Year: 1873

WITH the first warm days of spring
comes an irresistible inclination to doff
your flannel. You long to break from
your winter chrysalis condition and take
fresh start with the buds and flowers.
But previous experience has taught you
to be patient, and you wait few days
longer Then it blows up colder than it
has been any time during the winter, and
you congratulate yourself on being so
prudent, and wait for winter number two
to pass over. Presently it gets warm
again, and each day increases in caloric
over its predecessor. You can't forget
that you have a woolen undershirt and
drawers on, nor that the latter are imbued
with strange propensity to slip Off and
you keep hitching at them about the waist
as you 20 along. You wonder why YOU
didn't take them off several mornings
ago, and resolve that you will not let an.
other day slip by without doing so.


Next morning, as soon as your eyes
open, you fall to thinking about your un-
derclothes, and remember that you were
| thinking of the same subject the day be.
fore. You raise up in bed and take
thermal observation. The air seems pret-
ty cool yet, and you conclude to postpone
the change for another day. But by ten
| O'Clock it is hotter than ever, and you
IudhO use VI u GDlbuSb NuCu
speaking of your matitutinal lunacy.


Next morning you jump out of your
bed like one possessed, and snatch off
your flannel in twinkle. When you go
down to breakfast you feel a just percept-
! ible chill in your neither extremities. You
| go to the door and look out uneasily.
There is piece of stubborn-looking cloud
rolled up around the east, through which
| only few stray sunbeams are sifted. But
| you tell Mollie that you think it will clear
up presently. You go down to the store
and the boys are surprised at the energy
with which you hustle around among the
goods. You are merely testing the old
doctrine relative to the calOric effect of eX-
ercise. About nine O'Clock few sporadic
drops begin to fall, just enough to keep
the air moist and cool. You go to the
door, make a casual remark about the
changeableness of the climate, and sneeZe
deeply. Finally you have the boy kindle
fire, and sit with your knees near the
stove' You entertain disparaging ideas
of the sanity of man who would take off
his flannel on such morning. and set
| yourselfto wondering whether you will get
sick. Then you sneeZe twice, poke the
| fire. and get little closer to it. You re-
| lieve yourself half audibly of an express
sion you have been runningover mentally,
for some time, and sneeze again six times
in succession. The boys rally you and
you take up your hat snappishly and go
out BY the time you mike frequent
| dives with your left hand into the vicinity
of your coat-tails, you suddenlyAnotice
that your handkerchief needs changing
When you go to dinner you tell Mollie
that you have the headache and sneeze in
opportunely while carving the beef. She
| ct1Uu nINa1 III
cold from taking off your underclothes,
and advises you to put them on again.


You don't take the advice very kindly,
and shuttle down to the store again.
About lhree o'clock you conclude that YOU
are not very well, and go home. Mollie


brings you pillow and you lie down on


the sofa. You don't much mind being


sick, but to hear Mollie ask in plaintive


tone every five minutes, "Don'tyou think,


dear, it was taking off your underclothes,"


cuts you to the heart.


In the evening Mollie tries to seduce
you into taking something" before GO
ing to bed, but you're not going to be


made baby of, and declare that you will


be ali right in the morning But in the


morning you notice that Mollie is already


up when you get awake, and you feel hot,


and there is bad taste in your mouth.


GU uIOp lulO ndllCOnSclOuS uOSc, anu


by and by you feel somebody's hand on


your wrist. You open your eyes lazily


and see that old DR.. Pillgriper is bending


over you with look that seems to say


"Ah, old fellow, I've got you at last"


Then you shut your eyes again.


Three or four weeks after you pick up


an old copy of the Stoketown Reoteto and


glanclng over the personal column are


surprised at seeing your name in connec-


tion with some such expressions as quite


low" serious apprehensions," and the
} like, and Indignantly ask Mollie what il
means. When you get able to walk down
street the boys seem very glad TO see you
and burst into laugh when you lift your
hat. You put it back very quickly and
begin making inquiries about where you
can get wig. Then you remark with 1
sly twinkle In your eye, that next spring
: you won't take off your flannel till tho
} first of September.-Qiaclasati Saturday


Night,