about 8:30
Agreeable family scenery was thrown around by the magic of the thought . It scattered about six kids for Jim and the same-sized bunch for me -- enough to prove that human nature abhors the inter-marrying of men as Jim and I had tried it . We naturally drifted away from the subject we were both thinking about and got around to talking on old home matters -- the day 's doings and the state of the country ; graft , buying and selling law , and what it all had to do with harming the government and the likelihood of losing our jobs . It was about 8:30 o'clock as near as I can remember , when a timid knock on the front door startled both of us . I answered the call , expecting to find that fairy Miss Tescheron ready to pop in and oust me like a Republican hold-over on a Tammany Happy New Year 's . I peeped out as charily as a jailer . The dim light revealed a tiny messenger boy -- something awful had probably happened up home !