The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-02-03


%5P& x and now lisfHn to
r% MA me. have accept
,&S} NR ed Herr Schmidts
Y a. 81 offer, and he will
enter the adjoining house as tenant to-
morrow"
mot IL l know 1t. madam" shouted
Phineas, jumping from his chair and
Infringing his fist down on the table.
i'tDo 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
Istrosities shall not enter there"
Herr Schmidt, my dear, is merely
a naturalist"
: II know It." stormed Phineas. I've
heard of these plaguey naturalists be-
. fore. I've no desire to come down stairs
some fine morning to find ringtailed
monkey sitting on the window sill act
Ing as referee while the kangaroos and
lcrocodiles play leapfrog over the flow
,er-beds. No, madam, 70 naturalists for
iPblneas PEEL
! sPretty 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 1t slipped your memory, Phin-
eas,r she asked, ''that RhSd cottage is
a portion of my property? If l choose
to let Ii to a naturalist, even though he
he foreigner, am perfectly justified
In doing so.
This was true enough, ami Phineas
-calmed down.
Herr Schmidt's collection Of mon
strosities,' as you call it," went on Mrs.
Peel, probably contains nothing more
dangerous than deaths head moth
IN bottle. Anyhow, have no inten-
ton to disappoint him."
'sBut r"
@You will treat him With the respect
due from one gentleman to another,
Phineas," broke In Mrs. Peel. "And
now, dear. we'l dismiss the subject"
Phineas Peel was-though at times he
dcubted it-a lucky fellow. He had car
r.ef of, a young and handsome woman
from host Of suitors.
Why Mary Marsden had chosen to be-
stow her hand and fortune on such
plain. everyday sort Of fellow as the
dimfnat.ye Phineas Peel was always
mystery to her acquaintanees. The we'd
ding was an accomplished fact before
her relatives had recovered from the
shock caused by the announcement Of
her engagement.
s. Mary appeared to be happy enough
too. Phineas. taken as a whole, was
not 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
tnge been an aged, decrepit, broken
down old man, Phineas would have
stretched out tho 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 Phlneas 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 "mon-
trosities", had been kept well within
bounds, and rs yet Mr.. Peel had not
seen so much rs 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
fsfied 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
CT the hedge again. Hope he won't
catch sight of me. for I'm about tired
az his oily tongue and eternal smile.
Hello! What the deuce is the mean-
Ing of this?'
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 Phinsas.