Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1898-09-07


room door, coughed vehemently, and
drew back as one choked with tho
dust.
impossible" said. "She's not
in sweet temper to-day, because l
made her do the rooms twice. We'd
better not disturb her. or she'll break
my ornaments"
My aunt left very slowly and de-
liberately, mourning for the loss of
her tea | escorted her and Uncle
John down to the first floor. How
could tell that her housewilely zeal
for her nephew would have led her
to bestow upon the housemaid, who
was Fan OF the Teeth, u few hints on
the best management of fires and the
proper care of the room which the
fellow-servant was even then sup
posed to DO cleaning'
"You sec. it all means moro work
for you in the end, said my aunt.
das ned into the sitting room TO
find, helpless with suppressed laugh
ter, the maiden with the black velvet
hat was coatless, as has been re
counted (people never stay long with
man who lacks coat), my hair
was on end, and was flushed, But
there was no resisting that infection
Of mirth. laughed aloud. The air
was dense with dust and all the furni-
ture was out of place, That fool of
a housemaid' had lived up to her
reputation
Haven't | done the room beauti-
fullyPn she said, with wicked
giggle; "thank you-thanl1 you, oh,
SO much, for helping mel"
mot in the least said l; "I've
got sister of my own. But hadn't
you bettcr-"
"l'm gone" she said, and vanished
at the word, to hunt for her brothers
chambers.
Entered, her cap over one eye, Fan
of the Teeth, boiling with rage She
was an austere woman of thirty-fve,
not to be trilled with.
"And Pm sure me and Lucy, too,
we takes all the trouble that we can
tn seventeen sets of chambers to
be gone through, and the bells ring
ing on every landing all day long.
'Iisn't as if | was afraid OF my work,
for ave KEEP myself ever since
was little girl of thirteen-nor
Lucy, neither. But when that lady
on the staircase spoke to me an tole
me that was inattentive an Lucy,
too, an SHUTS all about your room,
sayin' that | was to take extra care
of you, sir, | was put out. Do as
you would be done by, ] ShiuKs, an
show no favor to any chambers more
than another, for some one must lose
by it; and if it isn't you, it will be
aren't NO snrugs- III @,,sp,e. .-ot,asl rit5ceei,
be seen, an Lucy, | know she 'as
been on the fourth floor since | come
down with the Stops; but di IN say
nothink to that lady when she said
what she said--and, Lor', sir, what
ave you bin dom to the furnichewre
all pulled across the roomP Lucy
'asn't been ere no more than the cat.
An you 'avin to see your friends in
your bedroom if it was our faultln
Fanny" said |, 'if there has been
any fault, that fault is mine. Take,
oh take those lips away, and-here's
a half-sovereign
1t was q damning confession of
guilt, received as such. Fan removed
herself with an unholy light in her
eye.
Reentered Fan, the half-sovereign
in her hand, and placed it on my
table.
'I've took them in their teas" she
said, oracularly; can she was tellin'
i'm all about it. She is real nice
little lady, she is, an'--an' 1 don't
want no 'arf-suffering for that"
No comedy that | could think of
had any mention of the soubrette-to
be sure, Fan was rather too angular
for the ubrette-refusing tip.
"And you're lady, too Fan, y said
l. "Keep it. Few people return
money. Still fewer dismiss precon-
ceived suspicious"
She withdrew slightly alarmed.
l stepped into the hallway to set
| down the empty soda-water syphon
in the place appointed. The door
leading to the landing was half-open.
| heard voices descending the stairs.
ale was really very nice, Joe,
about it. Said he had sister of his
own and laughed
Chimp. Then I'm sorry for his
sister, that's all. He drinks like a
fish. Why, only last night found
him on his hands and knees on the
second floor, and had to help him to
bed"
The next chambers! AS l hope to
clear my character before all Judges
it was the man in the next chambers!
had heard the Internal din CT that
episode at 2 o'clock in the morning,
and few of Joe's comments as he
left the drunkard How should the
maiden know exactly into whose
rooms she had penetratedP and here
was Joe saddling me with my neigh
boris booted slumbers.
l grlpped the syphon-head in an
agony of wrath. The steps were
almost opposite my landing. There
| was moro saltwater than / had