Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-05-10


BY MAJOR ORIGINAL.
THE QUAKER's NIGHTCAP.
OBADIAH OLDsTYLE was born and raised
somewhere on this side Of the Equator, but
exactly in what parish the reader will have
to guess or reckon. Obadiah, or as he was
almost always called Obed, was a stout
hale man as you would see in days jour.
ney in fact, he never was sick in his life,
knew nothing about the effect, PERSONAL :,
of such vile things as Ipecac, Jalap, Tar
tar, blstels, &c, and often boasted Of his
strength aud good health. One thing,
however, Obed was sorely afflicted with,
especially in the blackberry season, and
that wss boila' But Obed bore with Job
like patience and fortitude these Affections,
since his grandmother had told him time
and again that every one Of his biles,
Obed, is worth good guinea, kings mon
ey, for thy health Obed took courage
from this every blackberry time and was
thankful that it was no worse.
Obed's parents belonged to that ancient
and worthy society called Friends, and they
reared their sons in the belief and tenets
Of that church. Two traits of the old Adam
they never could beat or persuade out of
the boy-he would drink trife too much
brandy sometimes and then he would try
to swear little. His mother had tried
various cxpedients to break Obed Of these
ruinous habits but all to no avail. At nine.
teen years of age he went to raising and
by imbibing too freely of his neighbor'
brandy he became raised so much him.
self that he got into a fist fight and re-
ceived a sound thrashing For this offence
Obed was had up before the meeting and
II was only by a penitent confession Of sor.
row that he was retained in membership.
Obadiah learned the trade of his father
and grandfather before him, that of wheel
wright. He made excellent proficiency in
this honest branch of industry and had the
name of making as good wheel as the old
man Oldstyle ever did.
At the age of twenty, Obed took unto
himself wife, one Naomi Newstyle, as
handsome damsel as was to be found in
the 'women's meeting of Cymblinville.- -
They were married according to the Friends
Ceremony, each pledging their troth in a
public manner to be unto each other both
faithful and true so long as life should last.
They moved to a neat white house on
the Locust Road leading from Cymblinville
down by the toll lbridge, and not more than
three quarters of u mile from the Fmeet-
ing house in the village, the way the crow
flies, but something more the wav the road
went Here they prospered IN peace and
harmony, and by economy and attention to
trade daily added more and more to their
stock Of this worlds goods.
Obed's youthful habits did not leave him
now that he was growing in years and look
ing forward to the meeting day when he
should by right be chosen one of the Ell
ders in the church. He would keep ale in
his cupboard ond would sometimes, of an
evening, stray off to Cymblinville and &C
with squad of his old cronics to the Pig
Head Inn that stood where the streets cros
aud where the Post Office now stands
Here he would drink ale and brandy-smash
es sometimes till late hour and go HON
singing the queerest of songs!
The blackberry season of 1901 came o
and with it came Obed's old affection
biles. He was terribly afflicted this SCI
sou-more, it seemed, than ever before
One in particular-a famous purifier of th
blood, worth Il good guinea Kings mol
ey'-troubled him sorely. This was seate
Just over his stomach, and on it good Ma
mi bestowed tender attention in the way
wilted cabbage leaves and famous drawn
poutices of honey and -four That vex
tious bile seemed determined never
break
One Saturday evening, Obed, after {
day nursing his biles, sauntered off to Cyr
blinville and took up at the Pigs Head Ii
where, with his fellows, he sought spirit
al consolation. In the midst of the soc
hilarity he forgot both his biles and
Naomi until late watch of the night nj;
unto the short hours of the first day MOI
ing. He arose to depart, and to his ov
shame he felt that he had a decided
mount of building material, mostly bri'
in his drab beaver He stood on I
streets of ancient Cymblinville rejecting
the weakness of his own corrupt flesh a
meditating on the peryerseness of his o
sinful heart in being led astray by the e
spirit Obadiah sighed and took his be
ings for his little house on the Locust Re
and having shaped his course he set sail
where Naomi dwelt, on the geometri
principle that continued lines at the sa
angle finally meet. At last, weary and ia
in body, oppressed in spirit, and his
now paining and jumping, he arrived
home. lie found his good Naomi patio
ly reading Barclays Apology and meel
awaiting the return of her spouse.
'Why, Naomi exclaimed Obadiah
he opened the door, art thou-hic-
ting up so late-hc-for thy Obed p
yea, verify, Obed, 1 am; thou v
absent from thy little ones so long tn,
grew distressed in spirit fearing thou h,
fallen sick by the Road from thy biles
Hic hic-ain't to say sick, Naomi
my big bile does hurt though like the
gun, but hic-l-don't you tn think,
rm-Tm a leetle bit too--too -ti-tigt
Yea, perhaps thou art not quite as
should'st be, Obed, to appear consis
with thy calling-but that is not m
Obed for thou vast raised in Gym
Vile and hast many friends of thy y
that prevailest on thee ta be social
them. Sure thou art n Il one of the '
ed called tipplers in NJ condemned 81
the Bible, Obed.'
'Omi' l swow you-thee, thou art
"a leetlc-leetle- tie too ding