The Penn's Grove record., 1896-09-25

N 49,
fay and appeared when Van Callers
was starting in. Emilia looked very
we'll under the light Of the fairy iomps.
nd It was all very tender and touch
ng. MugeIns changed all that by pre-
tending to start a rat or a cat or any
old thing and ~chivvying II round and
round the conservatory tin he got Van
CATERS laughing so that he couldn't
speak and another man cume up and
claimed Emilia for the next dance. and
There was an end Of that. Very glad
IL ~ Vaa Of 1t. too, for just then
=, { IN love with little Marie.
! fire was the only person whom
MuggfSs Iea!eted. She was a second
cousin and poor, and visited the Van
CATERS most Of the time. You can
Judge Of her status In the family by
the fact that the children alternately
Rugged and bullied her, and the elders
made her handsome presents when
they remembered her existence.
Marie was little and fragile ana sen
sltive, but by no means a coward. She
remained dependent because she had
been brought up to believe that she
would be doing a deadly injury to the
family IL she attempted to earn a hv-
Ing for herself. she had the ceurage
Of a dozen men In her slender body and
was only withheld from rash picbeian
enterprise by her Legally to the great
Van Caters line.
Muggins was rather nice to Maria
True. he affected her seciesy when she
didn't want him and deserted her when
she most needed consolation, yet he
paid considerable attention to her COM
mands and came to her after his battles
to be bathed, healed ana lectured.
Van Caters. perhaps, might have ex
plained this partially. Marie had not
been anxious to make Muggins' ac-
Quaintance. Indeed, Muggins had
been obliged to Introduce himself. He
entered into Marie's room one day and
seized a pair Of slippers. Marie Shrek
cd and Muggins fed down the hall, his
mouth full of red morocco. Marie pur-
sued and caught him Just outside Van
Caters door.
Van Caters, hearing the scufie,
rushed out and was astonished to and
Marie kneelisg on the PROSTATE Mug
gins and pommeling him violently with
both little fists. Muggins was snarling
like a fieBd, and his face was screwed
up like a withered apple, but protect
~ ao,Id not ,,ulasa ba saw. ~
his prey, and ~relinquish 1t he would not
while life lasted and anyone opposed.
SO Marie continued to beat him.
Van Caters grasped Marie by one
him little wrist and drew her to her
feet. She was crimson and out OF
breath, and more than aSlittle ashamed
Of herself.
81 hope l haven't hurt you. Gerard
she said, npologetically.
Van Caters could have roared. but
he asked very seriously what Muggins
had done.
"Stole.' said Marie briefly.
Van Caters looked, but was unable
to ascertain the nature Of Muggins'
nouthful.
Something valuable?"
ITO me, yes" said little Marie, with
a sob in her throat. and then she turned
md hurried away.
Muggins started after her, his bia
under Jaw hanging. Then he let the
slipper fall and followed her silently,
apologetically. his bullet head dropped
upon his massive chest. Marie slam
med the door in his face, and Muggins
sat down outside. Presently he began
to claw energetically at the woodwork.
and Marie opened the door on a crack.
Muggins frisked g~rotesquely and paw
ed the door. 1t was opened a little
wider and Mugsins shot in.
by Jove, that's a bright dog" de-
Van Caters, picking up the dis
object from the floor. IF 1t
Isn't che of the Turkish slippers I
bought Marie at the fool bazaar last
GUNNER. Well, WELL" and Van Caters
walked into his room. reflective. and
set the poor, little. mangled slipper in
he place of honor Oh the mantelpiece.
He had never noticed Marie very
much, but he always had been kind to
her In a careless way. Now he noticed
her a great deal, for there seemed to be
uncanny in her ascendency
over Muggins. His own attempt to
discipline the beastly bull pup had
been a dismal failure, and here was
little Marie ordering the brute about
Rs she pleased. He tried to ind out
her methods, but Marie was reticent on
the subject and so was Muggins.
Still Muggins relapsed from grace
occasionally. Once when he ate Marie's
best hat Van Caters heard Of 1t and
to buy her another, and little
refused, almost rudely, to allow
It. There was lever a more astonished
than Gerard Van Caters when he
found he had fallen in love with little
except when he informed little
Marie that he wanted to marry her and
Marie refused him out and out. The
thing even seemed to take a cold
In his discontinue. Only when
Van CATERS sulkily announced his In
Of going abroad and forgetting
her she offered to take charge Of Mug
gins.
So Muggins went down to Long ISL
and by boat along with little Marie
and the particular Van Caters aunt
with whom she was to spend the sum
mer.
No word came from Marie, but his
aunt wrote Gerard a letter of grievance
against Mugglns. Muggins had dis
graced himself. Marie had bribed the
Of the steamboat to take charge
of Muggins for the night. and the man
had chained Muggins to the leg Of the
berth in his stateroom.
MugSlns had promptly chawed-no
other word expresses Muggins' method
1t through and when the mate
turned in at $50 In the morning he
found Muggins peacefully snoring in
the lower berth with his head on the
The man was afraid to wake
Muggins. and afraid to climb over him
to the upper berth, 30 he turned the
quilt over Muggins and. In his own