The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-03-09
The Mysterious Box.

The Mysterious Box
The respectable naborhood of Asquiff and -
streets put in terrible excitement the othef
evenin by the followin MYSTERIOUS circumstance
II was bout half past seven O'Clock, and terrible
dark-jest the night for doin a dlabolcal deed.
The family of Mr.. Pepper was sett.n round the tea
Pepper was akin Mr. Brown II his tea was to suit
him, and maxim apologies to Miss Patience Pepper,
her husbands maiden aunt, about the cake bein
heavy; the gals was gabbin to one another, and
Mr.. Pepper was tellin little Jimmy how he mustn't
eat no more pound cake to make him sick agin.
Everything was gwine on in a harmonious and
sociable way, when all of sudden ther was n ring
at the door bell Thinkin nothing of that, they all
went eatin and talkin to one another, while Fan
ny, the servant gal, went to answer the bell.
In about minnit, here cum Fanny back, with her
mouth wide open and her eyes startn ont of her
he'd, and IA mahogany box in her hands which she
held out before her. by the brass handles on each
eend, as far from her as she could.
"Oh!-agh my goodness ;" ses Fanny ,.as she
suddenly made her appearance at the door with the
box in her hand" Goo. -ugh!"
If a dead ghost, with its own coffin in its arms,
had cum right into the room, it couldn't have made
worse panick. Every one seemed to be instantly
purified with horror-struck dun and motionless as
30 many model artists. Them that had ther mouths
open hadn't time to shut 'em, and them that had
Their mouths shut seemed to have the lock Jaw SIM
UNANIMOUSLY. Miss Patience made out to git both
her hands up, and az her mouth was open, the
pound cake she was eatin jest naturally dnpped in
her plate. Miss Susan Pepper was the first to
scream, and that seemed to relieve 'em little for
the next mint the whole party exclaimed
whats that I"
"What upon earth's in that box p ses Mr. Pep
per- they all ris up from the table,
Whar did you git that box, Fanny - SEES Mrs
Pepper, upsettin the tea pot onto Mr. Browns legs
in her excitement.
n... 80 "a r.. NT.
ugh ugh!' groaned Fanny, as she sot it down
in the middle of the floor.
1t twas mahogany box about three feet long by
eighteen inches wide and six Deep 1t was varnish-
ed as bright dollar and had key slickin in the
lock. No body dared 10 60 near it.
"Whar did you git that box, Fanny7'' ses all of
'em. .,...
Fanny told howfhe went to the door when the
bell rung, and how n man was standn on the steps
with the box in his hands, and how he told her to
take it to Mr. Pepper, and to be careful how she
handled it; and how, as soon he put it into her
hands, he went off as fast as he could
what kind of lookin man was he :" SEES Mr..
81 don't know SEES Fanny, "only he had on a
cloak, and cap down over his eyes
Are You sure it was a real man p axd Miss Pa
tience, locking very mysterious
''Didn't he say what was in it - SEES Mr.. Pepper
"No; he jest told Inc to take it to you, and be
careful not to let it fall"
"Oh, Mr.. Pepper!" sed Miss Patience. lookin'
more mysterious than ever Is it possible that
you, man of family--Oh, for shame, Pepper!"
Mr. Pepper looked wild as buck rabbit
Mrs. Pepper began to feel more and more inter-
ested.
"What in the name of sense can it mean =" SEES
she.
Listen" SEES Miss Patience, " if You can hear
anything move in il.
III soon what IS inside of it, SEES Mr.. Pen
Nor gptfinp sort n desnerata HE ;,,.;.,
nations. And with that he was Jest gwine to
take hold of the lock, when No. Brown TUX hold of
his arm and told him to stop.
DO MT be SO rash. MIR. Pepper" SEES he. ssHoyy
do we know but what it 3 an internal machine
sent here by some of your enemies to blow up your
whole family"
my Lord" gasped Miss Patience. as she
backed into the farthest corner of the room.
"Sich things is gettin common nowadays"
SEES MIR; Brown. "A whole family was killed by
one tother day in France, and Jest as like as not
some of your enemys has laid scheme to kill you"
"Oh-o-o.' SEES the gals.
Little Jimmy thinkin' something terrible Gas
gwine to happen, grabbed hold of his mammy's
skirt and sot up yell like forty thousand cats
Mr. Peppers eyes showed the white al! round
'em, and Mrs Pepper put her arm round him and
pulled him farther away from the box.
"Who could do SIGH a thing my dear!" ses she.
II was impossible to tell that; ther was no Know.
in what wicked men monght do; and it was very
certain that the medical doctors very hostile to
the botanicals; and who could tell but this was
plan of the medicals to blow up the man what
they could MT put down no other way.
Mr.. Browns idea seemed to take possession of
the minds of the whole family and though Nr.
Pepper felt relieved in one respect he sill in
terrible perpexity what to do with the box He
had great mind to call in the police or some of his
neighbors, but as he was Mt exactly ceriain what
hnought be inside Of the box, he did nj wish 70 rsn
the risk of maxim himself RIDICULOUS Por lbs own
part he would have been perfectly win' no let the
thing stay as it was hut the wmua eaars TO |
Know what was IN it, and they could MT sea till ii
was opened somehow or other |
DroWn was brave man under erHsrax ces.,ua. |
stances lie ctm monstro,ls ni,eb yohnftse ntn M |
go to MeHeo, before he fell in love with MSS snss.
but he had mortal aversion to helm bowed Nm -
q nllefilal machine II 1t was MT for that be d
opened the box In mint. Pepser himself MIS-
out To touch 1t with his cane, but the thin, l..I
sich cotieustible look about it, and SIGH decided
gnn-powder smell that the ladies wopld AZ
consent tfat either of the gentlemen ssseshl
risk their precious lives by opening the boz with
'ne hey teu 10 uie eend Of stick ten feot loss
agreed that Fanny should take il ou, in H.. hans
yard and set it carefully down on the nane,.~nt
and then they would throw fifiy-six aa,.,. ~ :;
from one OF the upper story Winders and tt - =
went off it could MT hurt nobody. 'ieh IL
Accordmy, with fear and trenholm. moor
tuck up the box and carried it out doors and 80
IN the right place, with candle in the back eorcn
SO they could see it. Then, after all the fam;Ir
was safe in the second story. the winder was b;s.
TED, and Mr. Brown made the fiist heaye--tbe LADY,
al held their ears for the terrible e,ntss;o.
w nang went the fifty-six on the back and in |
lodged Browns he'd like a cannon bsJa hnt "A,
pox wasn't touched. After three or four nyess I'D
,,a u 's mischief with the pavement, he had ass
ftla h.Nx