The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1897-06-11

htunCeS Wcrc carefully uttcilucu W. AhO
president Of the board of managers of
the institution for half orphans sent
out an old stager who maintained
grim silence, while our bachelor rector,
Rev. Ralph Hunt, who more than a
score of years ago had been sutton Of
aunt's. presented another veteran
which he had obtained from retired
sea captain.
Sue certainly had the most annoy
ance to put up with. Poor girl! She
had gone about with red eyelids for
weeks. DR.. Farquhar, the old doctors
assistant, had come to spend an even
ing with her. There was nothing I'M
usual in this; in fact, it YVES the fifth
evening that week, but this time he
asked Sue very special question. Sue
had shyly slipped away to the window
to give her answer from that vantage
point, but before she had time for
word, a voice, precisely like her own,
In meditation, replied: go home. you
fool!"
Now DIR. Farquhar is a hot-tempered
On this occasion he waited for no fur
Their remarks, but made a hasty depart
ure well puncutated by the vicious slam
he gave to the front door, while the
guilty parrot that had caused all the
mischief burst into roarsf laughter.
/ hurried down, only to find Sue shak-
ing her fist at q bird perched on the win
dow ledge above.
"Oh. you beast! Wouldn't like to
wiring your neck!" she calculated, as
the tears streamed down her face.
This from our even-tempered Sue was
quite equal to profanity, and soon she
poured out the whole ridiculous, but
nevertheless painful story to me.
About this time Aunt Rivers mounted
her next hobby. She became hypo-
chondriacal, and imagined herself the
victim of half the diseases that af11ict
mankind. nearly ruined my eyesight
porting over medical records for her edi
fication. We all scoffed at the notion
that there was anything more serious
than touch of indigestion ailing her,
but outwardly we were her devoted
nurses. At her request we moved her
bed into the airy front room, where,
with her cabinets of china and her
precious parrots about her, we conf
IDENTITY awaited her recovery.
AS the days went by there was but
little improvement In her state. Her
strong belief in her iil.health kept her
down as effectually US II fatal illness
had her in the tolls. I was not sur
prised when she aroused me one night
to send in post haste for the doctor and
clergyman. 1.-THE end" she informed
me, sepulchrally, 1.-THE end has come"
The old doctor was i'll, and DR.. Far
quhar came in his stead. Sue grew very
white as he entered the room. At the
same moment the fat old rector came
wheeling in with such evident concern
in his puffy countenance that felt
ashamed Of ever having laughed at him,
and began to wonder if he really cared
for Aunt Rivers.
Awakened by the disturbances and
the light, the rector's parrot sent up an
aggrieved shout Of "Who the devil are
you?" This was the signal for the
outbreak. I hope never to hear such
sounds again. There was general up
roar, in which such remarks as "Who
the devil" Polly wants a cracker" and
Good morning, ma'am" were readily
distinguished. Then by way of duet,
the rector's parrot united with Bob's
offering in giving utterance to volley
of oaths that blush to think of.
To diversity further these remark
able proceedings, the Angora and the
pug. that we had left sleeping quietly
in their respective baskets, came bound
ing in from opposite directions, and
fancying this an opportune occasion for
settling some long-cherished differ
ences of opinion, engaged in mortal
combat.
The rector, in his anxiety to separate
them, stumbled on an immense medical
work which 1 had carelessly left on the
floor, and in struggling to regain his
balance, lurched against one OF the
china cabinets, which came crashing to
the floor. For the next five minutes
there was q grand melee of rector, dog,
cat and broken glass and china, and
above all the tumult came aunt's voice
-"Ralph, dearest, say you're not hurt
and I'll name the day." And actually
the fat old parson somehow got on
lis feet, and, with blood flowing from
the cuts on his hands and face, bent
over and kissed her, to the utter aston
ishment of DR.. Farquhar, who, after
being summoned to death bed, sud-
denly found himself intruding upon the
privacy of a family with whom his own
connection had been severed.
In the first lull of the uproar dulcet
| voice very near his ear whispered: go
home, you old fool" q direction which
| the hot-tempered doctor would have
been glad to follow had not sudden
misgiving beset him. The width of the
room lay between him and Sue. The
whisper, therefore, could not have come
| from her. a sudden light dawned on
the young physician, for the wretched
half-orphan parrot here hoped on the
bed and surveyed him with q sardonic
grin.
He threw q pleading glance at Sue,
who straightway disappeared from the
room, and when / stumbled over them
on the staircase half hour later the
pair were quite oblivious OF parrots or
any other causes of disturbance.
Aunt Rivers speedily recovered and
&as married to the lover of her youth
n month later. If you wish to see a de-
voted middleaged couple, happy in the
society of their five pets, would advise
you to call at the rectory on K
street. Aunt has dropped many OF her
idiosyncracies, and has no intention
of departing this life at present. Bob's
whimsical fear lest she might take to
collecting husbands is i'm no danger OF
being realized. Sue, too, is happily mar
ried and lives near by, but mother some
times remarks that she hopes Bob and
I will remain single unless we step into
inatrimony by some less noisy agency
than Aunt Rivers parrots.-Portland
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