Arizona republican., 1911-05-21

With puckered brow the angel, but red-haired, child gave the bacon a last. carefully considered turn, care fully drained of the grease from each slice, put them on a carefully warmed dish, and carried it into the sitting room of the Honorable John Ruftin. She found him reading a letter; and his face. usually so careless and se- rene, was set in gloomy frown. It cleared somewhat at the sight of the bacon; and he came briskly to the table, sat down, and began to eat, while Pollyooly collected the garments with which, in the course of selecting his apparel for the day. he had be- strewn his sitting room.
 He ate two slices of bacon; then he said in gloomy voice, The evil day is upon us, Pollyooly."
 Yes. sir" said Pollyooly, in a tone of respectful sympathy.
 It moved the Honorable John Ruff fin to unbosom himself; and he went on: Do you remember a rogue of the name of Montague Fitzgerald, who came to see me one morning."
 Yes, sir His hair shone like his hat: and he was very angry when he went away" said Pollyooly. with a smile of pleasant remembrance.
 He does shine. the greasy usurer. But l made him rather too angry. by refusing to pay his confounded loan vice over. He has bought up all my Oxford debts. and is going 10 writ me Tor the whole amount. l was paying hose debts comfortably. or rather un- comfortably. by instalments. You znow what instalments are, Polly 1oly?"
 Burial money" said Pollyooly.
 "Instalments are the curse of the British Empire: and whole amounts ire worse" said the Honorable John Ruffln. in a tone of genuine feeling. Well. can't pay the whole amount 1T present, so We must stave of the evil day"
 Yes. sir" said Pollyoo!y.
 "I must not be writted. That Is the first evil day to slave off Therefore proclaim a state of siege. No stranger must be let into my rooms between daybreak and after dark, when the Kings writ ceases to run. Fortunately the Kings writ is not Eightbird. We shall have 10 shut our. selves in"
 Do you mean all day, Sir?' said Pollyooly, knitting her brow.
 ''I fear SO" said the Honorable John Ruffin. From daylight till after dark"
 But how am I to get Mir. Gedge- Tomkins's breakfast?'
 That's a difficulty" said the Hon. orable John RufIln, frowning. Then he said cheerfully: However, it's no good meeting trouble halfway; when the time comes we shall find a plan. You and the Lump can always steal out early in the morning, take up vour abode in the chambers of Mir. Gedge-Tomkins, and return after the Kings writ has ceased its baneful activity for the day, and stopped run ming. l can get my own breakfast
 But goa can't cook your bacon, sir" said Pollyooly.
 "I must eat cold han" said the Honorable John Rufin sadly. II think I could boil ny eggs.
 "I think you'd boil them hard. sir," said Pollyooly doubtinlly.
 There's no saying. l might get into it." said the Honorable John Ruff fin, hopefully.
 Pollyooly's face showed no hopeful ness at all as she carried :he garments sine had collected into his bedroom.
 At Intervals during the next few days Pollyooly wore a grave air when she happened to think of the coming trouble, but the Honorable John Ruff fin. whom it chiefly concerned. showed himself entirely cheerful and serene. He talked freely and frequently Of the slow approach of the besiegers, and gave PollyoOly an admirable Ice. ture on the physiognomy and costume of the common bailiff. At the end oi il he instructed her or no account tc admit anyone of such appearance tc his chambers. Also he arranged with her that should a common bailiff come and wait for him on his landing, when he was out. she should signal hls presence by hanging a white table cloth out of one of the windows of his own sitting-room or that of MT. GedSe' Tomkins. Every morning as soon as the bacon was cooked. Pollyooly and the Lump. as that genuine. but red headed Cherub. her little brother Roger. was so inappropriately called, betook themselves to the chambers oi MT. Gedge-Tomkins, who also enjoyed the services of Pollyooly as house keeper.
 At last the besiegers, or to be exact the besieger, came at half-past ten in the morning. Pollyooly and the Lump were in MT. Gedge-Tomkins's cham bers. when she heard a knocking at the Honorable John Ruffn's door. She peeped through Mir. Gedge-Tomkins's letter-box; and there, knocking stead ily away, stood a red-faced man in a greenish-black morning coat. a high but dirty collar. tie that had once been red, and a dingy bowler hat. Ar ter the Honorable John Ruffin's ad- mirable lecture, Pollyooly recognized him at glance as the common bailin.
 He was plainly unused to working in the Temple, or he would not have gone on rapping so hopefully on the Honorable John Rufi1n's outer door. Chambers in the Temple are fitted with double doors, a front door with a knocker on it. and an unknockered. outer door called the oak" When the oak is shut it means that the oc- cupant of the chambers is literally. or E,rro.;valv ouf The heciappr cou ld