The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-14
John 1 do believe you invited Dea-

cOAh l. oO OclfcSe you invited DSd-
con Durfey up here on purpose!"
Well" he admitted, Il met him
wandering along the street like a stray
goat, and he looked so sort of mournful
with that weed on his hat, I thought
l would ask him up"
You are an angel" was my feeling
I was thankful that Johns
reverence for his Aunt did not extend
to her admirers. The idea of Deacon
Dur1ey as a stray goat gave me such
lively satisfaction. I saw him wildly,
hin and pointed; his ears pointed; and
his clean-shaven upper lip drawn in
tiny wrinkles over full upper teeth.
An intermittent nibbling motion of the
upper lip completed the goat likeness.
Annie" said John. after a time. do
you know that We ought to go into the
parlor! Aunt Tilda will feel hurt if
we don't"
Surely. We needn't both waste the
evening"" I replied. You go. up stairs
and smoke, and / will go in and talk
to the Deacon, and then by and by
myself"
So John went up stairs to his after
dinner cigar and 1 Joined Aunt Tilda
and Deacon Durfey in the parlor. 1
armchair. sitting well to the front of
it and very straight. that his short
legs might reach the floor.
Miss Ashland" aid he, I'VE were
just talking about the Sudburys and
how they vent berrying over in
Jones's pasture last summer, when
they had plenty Of berries in their own
lot"
What was the matter, Deacon Dur
fey?" 1 asked i~nnocently. Il thought
that huckleberries were common pro-
pertv."
But that isn't the idee." he rejoined
hastily. The idee is, picking huckle-
berries in other folks lot when ou've
got plenty in your own. 1t amt right.
l ave just been talking with her
about it, and h agrees with me-" he
added, jerking his thumb with an up
ward motion toward Aunt Tilda
probably you are right, Deacon
Durfey," said I. seeking to guide the
conversation into safer channels And
soon he was occupied in giving is m
account of a meeting which he had
been privileged to attend as a dele
gate" h previous week.
At intervals came curious rumbling
sounds from the kitchen-rumble, rum
BILE, ROLL. What could Josephine be
doing? Apparently, she was moving
all the kitchen furniture out of doors.
AT last, in the midst of the Deacon's
recital, came a longer, louder rumble
than usual, folloWed by a crash, slam
bang! Involuntarily, I glanced at
Aunt Tilda. Her eyes were fixed
mean;ngly on me.
Excuse me-" said I hastily; Il am
afraid there has been some accident in
the kitchen"
1 stopped at the foot Of the stairs to
call John and went on to the
kitchen. Strange as had been the
nOICoC NO mot nranora1 for tho
facts. In the middle of the room stood
.!"~0~hine. r,o1ntod ~ 2 pair Of roller
skates, a long handled mop grasped
h....y III Do.n no..us. one "as ".p.ns
up a flood of water that covered the
floor.
"J~osephine!" I gasped.
"Now, this is how it happened, Miss
Annie,'' she exclaimed, eagerly. Il
was just a-practising with my roller
skates, and that ar tipply water pail
knocked off. I'm a-mopping it all up
nice," she continued, hopefully; land
I reckon a mop would be a good thing
to learn to skate with. 1t pears to
sort O steady you. But, Miss ANNIE"
she said, a~ppealingly, seeing me about
to speak, Il can't ever learn with these
skates. Just look at them wheels!"
She seated herself and held up both
feet for my inspection. What I need
40 " POI Va SNoS~Sb 0AS
. explained.
"Linktun-vity?" said I, blankly.
"Yes'm; on you know? Hardwood
wheels. My! but they're awful nice!"
Josephine, you would better take off
the skates now n put on your over
shoes. while you mop up the floor" 1
replied with apparent i~rrelevance.
And now. Josephine" I continued,
more ~encouragingly, as her deft fingers
1,pdi5 tho cfrapS. 'if Won will trv QS
hard as you a to be a good girl for
a month, I will ask Mr.. Ashland to
give you a pair of l~ignumvitae rollers:
only you must practise in the barn."
"Cracky! On I try!" she exclaim-
ed, her eyes dancing. But Miss Tilda
air pow'ful aggravating," she added.
reflectively.
Yes, she air." was my inward re-
joinder as l left the kitchen and went
up stairs to see if John was doing his
duty as host. I expected to find 1.-The
EN-" empty, n planned to rest there
a little while myself, in fact. But there
was John, stretched out in his steamer
chair, smoking sereHely.
"Why, John Ashland, what a shirk
you are! Why don't you go down and
entertain your company you invited?"
Now, Annie, just go gently" he re-
sponded leisurely. Il did go down.
! But I had on my slippers, and the door
| was ajar, and I saw that I should be
! a superfiuity. so I retreated."
Nonsense" said I, sceptically. The
news was too good to be incautiously
believed.
Nonsense yourself. You can go
down and peek il you don't believe
me-"
John I am ashamed Of youi" said
I. beginning to put things to rights. in
the room
Now, Annie, don't muss things up"
"Muss them up, indeed" said I,
making my escape with a handful of
papers, as he started up to prevent
further dissertation.
When I went down to the kitchen to
see whether Josephine had finished
her hopping, the floor was compare
lively dry. Josephine stood at the
sink wringing out the mop.