suddenly at her household tasks, with an excuse so palpably false, and
a careless manner so outrageously studied, that she was fain to be
embarrassed for him. Later, he took to rambling about the house at
night, and was often seen noiselessly passing and repassing through the
hall after she had retired. On one occasion, he was surprised, first by
sleep, and then by the early-rising Jenny, as he lay on the rug outside
her chamber-door. "You treat me like a child, father," said Jenny. "I
thought, Jinny," said the father apologetically,--"I thought I
heard sounds as if you was takin' on inside, and, listenin' I fell
asleep."--"You dear, old simple-minded baby!" said Jenny, looking
past her father's eyes, and lifting his grizzled locks one by one with
meditative fingers: "what should I be takin' on for? Look how much
taller I am than you!" she said, suddenly lifting herself up to the
extreme of her superb figure. Then rubbing his head rapidly with both
hands, as if she were anointing his hair with some rare unguent, she
patted him on the back, and returned to her room. The result of this and
one or two other equally sympathetic interviews was to produce a
change in Mr. McClosky's manner, which was, if possible, still more
discomposing. He grew unjustifiably hilarious, cracked jokes with the
servants, and repeated to Jenny humorous stories, with the attitude of
facetiousness carefully preserved throughout the entire narration, and
the point utterly ignored and forgotten. Certain incidents reminded him
of funny things, which invariably turned out to have not the slightest
relevancy or application. He occasionally brought home with him
practical humorists, with a sanguine hope of setting them going, like
the music-box, for his daughter's edification. He essayed the singing of
melodies with great freedom of style, and singular limitation of note.
He sang "Come haste to the Wedding, Ye Lasses and Maidens," of which he
knew a single line, and that incorrectly, as being peculiarly apt and
appropriate. Yet away from the house and his daughter's presence, he was