IN THE WRONG ROOM.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3609, 5 February 1883, Page 4

IN THE WRONG ROOM.

" When jm and I got to Chicago," said the bud boy, " we ivalked around town all day and Aveut to the stores, and at night j)a Avas aAvful fired, and put me to bed in the tavern. Ho AA-ent out to Avail, around and get rested. I Avas not tired, and I Avalked all round the hotel. I thought pa had gone to a theatre, and that made me mad, and 1 thought I .vould J>lay him for all I Avas Avorth. Our room avus 210 and the next AA-as 212, and there av;is an old maid AA'ith a Scotch terrier AA-hooeouj-ied 212. I suav her tAvice and she called me names, 'cause she thought I Avanted to steal her dog. That made me mad at her, and so I took niy jack knife and drcAv the ta<-k.. out of the tin thing that the numbers ivore painted on, and jiut the old maid's number on our door and our number on her door, and then 1 AA-ent to lied. I tried 11 koc_i aAA.ike, so as to help pa if ho had any difficulty, but I guess I got asleej), but AA-okc nj> Avhen the dog burked. If the dog hadn't Avoke me uj> the woman's scream Avould, and if that hadn't pa avouM. You see, pa came home from the theatre about tAvelve, and he had been drinking. He says everybody drinks when they go to Chicago, even the minister. Pa looked at the nmiibers on the doors all alonj. the hall, until he found 210, and AA'alkcd right in and pulled off his coat and threw it on the lounge, AA'herc the dog was. The old maid avus asleep, but the dog barked, and pa said, ' That; cussed boy has bought a dog!' and lie kicked the dog, and then the old maid Avoke up and said, 1 AVhat is the matter, pet: Pa killed and said, ' Nothin' mazzer AA'ith nic, jiet," and then you ought to have heard the- yelling. Tlie old maul covered her head and kicked and yelled, and the dog snarled ancl bit pa on the jiants, and }.a had his vest off and his susjx-nders unbuttoned, and he got scared and took his coat and AX-st and ivent out in the hall, and I opened our door and told jia he av;is in the Avrong room, and he said he knoAved it, and he came in our room and 1 locked tho door, and the bell boy, and the jiorter, and tho clerk came uj) to see Avhat ailed the old maid, and she said a burglar got in her room, and they found jta's hat on the lounge, and they took it aud told her to be quiet; and they Avould iiud the burglar. Pa avus so scared that he sivcat like CA'crything, and the bed AVas oiiul and he prctentcd to go asleej), but he Avas Avondcring lioav he could get his hat back. In the morning I told him it Avouldbo hard work to explain it to ma lioav lie liaj.pened to get into the Avrong room, and he said it Avasn't necessary to say anything about it to ma. Then he gave me five dollars to go out and buy him a iicav hat and he said I might keep the change if 1 would not mention it when I got home, and I got him one for ten shilling's and we took the eight o'clock train iv the morning nii'.l came lioiix,.-, and ls'poso the Chicago detectives arc trying to tit jia's hat on a burglar. Pa seemed of li illy relieved Avhen aa-c got across the state line into AVisconsiii. But you'd a died to sec him come out of that old lady's room Avith li i.s coat and vest on his arm. and his suspenders hanging cloavii, looking scart. He dassant lick mo any more or I'd tell ma Avere pa left his hat."