The St. Johns herald., 1897-12-18
N H Or
It was a peremptory mo" :"


 about it."
 Cant you make an exception just this once?" begged Fred, my brother looking like persecuted sinner
 "No! You might lose 1t; somebody might find it; we might be exposed to all sorts of calamities; someone might get into the house"
 "Stop, mother, you are picturing i'm probabilities to yourself"
 Secondly" continued our mother, ''you are too young to carry latch key. I don't wish you to be out late at night; you are the only male protector we have, and want you to be at home with us"
 Under any other circumstances Fred might have been proud to be called our l 'only male protector" but this dis ttnction made no impression upon him now. When mother had taken the latchkey from the keyboard and con- signed 1t to her pocket, Fred wasn't in the kindliest frame of mind.
 Two months ago we had moved from the little town where we were born to a large city-mother, Fred and I. We were still upset and confused by the sudden radical change from country quiet to the hustle of a metropolis. Mother certainly came much against her inclination, but Freddy exhibited an unusual musical talent, and I, too, was mOdestly gifted with a propensity for drawing, and we felt the needs of instructive advantages which we could not obtain in our native town. Our maternal parent was unwilling that we should go forth into the world alone, and so the little home was sacrificed, and we set up an abode elsewhere.
 Our mother, who had been the most confding soul in the world, was sus- picious of everything and everybody in her new surroundings and insisted that the house should be locked and bolted at 10 o'clock every night. At that time we bolted the door to our apartments. At half past 10 the front door was locked by the janitor, and everybody was supposed to be safely tucked away in bed.
 Ridiculous" growled Fred, after mother had left the room with the key in her pocket, ito expect a grown man to be at home every night at TO-"
 Fred was invited to a little supper after the concert at which his music teacher was to render the star num- bers.
 "She will let you stay out till II if I ask her, and I will sit up for you"
 You know mother goes to bed at 10, so If I should be a little behind time, don't mind, Milly, don't mind; that's a good girl"
 "Very well, brother minew
 Or half an hour, or an hour! She'll be asleep, anyway, and I'll just cough gently under you window, and then you'll come down and let me in."
 "See that you watch is not too far behind time, Freddy" laughed, land I'll see what can be done"
 "Tll go down now and try it on! If you hear me cough, let me know"
 Freddy went out. A moment after ward 1 heard him cough immediately under my window. I looked out and nodded to him. "All right, old fellow, can hear the signal"
 Mother finally was prevailed upon to give her permission for Fred to stay out until II, and after supper made herself comfortable in the big arm chair with the evident intention to wait for the | male protector" of the family.
 At 10 o'clock she looked pretty sleepy, i and the strike of the next half hour awoke her from her first nap. She gathered up her knitting.
 "He will soon be here now, Milly; | it's really not worth while for both of | us to sit up. Pm going to bed but not ] to sleep until he is safely at home"
 I bade mother goodnight. In less | than five minutes, I knew, she would | be sound asleep. An interesting book | would help me over the next hour. Be- fore l knew was deeply involved in the love affair of young couple, and when turned the last page of the book It was twenty minutes past midnight.
 A sudden thought struck terror to my
 0. absorbed as l was in my story, might not have heard the signal. I rushed to the window, but nobody was to be seen. The minutes dragged with leaden slow ness. A quarter of 1! Where could he be? At 1 o'clock began to divest myself of my dress and slipped into my gown. Then I arranged my hair for the night and had just finished put ting one side of my head into curl papers, when the signal came.
 I went to the window, opened it Just a bit and said softly:
 "Is that you, Freddy"
 "Yes."
 Here is the keyr I threw it down into the street.
 "Yesw
 Don't leave 1t in the keyhole; bring t up with youw
 Quite rightw
 And take off your boots; don't let mother hear you."
 "Very good?' seized the lamp and hastened out ,n the stairs to light my belated broth 1T on his way. The key was turned in he lock below. Then there was pause. Freddy was evidently taking If his shoes before coming up the tairs. "You are a -" I was on the point if whispering, when I heard the boot ess step quite near me, but 1 suddenly