Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-02-26

nat, but the thing that hurt her most
was the burst of merriment with which
the audience greeted her fall She wait
ed down there on the coal for long,
long time till the people in the houses,
guessing her distress, went away, or at
least hid themselves behind the blinds,
and only few Of the boys on the fence
were left.
At last they, too, grew tired and went
to hear the organ man around the corner
play Climbing Up the Golden Stair"
and left the tear stained, aching Mrs.
D. to the hard task of climbing out un-
seen. Her little head was throbbing
with the pain, but she was too proud to
let her husband see her first defeat, and
when tho kitchen girl had bound her
wounds, she started out again.
This time she sought more retired
field in which to pursue her ]aboTs and
at last determined 10 brave the dangers
of the basement where the phantom In
dians dwelt and Try to make the squaws
be "woanan's rights"
1t was quite dark down there, and she
was afraid to venture far from the door
or windows on account Of spiders and
''p'raps rats and ghosts and things" At
last her eye was caught by an old trunk
Of mammals g which she knew contained a
lot of party clothes and other things
more interesting than just walking
round and round talking to the Indians,
who were not even civilized enough to
answer her
This fall was by far greater than the
first. From noble efforts to improve
her sex to the low vanities of gaudy
dress! However, Mrs. Doogan didn't
know and rummaged happily in faded
silks. tried on high heeled slippers, yell
low now with age, and old brocades her
grandmother had worn when Gra-
cious heavens! What frightful screech
No wonder. She had come upon fam
lily of mice, and one horrid little one
had fallen up her sleeve. Oh, my, such
cries and means and frenzied screams
as she ran stumbling in her fineries till
all the servants in the house, mamma
and Mr.. Doogan and papa, who had just
come in, ran headlong to the cellar,
thinking some one was being killed!
II warned her not to" walled her
frightened spouse. II knew the Indians
would be savage when they found I
didn't come and now s'pose they re
cooking her alive.
Good gracious, pussy, what's up
now?" asked papa as he took the weep
ing, trembling bundle in his arms. "Did
something hurt or frighten you, pet?"
"No! No! Nep' sobbed Mrs. D.
'But papa it's mouse!" And then
there was another burst of tears till the
poor baby naausie was found dead Then
Mrs. Doogah's tender heart was touched
and she hid in her mothers friendly
skirts.
"Oh, mammal Did I kill it? Poor,
dear, little thing. I didn't mean to,
truly, but it frightened me SO that
must have. Oh, oh, my! guess I must
have squeezed it hard Oh, dear!'
"What's that?" said papa. "Woman's s
suffering people frightened by a mouse
For shame, my little daughter; you dis
grace your cause!'
"I'm not woman's suffering any
more Or woman's wrights or anything
at all, but only me-" affirmed the late
new woman. "And I'm going home
right now and see how Mr.. Doogan's s
tended to the things and take care of
Miranda and never make any more
speeches and have everybody laugh and
fall and hurt myself again.
"'Deed and its the great care Miriam
dy'll need to bring her back to airth,
put in the cook, 'for when saw her
last she had her side split up of having
too much bath!''
Then there were fresh bursts of tears
and Mr.. Doogan vowed sit was thank
less job to tend to children and more fun
to go On battles with the kind of things
1t wouldn't hurt to wash once in
awhile.
And Mrs. Doogan vowed she'd ''never
leave her home to such careless thing
as man, long as she lived
And when the woman question is
mentioned now, the children both look
wise and shake their heads Margaret
G. Nesfield in San Francisco Examiner.