his face and try ing to think up
two more things.
But in fact | thought of one more
myselt--such funny thing that ]
laughed over it easy to myself. l was
crazy to tell Aunt Jane. but l kept it tc
spring on Joe in case he should get ever
with me.
Sure enough, just as our white gate
came in sight. with the big holly tree
beside beside it, Joe sang out, Its tie
Artie! I've thought of the stove in the
kitchen fireplace and the picture of the
prison key that French prison, you
know; the picture hangs 10 the up stairs
hall"
We we're close GA the gate now, but |
caught the reIns and slowed up. "Iu
one ahead. thought" l shouted. "l'vt
thought Of the hole in Mrs. Washing
tons chamber door cut for her cat"
l had won. but Joe was so ticklec
about the hole that he didn't seem tC
mind my getting the gold dollar. Al
for Aunt Jane, she nearly fell off the
seat of the pony cart for laughing.
Joe hadn't seen the hole in Mrs
Washington's door; neither had Aunt
Jane. One of the school girls showed
it to me. and when you go to Noun
Vernon you'll find it in the door of the