The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-02-27
STEALING A GRANDMOTHER.
By HUGH PENDExTER.

B1 HUGH FBNOE41Ghs
When / got home that night my
wife met me at the door with bright
face and told me that she had re-
ceived a letter from her grandfather
stating that her grandmother would
leave on the morrow to visit us, and
would 1 mind nsReting her at Isworth.
l had never met the relative in ques-
tion, but from my wife's ample dis
course I had conceived her to be a
little, gracious, old lady, whom any
man would be pleased to love-as a
grandmother. At this period of my
married life / had been thoroughly
subjugated by my other half, and at
once acquiesced in the veiled mandate
by expressing great pleasure in leav-
ing my work for a day to meet the
grandmother.
1.-THE city editor may not like my
asking for day off, you know" I
remarked, even while giving In.
Indeed" she shifted, is that ma
terial 7"
sNot bit," 1 hastened to answer.
He is a very immaterial person"
"Then, dear, you go. I have in
my letters described you so explicitly
that she will be sure to know you.
Any way, you will recognize her, for
she is the dearest, sweetest woman"
"Old woman" I corrected.
Elderly woman in the world"
"How does she look 7" I asked,
wishing to get few pointers.
"Oh, lovely When you see lit.
tie mite of a thing with the dearest
gray hair and the brightest eyes in
the world; woman that-an elderly
woman-you can feel like giving
good hug, you'll know that's grand
ma"
"She's sure to come :"
"Why, yes, quite sure. If for any
reason she cannot, grandpa will tele-
graph
In the morning I went down and
made my piece with the city editor.
When left him he looked extremely
doubtful, and he has told me since
that from my conversation he had
absorbed the impression that some
relative of mine had passed away and
that l was going to bring the body
home.
Isworth was junction and nothing
else. A solitary grocery store and
postofice combined stood little way
from the station, while far and near
dense growth of alders completed
the air of desolation. The down train
from Waterville had already pulled
In, and on leaving the car I had only
to enter the low waiting room to find
the object of my journey.
AS / opened the door a tall, gaunt
woman, dressed in funeral black,
arose and accosted me in deep, hus-
ky voice.
SIS this Jamesl"
eyes," I answered dreamily. ~
am James, and is this-this-graud-
ma 7"
"Young man, it is
approached timid1y for my well
coming kiss, for my wife had eau
toned me in regard to this very
minutely.
Grasping my intentions and deci-
ding that they were honorable, she
raised heavy black veil and gave me
sort of perfunctory sort of smack.
She was fully as tall as I, and would
weigh, concluded, just one hundred
and ninety-eight. And this stern
visaged woman was the one destined
to inculcate in my being an irrepres-
sible desire to fold her to my bosom
and lavish upon her lips grand6lial
kisses She eyed NE sadly for a
minute and then remarked:
II had hoped Eliza's gal had got a
better favored man."
My countenance must have ex-
pressed sorrow, for she said:
'But you hain't to blame for your
looks. I only hope that you are bet
ter to her than Henry was.'
I dropped the black monster sup
posed to contain her personal effects
ard gasped weakly:
| "Henryp'
eyes, Henry. Her first, you
know"
How we got aboard the home train
I never knew. Ny wife's first
We had only been married year,
and coming from a distant State /
had seen my wife only six months
prior to our marriage. 1t was i'm
possible that she could have been
married before meeting me. I had to
conclude that 1 was bringing home a
crazy grandmother.
"Henery was a varmint," she re-
marked, after we had arranged divers
parcels, among which I remember
was bird cage. "He was a shift
less provider, she continued.
"I'1l bet he was, said altogether
dazed. "When did he die"
"No sich luck. He amt dead,
He's still kitin' round tn country
somers."
A queer kind of a feeling took me
bv the throat. / knew that she was
crazy, but still my throat felt horri
bly,.
"I brought along some catnip fol
the CATS" she said at last, pointing
to paper bag.
ooh, but you know that we haven't
any,"
KILLED 'em, Ell? Jest as well.
drowned three fore I ketched the
cars this mornin. +"
Oh, my wife Even if the "Hen
cry" part were hallucination, tc
| think of the dearest little old lady IL