Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-05-12
MISCELLA Y
THE CRYSTAL BASKET.
BY MAJOR JOSEPH JONES.


Mr.. Shakespeare ses theirs tide IN the
affairs of men which. when 1t is taken a
the flood, leads on to glorious fortin, bu
which if ketches feller in the ebb,play'
the mischief with him. Well, Mr.. Shak
spear was flosofer, and knowd heap a
bout human nature, and wouldn't be a
fraid to venture something, If was bet
TIN man, on the fact that ther amt rea
hopeless, confirmed old bachelor in the
world that hain't experienced the truth o
his remark. There amt one of IN but car
look back and pint out the very time h'
missed the figger, and can tell you the yer.
circumstance that knocked all his fat in th'
fire. The catastrofy of Bill Hickson's love
affair was a very remarkable one, and
must tell my readers about it,
Their was great excitement In Pinevllle
The ladys was gwine to have fair to raise
money to help to build new church. Il
was the fust thing of the kind that ever
tuck place in Pineyille, and of course it pro-
duced sensation. For more'n month al
the Gals in town had been bizzy with thel
needles, and the niggers was to be seen
running from house to house with patterns
and little bundles of things, and all the
remnants of silk and little ribbons had beer
bought out of the stores to make tinerle;
for the cumin fare. The whole biSines:
was under the management of old Mrs
Rogers, who made it pint to keep every
thing as secret as possible, till the nigh
when the fair was to be open to the pub
lick. Some of the boys was monstrousy
put too to make out what the fair meant
but it was gene rally understood that it was
to be very splendid affair, and every
body was to pay quarter OF dollar to see
it, and no gentleman wasn't expected &c
come to 1t thout bringing lady and pock
ct full cf money.
At length the auSpicious night arrived, s
the fair with all its brilliant array of fancy
fxins, bust upon the, bewildered sense o
the astonished Pinevilians. The old church
was in blaze of taller candles. The wall,
was all hung round with greene bushes ant
flowers, and on little tables all round the
room was displayed all sorts of fineries anc
gigamarees, more'n any body knowd wha
to do with. At every table was young
lady dressed as KILN as she could be, sc
that nobody could refuse to buy anything
she offered 'em, without ever thinking o.
the price. Everybody in town was thar
and the prettyest gals had jest as much a;
they could do to wait on the gentlemen
selling 'em everything from pair of baby
stockings to cup of coffee sweetened witt
their own fngers,or love letter from thei
sweethearts, what they had in little pos
-, o,,o oo.nor Of ha roOp,
Bill Hickson was thar of course. splurgir
round with Tobitha Turner buyin every
thing for her that she tuck a fancy to. Bill
was one of the stingyeSt fellers in the
world, and was Jest the man to sell his heart
and soul for plantation and niggers, and
a. old Mrs. Turner was rich as cream, he
was dead after her daughter Tobitha. AL
the Gals in town knowd how Bill had court
ed all the rich gals in the county, aud they
hadn't much mercy on him in the price
whenever Tobitha wanted anything at her
tables. 1t was like pullin the teller's eye
teeth evry time they made him she'll out
dollar but that was the only revenge they
could have.
Tobitha had good deal more dollars thar
she had sense, and was just silly enuif tC
make Bill buy all the baby toys there was
in the room, and by the time the fair wa;
near over she had bled him pretty freely
Il went monstrous hard with him, and he
culsed the fare in his hart, but there wa:
no sich thing as backing out il he expected
to git her iortin, which was the nam chance
with him.
Bout two O'Clock Bill proposed to go home
but To5itha wanted to see ii out. Bout thi'
time old Mr.. Montgomery went up into the
pulpit and told the company that, on the
part of the ladys who had GA the fare, he