Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-03-30
HE WAS JUST A-sERENADINc.

They were setting at the table when
Jim and me strolled by there first, and
there was a pretty bit OF silver lying
around as ever you see.
Lets see them when they puts 1t up"
said Jim.
SO we fetched round that way when
they were a-clearing OF the table, and
We sees them shove the silver in a closet
and lock the door.
That's tempting Providence" says
Jim.
Now you wouldn't want better thing
than that, would you? Simple and easy
as IL could be- and Jim and me arranged
about melting down the Doodle.
We arranged that / was to get in and
Jim was to keep watch.
OF course there wasn't any difficulty in
getting in. Gentlemen in my profession
all know that It's perfectly simple to
get into any mouse. as far as that goes.
l stepped up on the back veranda- Then
/ put long thin blade up between the
windows and opened EN- and stepped into
the dining room. / stepped to the side
| board a minute to take nip, seeing
bottle of three-star brandy there, and
then opened the closet with my skeleton
key. Pretty lot Of stun 1t was when /
turned my dark lantern on 1t. Nothing
| tremendous. but a nice respectable lot
| OF silver that was a credit to the family.
/ had a green baiZe bag to pack ii in,
| and had II all In up to the spoons and
| / laid down the bag, went over to the
sideboard to sample the three-star brandy
again, when heard a step outside. l
| shut on my glim and stopped just where
l was. / thought maybe Jim had plped
something, and come up to give me the
tip
Then / heard somebody cough kinder
light, and heard two or three notes on
a guitar. Blowed II I wasn't mad, /
crept to the window and peeped out.
| There was a cussed fool a-standing there
| in the grass with his guitar over his
| shoulder and a-stIummin' away like mad.
Pretty soon he began to sing-some
| rotten nonsense about n gondolier, about
| II we only took for heavens sake as
much pains as we did for women's we'd
| all be angels. and a-ending with Hush
| hush-hush," very soft and delicate. I'd
| a hushed him II / could of got a rap al
him. Liable to wake up the whole house.
| / heard somebody stirring upstairs when
he commenced the second song worse
than the other-something about her
| being made OF atoms and giving him
back his heart, and a whole lot of nom
sense at the end.
There ] was. l daren't go out the
front way and l couldn't go out the
back way while he was standing there.
Nice place for me wasn't 1t with all the
| silver in my green baize bag. 1t seemed
as II there was more than 400 verses to
his song, and l was getting excited, when
heard another step on the grass. I
was wondering whether i could stand a
duet or not, when, by George, I see it
was Jim.
The young fellow was just beginning
another verse when Jim tapped him on
the shoulder.
What are you doing here?" says Jim.
| "A-serenading," says he.
"A what?" says Jim.
"A-serenadinR" saws he.
whats that?" says Jim.
why. it's, its-oh, it's singing, you
know" says the young fellow.
who got you to do it?" says Jim.
who what?" says the young fellow.
who got you to do 1t? Who hired
your" says Jim.
Nobody" says the young fellow.
"Are you singing here without per-
mission?-Aint you got no license?"
why" says the young fellow, u
says Jim.
tell you / am a-serenading."
IT don't know nothing about a-sere-
nading," says Jim. II know that I'm
hired as night Waterman on this ERE
street, and If you're singing without my
orders, I'm going to run you In"
So saying Jim walks the young fellow
off. Neat. wasn't It? ] was affecting
pretty good at the way he got me out
| Of II, when heard a step in the hall and
the door close by me was opened just a
crack.
Harry" heard a sweet voice.
TT was lovely, dear, so sweet. But
you must go, and hurry! Papa Is COM
ing down the stairs" She reached hel
hand through the door. There was some
thing in her fingers. / took 1t. At that
minute the light streamed in from the
front room. / saw my green baize bag
too far of to get 1t, and a man coming
: toward the dining room, and then
Jumped through the window out on the
lawn and ran. When / got into the
street stopped and looked at what she't
give me. 1t was a white rose, and thai
was all / got for my nights work.-tTroy
Standard.