The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-12-03

III ~ sa Cd Herr schmidt, h '5,,
enter the adjoining house as tenant to-
morrow"
'Not if / know it, madam shouted
Phineas, jumping from his chair and
bringing his fist down on the table.
''Do you think am going to have Rhyd
cottage turned into a 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 merely
a naturalist" -
81 know it," "stormed Phineas. 'Tve
heard of these plaguey naturalists be-
fore. I've no desire to come down stairs
some fine morning to find a ringtailed
monkey sitting on the window sill act
ing as referee while the kangaroos and
crocodiles play leapfrog over the flow
er-beds. No, madam, no naturalists for
Phineas 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
the least.
HAS it slipped your memory. Phin-
cas-" she asked, "that Rhyd cottage is
a portion of my property? If 1 choose
to let it to a naturalist, even though he
be foreigner, am perfectly justified
in doing so.
This was true enough, and Phineas
calmed down.
''Herr Schmidt's 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 inten-
ton to disappoint him."
"But l."
''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"
Phineas Peel was-though at times he
doubted tia lucky fellow. He had car
ried off a young and handsome woman
from a 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
diminutive Phineas Peel was always a
mystery to her acquaintances. The we'd
ding was an accomplished fact before
her relatives had recovered from the
shock caused by the announcement of
her engagement.
Mary appeared to be happy enough
too. Phineas, taken as a whole, was
not a 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 an aged, 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.
Every well, 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 week we
shall have the house and garden over
run with every conceivable variety of
reptile, from 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 had proved to
be groundless. Herr Schmidt's s.mon-
trosities" 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 that fellow" muttered
Phineas one evening as he sat on an
upturned bucket behind the pea sticks.
'He's prowling about on. the other side
of the hedge again. Hope he won't
catch sight of me, for Pm about tired
of his oily tongue and eternal smile.
Helloi What the deuce is the mean
ing of tInisf'
Down the garden path tripped Mrs.
Peel. The naturalist was evidently ex-
pecting her and greeted her with a
smile that almost brought tears into
the eyes of the furious Phineas.
"Goot efening," he said. you vos
joost leetle late"
1t was soon evident that this was
not the first chat INDUCED in over the
boundary hedge. Though Phineas
strained his ears, he could not catch
the drift of the conversation. Like a
flash he remembered that Mary had
often of late taken a stroll in the gar.
den at dusk. Was this the explana-
ton?
Phineas had been glaring at the
couple from behind the pea sticks for
ten minutes or so when he saw his wife
take rosebud from his favorite tree
and hand it over the hedge with a
charming smile to the delighted Herr
Schmidt. Then, with pleasant Good
nightp' Mrs. Peel tripped lightly into
the house.
.You viIlainw Missed Phineas saw
agely, jumping from his seat and shak-
ing his fist after the retreating figure in
the next garden. ..fn pay You out for
this.v