Story of a Clean Shirt.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 236, 19 May 1874, Page 7

Story of a Clean Shirt.

(Danhury N&wsunan.)

Mr Kopley, the insurance agent, intended going to New York at 0.45 a.m. to see tho Graphic, balloon, and hastened home to change Mb clothes. He had got on his clean ghirt and was adding the collar, before drawing on his pants, when he remembered that his sleeve-buttons were in tho stand-drawer in tho dining-room, and he cautiously moved in there after them. He found the buttons and secured them, when the hall door opened, and his wife's voice and the voice of a feminine friend were hoard approaching. Perceiving the open door of a china closet, ho immediately bolted in there and closed tho door. Mrs Hoploy and the female friend came into tho room, and, remarking on the heat, drew their chairs up to the open winnow, and brought out their sowing. Then they fell to talking about the weather, and Mrs Bobbin's black-cornered silk, and the remedies for worms, and other topics of engrossing interest. Mr Hopley hung to the door with awful tenacity, and perspired and thought. The darkness was intense, and, to add to the unpleasantness, a mouse or rat was heard in among the papers on the floor. Mr Hopley was not a timid man, but he waa bare-legged and bare-footed, and when a man is thue situated a mouse is about tho last thing ho wants to think of. But still the two ladies glided on through their mazes of neighbour's affairs without the least sign of abatement. He heard the clock strike ten and also eleven. Once or twice the mouse came quite close to his feet, starting the perspiration afresh until lie could feel it trickle down from his chin and down hi* body. Then he moved his foot to rest himself, and it struck against something very soft and covered with hair, and he uttered ;:■ half-

stifled shriek and jumped up striking his head against a shelf, and bringing some kind of crockery to the floor. His wife sprung to tlio door in alarm, but Hopley caught the knob and clung to it with a grip of death. Mrs Hoploy tried in vain to open it. Then she thought of a burglar being in the closet, and screamed for help, still clinging to the door to prevent the ferocious intruder from dashing out and braining both of them and burning up the house. Her screams, added to those of the female friend, alarmed the noigbourhood in an instant, and among those who rushed in was old Mr Scocton with a double-barrelled gun, and as soon as he learned the trouble he turned the dreadful weapon full upon the door. There was a stunning report, a chorus of feminine shrieks mingled with a terrific howl from the other side of the door ; and the next instant the unhappy Hopley with both legs full of shot waa writhing on the floor of that closet. The door was opened ; tho women pushed up to get a fair sight, and immediately dispersed with another shriek. Hopley was put to bed, and Dr Myers summoned, who picked out the shot, which had merely pricked through the skin, and applied the needful remedies, and tho patient to-day is quite comfortable, and will be at his office this w eok.