Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1854-09-14
A MIsrAKEN THE DARE.

uuctIVe OF serious consequences 70 on
of the parties involved in it, occurred
few nights ago at the residence of Mrs
A., in the upper part of the frs
district. Mrs. A. has been a widow
FOR the last fifteen years, and hayin!
been left nothing but three children b,
her dear deceased husband, she ha
been laboring' during that period TO
their support and establishment in life
Like most women who have to struggl'
unaided in this jostling world she soor
found it necessary to put on the brazer
armor and assume the beldness OF man
For this she had to sustain the feproscn
of being masculine in manners and rude
in speech; and the severity Win "nicn
she has controlled her servants mas
served to strengthen this unfair impress
s;on Of her character. Mrs. A.
owns a negro boy named Sam, who has
tbe reputation of being somnambulist,
as he has been frequently seen by his
mistress walking about her house at
late hours of the night. On these oc-
casions she has bestowed upon him
fagellatiops which have had a salutary
effect upon his supposed malady.
DR.. R, bachelor of forty-fve,
who has long since abandoned the prac-
tice of his profession and lives upon a
small but for him a sufficient income,
rents apartments in the house of Mrs.
A, and is much respected by her.
He is a man of equitable temper, and
having acquired great experience in
business matters has afforded TO Mrs.
A. much valuable advice. They
have often sat and chatted together for
hours, and the servants have given cur
rency to a rumor that Mrs. A. may
soon become Mrs. R; but there has
been no sure indication of such consum-
nation. unless it be the fact that they
have lately manifested towards one an
other an affection of difidence and a
studied courtesy. In young people
such conduct would never be regarded
as evidencing disposition to unite; but
in widow of forty and bachelor of
forty-fve it is no bad indication of mat
rimony. An alarm of fire is the only
event which can excite the Doctor. He
is ever on the look out for conhagra-
tons, and is constantly advising caution
in the use of combustible matter.
The house of Mrs. A. is at the cor
ner of c. and H street, and the
apartments occupied by her, on the frs
floor, and those of the Doctor immedi-
ately over them, front on c. street
The parlor is on the first floor, and
fronts on H street.
On Thursday night last, about hall
past 10 O'Clock, DR.. R heard a
watchman's rattle, and, as he imagined
in his dreamy condition, cry of fire.
He started from his bed, threw up his
window, and looked into c. street.
but all was quiet there. Still the
watchman sprang his rattle, and there
appeared to be some confusion on H
street. The Doctor determined to walk
down stairs to the parlor, and ascer-
tain to a certainty if there was fire
in the neighborhood. The night was
warm, the house was dark, and all ap-
peared to be asleep but himself. He
did not, therefore, think it necessary to
cucumber himself with much clothing,
and slowly groped his way down stairs
in his night geer. In passing Mrs.
As room, to reach the parlor, his
step was heard by that ever wakelul
lady, and seizing a cowhide, she said to
herself, ''there is that confounded Sam,
walking about again-but I'll give him
jesse" She darted into the passage,
and could just see through the dark
ness, the form of a man about to enter
the parlor, couple of yards from
where she stood. 1t was impossible to
discover the color of person in such a
gloom, and Mrs. A. walked up quiet
ly but noiselessly, to the Doctor, and
before he was aware of her presence, a
vigorous blow of the cowhide descended
upon his unprotected person.
The Doctor turned short round and
rushed towards his room, Mrs. A
becoming convinced by this movement
that he was Sam, determined to persue
him to the garret. Up the stairs
plunged the Doctor, and close by his
heels ran Mrs. A., stimulating his
exertions to get forward by more Sc
we're lashing than he ever received, even
when stumbling, (under the eye of a
harsh pedagogue, over the declensions
and conjunctions of Latin grammar
The Doctor reached his room almost
exhausted and smarting with pain, and
having obtained a safe retreat behind
his bed, groaned out, "Mrs. A., arc
you mad?" That lady now, for the first
time, discovered her mistake in the
dark, and ran back to her room ashamed
and dismayed. How she reasoned her
self into sufficient fortitude to meet the
Doctor next morning, and to have an
explanation, is known only to herself
But this we know, from the Doctor,
that he preferred walking the room
during the balance of the night, to either
sitting or lying, and that he went to an
apothecary's store as soon as day ap-
peared.-N o. Picqyune.
~ A suffering Vermonter was
asked the way to Waterbury. With
great politeless he strove to say it was
straight ahead; but in vain The more
he tried the more he couldn't. At last,
red IN the face, and furious with una