The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-20

face, had been a little overwhelmed at
the thought of having such a noisy
neighbor as the captain; but he, on the
very first day of taking possession, had
accosted her with such extreme cour-
tesy that she soon began to feel a new
interest in existence.
You must permit me, my dear
madam" he said. ito constitute myself
the nominal master Of the garrison. AS
your earthworks 0t afterwards dawned
upon the wondering Miss Priscilla that
"Old Nasty Particular" alluded to the
moss-covered bank at the bottom of
both gardens) make one line with my
own, it will be to our mutual advantage
to organize some simple system of de-
fence. Thus, If 1 see any of the ma
rauding village boys stealing your fruit
l will force them back to their main
line; and If you should see them in my
garden and warn me, should esteem 1t
a great favor"
Miss Priscilla had replied that moth
ing would give her greater pleasure;
and the friendship so auspiciously COM
menced was still further cemented by
an invitation to the captain to partake
of dish Of tea" with her and the
wears wife.
The captain, who had received the
missive from the hands of pretty little
Thyrza, Miss Priscilla's maid. regarded
that damsel with marked approval.
There was a suggestion of lavender
about Thyrza's white cap and apron
which strongly appealed to the cap
tain's sense of the poetic. He concluded
that SO neat a maid could only be the
result Of patient training on the part
of her mistress, thus making a most
egregious mistake, for Thyrza's neat
ness was mainly due to an innate CO.
quetry, Miss Priscilla having a most be-
wildering habit Of never remembering
where she had put anything.
But the manner in which the captain
gained Miss Priscilla's perpetual graft
tude yet remains to be told.
In an ill-advised moment, some four
years ago, Miss Priscilla had COM
menced to keep fowls. Being too gentle
! to kill them. every year she had given
away the chickens to friends, and now
| the original old rooster, the head and
front of the family, had become so
fierce and pugnacious that she was
| afraid to approach the henhouse at ALL
Gen. Crook" for so this ungainly
Cochin China bird was called in the
pedigree which he had brought with
him from the poultry show, had knack
of vacating his own premises whenever
he felt particularly vindictive, in order
| to sail over into the garden, catch Miss
| Priscillas gown in his beak, and be
dragged across the lawn until either
her gown gave way or the general lost
his breath. Miss Priscilla patiently en-
dured this indignity, and never went
into the garden without providing her.
self with an already open umbrella,
with which to battle the generals
charge. AS his invariable method was
to spread his wings wide out, put his
head low down, and rush at the open
umbrella with the speed of an arrow
from the bow, the generals first charge
frequently carried his head and neck
through the alpaca into the framework,
Miss Priscilla would then abandon the
umbrella and seek refuge in flight, leav-
ing the general to eXtricate himself as
best he could, and crow derisively from
the middle of her favorite flower bed,
as If challenging the whole world to
mortal combat.
Now the captain was careful OBJ
server Of men and things, and, as time
hung somewhat heavily on his hands,
the one desire of his life grew into an
overwhelming passion for the subjuga-
i tion of the general, who, in addition to
his many other misdeeds, had lately
developed habit Of growing at one in
the morning and maliciously keeping
on until eight. AS the generals voice,
though raucous and rough, possessed
peculiar carrying power, the captain
had an additional motive for avenging
his sleepless nights. On the occasion Of
the tea party he gathered that Miss
Priscilla and the Wears wife We're
ready to adopt any plan which might
involve the moral conquest Of the gen.
eral without inflicting serious bodily
damage or depreciating his market
value. With the wisdom of an expert
a reconnaissance in force on the hem
house, and found that the general al
ways roasted in one particular corner,
in which there was just room enough
for him to flap his wings whilst crow