The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-12-11
OW, Mary, l have spoken"
Mr.. Peel threw himself back
In his chair as If that settled

I'M Mr.. Peel threw himself back
- v In his chair as If that settled
the matter once for all.
81 heard you, DEAR" sweetly respond
ed Mrs. Peel; "and now. listen to me.
l have accepted Herr Schmidt's offer,
and he will enter the adjoining house
as tenant tomorrow"
mot If know it, madam shouted
Phineas. jumping from his chair and
bringing his fist down on the table.
DO you think i am going to have Rhyd
cottage turned into menagerie, and
my garden into bowling wilderness
The house may remain tenantless for
ever, but Herr Schmidt and his mon
strosities shall not enter there"
Herr Schmidt, my dear. is nerely.a
naturalist"
II know itv' stormed Phineas. I've
heard of these piaguey, naturalists be-
fore. I've no desire to come downstairs
some fine morning to find ring-tafled
monkey sitting on the window sill. act
ing as referee Willie the kanga zoos and
crocodiles play leap-frog over the flower
beds. No, madam! No naturalists for
Phtneas Peel!"
Pretty Mrs. Peel never allowed her
temper to get the better of her. She
laughed softly at her husbands fears.
and did not: alter her determination in
Has 1t slipped your memory. Phin-
cas-" she asked. that Rhyd cottage is
a portion of my property? If1 choose
to let it to naturalist-even though he
be foreigner am perfectly justified
in deingso ..-.-
. This was true enough. and Phineas
Gained down.
Herr Schmidts collection of mon
strosities.' as you call it," went on Mrs.
Peel. probably contains nothing more
dangerous than a deaths head moth in
a bottle. Anyhow, have no Intention
to, disappoint him."
But II
g You will treat him with the respect
due from one gentleman to another,
Phineas,',. Broke in Mrs. Peel And
now, dear. we'll dismiss the subject
: Phineas4 Peel was-though at times
he doubted tia lucky fellow. He had
carried off a .young-and handsome wom-
an from host of suitors.
Why Mary Marsden had chosen to be-
stow her hand and fortune on such a
plain, everyday sort of fellow as the di-
minutive Phineas Peel was always u
mystery to her acquaintances. The
wedding was an accomplished fact be-
fore her relatives had recovered from
the shock caused by the announcement
of her .engagementt.
Mary appeared to be happy enough.
too. Phineas, taken as a whole. was
not bad sort of fellow. He was jeal-
GUS. that was true, but his wife came
to regard that. as an extra proof of his
devotion.
Had the proposed tenant of Rhyd cot
tage been anxaged, decrepit, broken
down old man. Phineas would have
stretched out the right hand of fellow
ship. But alas! Herr Schmidt was
young and handsome-far too hand
some, Phineas thought.
Very we'll, Mary" said Phineas, tax
ing his hat from the peg and making
for the door, you have overruled me as
usual, and must be prepared for the
consequences. In less than a week we
shall have the house and garden. over
run with every conceivable variety of
the beastly lizard to the
boa constructor"
And Phineas stalked Indignantly
forth with the merry laughter of his
wife ringing in his ears.
A month or more had passed. and so
far the fears of Phineas proved to be
groundless. Herr Schmidt's 'tnionstros-
tiles" had been kept well within bounds.
and as yet Mr.. Peel had not. seen so
much as strange caterpillar in his
garden. which never looked better.
However, he was not happy. He had
taken an aversion to the new tenant
from the first. and would never be sat
isfied until he had got rid Of him.
"Confound the fellow" muttered
Phineas one evening. as he sat on an
upturned bucket behind the peasticks,
"he's prowling about on the other side
Of the hedge again. Hope he won't
catch sight of me. for I'm about tired
Of his oily tongue and eternal smile.
Hulloi what the deuce Is the meaning
of thisT'
Down the garden path tripped Mrs.
Peel. The naturalist was evidently ex-
pecting her, and greeted her with
smile that almost brought tears into the
eyes of the furious Phineas.
Good efeving," he said. You vos
joost a leetle later
1t was soon evident that this was not
the first chat INDUCED in over the boun-
dary hedge. Though Phineas strained
his ears. he could not catch the drift of
the conversation. Like a flash he re-
that Mary had often of late
taken a stroll in the garden at dusk.
Was this the explanation?
Phineas had been glaring at the cou-
pie from behind the peasticks for ten
or so. when he saw his wife
take a rosebud from his favorite tree
and hand 1t over the hedge with a
charming smile to the delighted Herr
Schmidt Then, with pleasant good
night" Mrs. Peel tripped lightly into
the house.
You villainw hissed Phineas, saw
agely, jumping from his seat and shak-
ing his fist after the retreating figure
in the next garden, "I'll pay you for
this"
The rage Of Mr.. Peel was something
to be remembered. Nothing but blood.
he vowed, would obliterate his wrongs.
But he would smile and smile and MUIR
der while he smiled. Selling peastick
he tragically buried it in the heart of
an unoffending cabbage. and played
havoc with stately row of sunf1owers.