Early Rising

Once npon a time thorc Hvel IB Blodgerville a man natned Slmpfcins. lie fived thero abmit twenty-tivc years and ttaring all thnt timo lie had been n carly riser. lüs example had bnen held u p for wnulatlon bolore all the youtli of' the town. lio "vas pointed oat yritn pnclo to stiMiigers as the ni:n wliosc exMíiple liad given Ufe and urosperity to the place, ui i the busy hum of labor blosscd Lina vrilh its early rilling voicc. -lie wa a man to all tlio country .leir, And imwiBg lich, w.ui lour hun.i 1 and elg ity-lhrea d .lhu-s and scveniy-flve cciiL= a year." And this íiniount, the minister said, provod hpw Proridence had blessed aood Brolher Simpkins beoause he had gone to the ant and considered hor viiys nná dccmi wiso. Uut last acusón bimpkins üieu, anti 011 liis deiUh-bcd hu made a Cwnfesaion that gtarlled the coiiununity and made "eaeh particular hair stand on end.' Ile confesscd that about nvenly-iive yoars previous lie had ïnurdereda man at geveiiteen minutes past live o'clouk A. M., umi the ghost of the victnu oame promptly on time every nioniïiig at just seventeen minutes past live o'clock and sat on Uia bel ; and, io escape the horrible visitar, lie liad eommenced getting out of bed every morning at ftvo, and he would be dressnd and golng out of ouc door as tiio -ihost carne m the otlier; so, When tho ghoet i'oiuiil he oould never c.itcli Süupkius in he gave t up, except, oucasionally, when he would caten him over-sleepiug hiniself. Tais sturtliug auuounceiueut upset the uhllosophy oí early risiiy m lllodgerville, and was háiled witU deligüt Uy t lio boys, who con Id now Bleeu as loug as tliey wauted to. Ju.st to titlnk ihat tliis had ueen the reason oí Bimpkius' early risingl Tne town was Buooked and revolutionizeu ; the minister iinsacüod agaiiist eariy ■islillas [joi-nUiious thescuool-teaeiiir tuu'lit rtaiust it aa Buspieiww; the awycr lalkoa gainst ita sinister 1110,ives ; umi a last a eoiiuiuttee was aploinled of the best citizeilí oí lilo ij#trville to iuvestigato early risiug. Every man was placed uuüer esjioiwge who got up befoi-e seveu j'cloou in tlic mot'iiiug, ïuo case of Jones was investigated uul marked otl' ihu list. lio owncil a ftdttle. A mau tliat owns a fiüdle oau eet up any tiine oí' uight aiul play. - kiinl reader, you eü at onco aml buy a ödille ana relieve youraejf ot' suspieiott. Gret up every Uif aml play ük(! biazas and everyboily Will Know wliere you aro ; su, ií any one is lunrdereit yon cm provo an alibi. The early ot'Fürkius vyasnext investigaUKl and saiisiacUirily cxplaiued- Ueas. The coininilluu said any body wlio had Vin mviit get ttp early. Said Perkiua to ms wiic onc inurning: 'Jcrasha, my flnger-naila are all woni olí. 1 swuw iil liave to kill tlmt yaller dog. 111 tíit soine pizen when 1 go to binitii's." íáaid sho to FerKTiiS : ■Jonallian, don't you do it. Don t you git any pizca. That Tonipkins girJ bas fits, and you know you aro a hule too irk'lldly to her, aii.t i llave keurt itisea.sc, iind ií'eithcr ofusslipuld drop oft sudaeuly- dou't yon giL the pizell Jonathan. Kdl lian iu thü yoocL oíd way. Tlms wero tlie minor cases disposed of, but tbere woro sume lAarkiy nuspiciuns oaes thiiL it, v;is tbought best to iuvcst,ioate witlwut üi'i kuowleüge of ilie party. There w;ts Poilgee wlio ii;ui a suspicious liabit oí yelinig up early anU ui8tipiiearinjí iu a inystoiious maujier. Mis. Puiltfeei cuukl uut exiiiitin it, sho also Uad uertloubis. Slie saiii iiu iftive varioü reaaoiM tor lm early rUing, une mumiiig lie would liear ruis in tue buni, anotucr morii1114 it would Ijo sume üisturbauoe amoug the ehiakeiis, uil Podgees would say : '"Jie'd bet, Huil was au ovvlora lox." At iinuUier time he woul.i rise eiu-ly to o fishÍMg, and tiius it was. Hm reasoiia seemou plausible enough, had it not been that some of the cóinnifttee knew Podgees so wcll, and the otlioi-s kuovr themselvos sa wcll that there seemed to be a gplemtid opportonity to discover somethiug Tlie ftrat niilit Iir was watched, hfl wout into tlio conifiold and disappeared and the trail was lost. The ncxt niglit he was scen to go into the barn and the oommitteo quiotly surrounded it and waited for him tö come out, until a recomioisanco proved that ho had gone out through the rear door of the barn liel'ore tlio pickct line had formad. But the next nilit they had him. Tliey traoked him nicely to li Í3 destinatiou, and the early risiiu ot' Podgees was explained. It was perfeetly plain to every man on tlie coniinittee. lle had actually dod-ged in at the door ot' the widow Bobkin'g,and there ho was sittindownby the liht ota die. Widow ISobluns usen tauow eaudies, tliey didn't have to be turned or, ihey nlwajra turned themselves lovr, it not suutfed, and ihen yon could teil fortunes by tne wiek, and vrhen there WBS ;i letter in the candió and all that, so thcy were llie kind she used, and Uicre al Podgees by the light of oiie ■A tlium holding the solt, liltie hand of ilio widow and tickliuj left ear with his nnistache. ïha eominittej could see him tlirougli the key hole, und ihruuli a split in the ourtain, and a craCK in Lhe wcathcr board, and ihese thrèe points of ousrvation, like opera buxe, commanded high prices. Tne coiumittoe at onco preyared t'or action. Tney sent an oíd, doublebarreled snot guu au 1 eauh ot theni CDiiti-ibuted material tbr loadiug it. On.' droppéd in a peiicil, auotlier a waj.eh key, anothor u tooth-piuk, and üuislied lip vviüi sonie s.iU tüey lbuiul on llie kiLCiieu windoW. 'Now, Touip-kiiisy' said the chiüriii-i 11 o, ilie cuiuuiitlee, "iet him have oiie barrel (hrougli the brokeu pane of Hass and g'ivHj him the olher wlien he bomësxiüt ut tlio door, but be careful ot the Widow, as 1 have uu engagement to take lier to ehureh aext Öua1 1:1 V' II 1 '11 I ." It was easy enoiin to draw a bead on Pudgeea, but lic fcept sqaieeziu the widow's liaud aud Bquiruiiug arouud, una busUle, Tumpkius vvunuid io give li 1 1 ti ii .slioL in Llio rciir, ImL tlio golden opportuuity cainii wueii tlio widow arusü io yot scjiiie mannelade aBd Podecs tuvued uround and gat Ly Hio tablo wiiuro the Slipper dishes siill rctnuineu. TUero was a snap an 1 a puflf, and a bami as To.iipkins pulluil tuc triyijci", auu tliruugU tUu smoke Podgees cuiild ba sueil goiug up to llio poiliu. Tliere was a crasli of Liic lanío and me dislies as Podgees cume down and it on it ; tliera was a scmuu and a ycll, the soream was tlio wulow's, tlie yen was uuiidsukiibly Pudjpes. Ure at Seott huw Liicy hi'te.l iiin), Jutius Cssmi, liow hu jituíicd, aun M-irk Autoiiy liow lie r.ui. As lm went tliroutl the kitelieu duw T-jinpKius pulkcl Llie ouicr triger, a" i Uien lic travuleJ so fasl, tiiivt iitój LJuuyaii's iil;i-iin, tlicy saw li hu no mui-e, uittil iho cuumiiiteo roaoheil h.s liume and assisted in üigging outtemiili's puuoil ivua lliipoo i's wiiLou key and Niokersoui tootli-picK, aml tn'eii i'o.npkiu.s suggedied ihat Ue wiüow sliould cumo ovei' UM piok out lier sall. Pod-es had been exphliniug to Mis. PoilgeM Lü.it heliuuacoi.ntally enruii' Ün: gUn tliut Ue liuU set tor me lux, uut wik sliu lieard Uic widow's mime ïncntMiie i ner cunosity was oxeitod. Ö.ie, loarncd furllier particuiuis in the Vfiutor, and tticn just at Buurise slie but uu lier bonnet and Btartud over Rpend üm duy at llw iduw-'s, :md all tliat diy long the Buuad oi iiatüe floatei o'er tlie villaje air, a set of teetli flew tbrouKh tiíe window, a Switcli of red Jutuwhisked vioïously out aL tliQ door, and Uien a lu.i uil of Ulaok liair tbiiowC.t iv lm w'Vi'ck of tlio widuw's bunday iwnnet, all iijdicatèil tiíUX ui.e two womon were uiiproviug tuoir tluie, wuile tlio uoiinuiiww re saiigiiluu tliat they liave knoCoJJil Uio bottoui out, of tlijn eaily rulug.