Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-12-19


Etufing my shoes into the raincoat
pockets, grappled with the agents
enormous cotton umbrella, calculated,
as he observed with pride. to keep a
ten acre lot dry under cloudbursf.
Now he directed succinctly from
the door, "just follow your nose up
the road a spell till you come to a lot
of lights. That's the Pines. Go in and
hang them boots over the kitchen fire
to dry out while you tell Betty that
send a merry Christmas and would be
darned glad to send her something
more IL dared
/ promised and started out on a road
beset by as many difficulties as ever
encountered Bunyan's Christian. In
that wind my great umbrella acted like
the sail to a rudderless ship. 1t top
pied me into mudhole one moment
and tumbled me over projecting
stone themext, the ballasting boots be-
ing at no time able to keep in line
with my head. Moreover, / discovered
presently that the statement concern
ing the ten acre lot was pure fiction,
the umbrella containing as many holes
as the agents conscience.
Also discovered after a half hours
tramp that the Pines did not contain
''lot of lights There was only one
visible, and that but faint glow in
the rear OF the gabled porticoed pile
which doomed up before me, shattered
and dark, just as had proved beyond
a doubt that the curious sucking sound
which arose at>eyery step came from
water inside rather than outside those
boots.
"A pretty reception this to give an
invited guest" muttered wrathfully,
thinking of Harold, we'll groonled, dry
and comfortable, by this time in May
vile and-perish the thought taking
dinner. it might be, with the Daysl
Jerking the gate open with unneces-
sary vigor, sought the kitchen by
way of the back walk and an invisible
wire clothesIine This instrument of
mutilation took me on the point of the
chin, knocking my teeth shut before
could remove my tongue to a place of
safety and, scraping backward violent
W, came to rest against my Adams APP
pie. When | had righted myself and
made sundry remarks appropriate to the
clothesline and soothing to my wound
ed feelings I stumbled up the back
steps and applied my knuckles to the
door with force which evidently
startled the inmates Of tile kitchen.
For an instant silence greeted my
demand for a hearing; then hearty
voice with Hibernian accent arose
from within: "And sure, me darlin', ye
needn't be afraid to open tn door. Be
dad, with TIL hammer I'll attind to his
ease!!1
Some one approached the door, and
faint and tremulous voice asked,
s.aV-who is it?"
4 blast of snow laden wind whirled
up under the cotton umbrella, boxing
my numbed ears and pIastering a soft
application on the nape of my peck.
y am Mrs. Smiths cousinlv l
shouted
sArrah he is. is hep cried the Hi
bernian voice. Lave him give tn color
of his hair, thinw
The other voice was uplifted in the
strange inquiry, preferred in weak
tones, what is the color of your hair.
pleaseY'
Under ordinary circumstances in
stead of replying to such impertinence
I would not have stood upon the order
Of my going. but with that storm as
sailing my back and the brim of the
derby directing gentle stream inside
my collar swallowed my ire and an
swered meekly, 4Brownish, verging in
to golden red"
"Arrah!'' came Bridget's triumphant
tones. He amt tn wan she's lookin'