The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-02-20
MR.. PINcHBEcK's SPECULATION.
BY FREDERICK s. cozzEKs.

Portable quarters in Twenty second street
A suite of rooms on the second floor; book
case lined with fluted and faded green silk,
that kept out Of view two shelves Of spicy
novels and twelve shelves of boxes of segars,
pots of pickles, packs Of cards, bottles filled
and haffiled with divers colored fluids,
meerschaum pipes, slippers and many other
things peculiar to bachelors establishments;
score of pictures on the walls, pink checked,
die-awayed eyed, red Tipped nudties, in dis
habiIa-famous horses, groomed TO the ut
most polish-and brace of dogs heads; a
sofa and pillow; chairs of fashionable pattern;
and side table with pitcher in n tempting
state of dew and beside il few glasses,
large and small, with decanter of old brandy,
constituted the establishment of Mr.. William
Dorry.
Dorry was soe specimen Of large old
bache!or none - your small, wjry produc.
tions-al wig and whiskers-but portly
gentleman in broad white vest with broad
black watch ribbon, spotless shirt bosom,
an easy smile, good teeth, rosy complexion,
curly hair, and a merry twinkle in his attrac-
tive blue eyes. He was one of those good
tempered fellows who always enjoy life and
its good things-who live to eat, drink and
make merry, no matter what comes of it, AT
watering places, he was generalyto be found
in the midst Of bevy Of merry girls and
matrons, and at home he had a set of friends.
old and new, who made the time pass pleas
anty enough with horses, the clubs, cards,
and few other simple amusements.
There was a captivating grace in the move.
ments of Dorry's hands. as they slid the cards
through each other, and turned them over to
his right hand friend to 'cut" Then to see
him.
"With curved and plant wrist, dispense
the pack" was beautiful. The company as
sembled in his rooms amounted to but half n
dozen in number-namely, four bachelors and
two married rascas, who ought to be ashamed
OF themselves. There are two tables; ut one
presides Dorry in all the majesty of whist
and at the other the two married men, in the
full enjoyment of their liberty, are somewhat
boisterously demonstrating to their single
friend, by game of three handed uchre, that
the sum of any two sides of a triangle is
greater than the third side.
"Where's Pinchbeck to night!" said one Of
the married.
"Don't know" chirps out Dorry, "Saw him
after church, walking home with old Poplar's
girl-(my trick, and that makes book.~
"Think he'll make strike there!" asks the
liberated.
"Can't say" answers the host, in all the
glory of his white teeth; C'and two honors)
but think Old Pop ought to keep his wealth.
er.eye open; Pinch seems to be mighty poplar
in that quarter"
At this all the guests burst ont into n
laugh, and one of the two sides OF the trlnn-
gle Immediately consigned his soul to eternal
caloric, "if tina. was not the best thing he
had ever heard in his life"
"Pinch is mighty good fellow" said one
Of the whist. PLAYERS,
"a mighty good fellow" echoed the party
IN chorus.
sand what like in him is that he never
puts on any airs on account OF his family
! that's what like to see in man."
"Pity he hadn't little more money" said
Dorry, with a merry twinkle in the corner OF
his eyes.
"rhat's so," replied a side OF the triangle,
who had Just been euchred, sand then he
wouldn't have to use his friends so often"
aOwe YOU anything o. said Dorry.
ayes, leetle," answered the euchred
party.
"Owe YOU anything ?" said Dorry, noddng
to the whist player on his right hand, zone
by cards.~
"Well, he don't owe anybody else"
ayes, he does too, for he owes me- said
left-handed whist.player.
sand Pm in there" said Dorry's partner.
an bet" said the host, 'there's not one
| of us here in this room that Pinch does not
| owe borrowed money tO-(honors are easy }
At this, the other two sides of The triangle
affirmed separately, and of their own accord
that they would like to bet that way, too.
ats cursed mean trait in man" said the
profane individual, "to be always sponglng
on his friends in that way"
"Oh! yes" echoed the party, in contemPtn'
Gus chorus.
"Such n man amt fit to associate with gen
tlemen," said the profane one, with dupli-
cate consignment OF himself to the place
previously alluded to.
"1'hats so," chorused Dorry, and friends
81 Think" said the profane man, "we are
bound to cut him dead, every one OF us; II
don't--' And here followed another con
sigument of himself, at his own personal risk
to the same locality.
$50 say we all Of u.s." echoed the players
but Just at this juncture the street door bel
announced a visitor, and the next moment
Lorenzo was in the room and shaking hands
violently with everybody in it. "Why, Pinch
my bov, how are you!" "Give us your hand
old fellow" "Been murning your absence.
"Look MS fresh MS primrose TO nleht, ano
other endearing epithets broke from the par
ty. while proiane one was making ou, fresl
consipnmcnt for place not to be named, by
wov of welcome, as old Dorry was proposing
aNow. since Pinch has come, we'll take drink
oil around"
To saw that Lorenzo wos speedily engaged
as n fourth hand at the euchre table, wonlt
he 10 state fact simply, and nothing else
for in n few moments he was turning VI
"rioht bowers," and "going II alone," ant
amokinp n march," and gradually reducing th
li,,le nile of earnings which the two married
ones Ind been accumulatng that evening, t,
the GREAT oy of his profane friend and partne
opposi,e. who participated in the spols.-
Then after the game was over, and the room
becon TO look misty, and the dew was off tn
ni,cber. and the old Cognac nearly exhausted
he proposed to his profane friend to "cut 70
balf' and won, and so gradually led hin
on dollar BY dollar, until he had reduced hin
to two dimes, a teothpick, and few feebl
oaihs.
When matters reached this crisis, Lorenz
orocefuIlv took drink Of brandy and waite,
for h. had scarcely touched it before, an
shaking hands again all round, left tn
rooms.
asInnkind," said Lorenzo to himself, MS h
,t a L.;.Liy doyn tha avenue "ia nm inst