Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-29

(CharleS DICKENS,
noveiist. author Of "Pickwick Paper" David
Copperfeld, oliver Twist Tale OF Two
Cities etcD
There are few things more worrying
than sitting up for somebody, espe-
cially if that somebody Is your wife
and she is at a party. You cannot help
thinking how quickly the time passes
with them, which drags so heavily
with you; and the more you think OF
this the more your hopes Of her speedy
arrival decline. Clocks tick so loud.
too, when you are sitting up alone and
you seem as if you had undergarment
of cobwebs on. First. something tickleS
YOUR right knee and then the same sem
sation irritates your left. You have no
sooner changed your position than 1t
comes again in the arms; when you
have sfdgeted your limbs into all sorts
of odd shapes you may have sudden
relapse in the nose which you rub as
If to rub It off-as there is no DOUBT
you would if you could.
Eyes, too, are mere personal in
conveniences; and the wick OF one can
die gets an inch and nall long WINE
YOU are snuffing the other. These ana
various other little nervous annoyances
render sitting up for length OF time
after everybody else has gone to bed,
anything but cheerful amusement.
This was just Mr.. Dowler's opinion,
as he sat before the fire and felt hon
estly indignant with all the inhunan
people at the party who were keeping
him up He was not put into better
hunor, either, by tibet reflection That
he had taken it into his head, early IN
the evening, to think he had got an
ache there and so stayed at home. Az
length after several droppings asleep.
Mr.. Dowler made up his mind that ne
would throw himself on the bed in the
hack room and think-not sleep. OF
course-which he did and very prompt
~ fell sound asleep.
Just as the clock struck the high
wind blew into sight sedan chair
with Mrs. Dowler inside, borne by one
short, fat chairman and one long. thin
one. They we're very glad to set the
chair down and give good round. LOUD
knock at the street door. They waited
for some time but nobody came. MRS.
Dowler asked them to please knock
egain-and again-and again.
The short man knocked several times
without producing the smallest eHect'
relieved him and kept on perpetually
knocking double knocks Of two loud
knocks each, like an insane postnan.
At length Mr. Wrinkle, one OF the
men staying upstairs began tn dream
that he vas at club and that the'
members we're so noisy the Chairman
was obliged to hammer the table 10
preserve order Then ne mad con-
fused notion of an auction room Nhere
there were no bidders and an auctioneer
was buying everything in. Ultimately
he began TO think it just within the
bounds of possibility that somebody
might be knocking at the street door.
To make quite certain however. ne re-
raained quiet in bed for 10 minutes OF
SO and listened; and when he had
counted two or three and thirty knocks
he felt quite satisfied and gave him
self a great deal Of credit for being so
wskeful.
Rap, rap-rap. rap-rap, rap-ra,
"a ra' ra. "a, rap!" went the knocker.
Mr.. Wrinkle jumped out OF bed. Won
dering very much what could POSSIBLY
be the matter, and hastily putting on
his stockings and slippers. foideo MS
dressing gown about him. llgnteo a CAM
die and hurried downstairs.
"Wlo's there?" said Mr.. Wrinkle. I'M
locking the door He opened door
little and peeped out.
The first thing Mr.. Wrinkle saw was
the red glare of a torch held by one
man. making him think the house was
af1re. He flung the door wide and helo
his candle above his head. Came Vlo-
lent gust of wind, the light was o!own
ont. Mr., Wrinkle himself was blown
down the steps, the door blew shut
with a loud Grassland locked itself.
And there was Mr.. Wrinkle, ludlcrous
figure in dressing gown and Shippers.
with ladies' voices. coming down tne
street-moce party revclers returning
rake away the torch" cried Mr..
Wrinkle. Hide me, do something WIN
All this time he was shivering with
cold; and every time he raised MS mana
to the knocker to summon some one
from within the house. the wind whip.
ned at the dressing gown In moee
unpleasant manner.
hausted with laughing at the spectacle
presented by Mr.. Wrinkle to ofier MIN
anv helm. Mr.. Wrinkle gave one last
HOPELESS knock. The ladies were only
a few steps away. He threw away tne
extinruisled candle which he hao heio
all this time above his head ana larry
bolted into the sedan chair Wnere MIS-.
Now. the landlady had heard the
knocking and the voices at last, ana
only waiting to put something smarter
on her head than nightcap, ran down.
into the front room to make sure ~
was the right party. Throwing up tne
window, she saw Mr.. Wrinkle rusnuls
into the chair. She raised a iouo c1y
and a dismal shrek, crying 10 MT.
Dowler that his wife was running away
with another man.
IJpon this Mr.. Dowler bounced on the
he'd as abruptly as rubber ball ana
rushing into the front room. arrived
at window Just as Mr.. Pickwick threw
,,n the other: when the firSt object that