The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-11-13
,aaa o. THE MYSTERIOUS BOX. pyssE
On How THE Roor DocroH's Wire HAD HEn
r,s t CURIOSITY SATISFIED. f,'. .f..a


Ok k1oW IhE ROOT DOCTOkS WIFE lad HER
rIr3 .re CURIOSITY SATISFIED. fi's sd,,sa
u iH Nf ny NxsoR yosKfu Joxrs. ieaoiat (
Mr.. Absolom Pepper is monstrous smart
yarb docter, and has made heap Of money
IN Pi1evilie curing all kinds Of ailments. He's
4 mighty nice man, aud goes to church every
Sunday as regular as the day comes round,
and no body would ever 'spicioned him OF
doing anything rong, or Of having a enemy
In the world. '''"'' 'i't'
1t was bout half past seven o'clock, and
terrible dark--jest the night for ,doin Q dis-
bolical deed. The family Of Mr.. Pepper was
settin round the tea.tabfe, never dreamin Of
what was gwine TO happen. Mrs. Pepper was
akin Mr.. Brown II his tea was to suit him,
and making apologies to Miss Patience Pep
per, her husbands maiden aunt, about the
cake bein heavy; the gals was a esbbin 10
one another and Mr.. Pepper was tellib little
jimmy how he mustr't eat no more pound
( Everything was gwins on IN 1 harmonious
and socisble way, when oil Of snddsn ther
was . ring 81 the door-hell Thinks nothiz
OF That, They aII went on eatin and talkin to
one another, while nigger Fanny went to an.
swer the bell 80 80 f.1tAtl i
In about minnit, here cum Fanny back,
with her mouth wide open and her eyes start.
in out Of her he'd, and mahogany box in her
hands, which she held out before her, by the
brnss handles on each eend, as far from her
as she could. l.l.
"oh l-ughi-my goodness" ses Fanny, as
she suddenly made her appearance at the
door with the box in her hand-"O-o.o-
ugh" ..tt...
If dead ghost, with its own coffin in its
arms, had cum right into the room, it could
mt have made a worse panick. Evry one
seemed to be instantly purified with horror.
Them that had ther mouths open hadn't time
to shut 'em, and them that had ther mouths
shut seemed to have the lock,jaw sinultani.
ously. Miss Patience made out to git both
her hands up, and as her mouth was open,
the pound cake she was eatin jest naturally
drapped in her plate. Miss Susan Pepper was
the first to scream, and that seemed to relieve
'em little. for the next minnit the whole
party exclaimed,
"What's that2"
"Wbat upon earth's in that boxi" ses Mr..
Pepper, as they all ris up from the table,
"Whar did you git that box, Fannyf" ses
Mrs. Pepper, upsettin the teapot on to Mr..
Browns legs in her excitement. .. .-ss,
"Don't touch it, for yer lives!" ses Miss
Patience. i'i'
"Ughl ugh "-groaned Fanny, as she sot
it down in the middle of the floor. Fanny
rolled up the whites of her eyes like she was
gwine to faint, and staggered back agin the
dore. li ..
1t was a mahogany box about three feet
long by eighteen inches wide and six deep.
1t was vanished as bright as dollar, and
had key stickin in the lock. No body dared
to go near it. .i .... .- ,..l..-.' {. o.,
"whar did you git that box, Fannyi" ses
all Of 'em. ''.7 -'R Z
Fanny told how she went to the door when
the bell rung. and how man with curious
kind Of cap what cum down over his ewes,
and big black whiskers was standin 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
as he put 1t into her hands, he went off as
fast as he could. t.f .
"Are you sure it was real man" ax'd
Miss Patience lookin very mysterious.
Didn't he say what was in it," ses Mr..
Pepper. ..' .r.. er.i
"No; he jest told me to take it to you, and
be careful not to let 1t drap." ' ''
"Ob, Mr.. Pepperl" sed Miss Patience, look
| ing more MYSTERIOUS than ever--"Is it possible
that You, man of family OH, for shame,
Pepperp
Mrs. Pepper begun to feel more and more
|
"What in the name of sense can it mean r.
ses she.
Listen" ses Miss Patience, ''if you can
hear anything move In it,"
"Pll soon see what's inside Of it," ses Mr..
Pepper, getting sort o desperate at his aunt's
| insinuatiOns.
And with that he was jest gwine to take
hold Of the lock, when Mr.. Brown tuck hold
of his arm aud told him to stop.
Don't be SO rash, Mr.. Pepper" ses he,
"How do we know but what it's internal
machine, sen. here by some Of your enemys
to blow up your whole family
"My Lordl" gasped Miss Patience. as she
! backed into the furthest corner of the room.
days." ses Mr.. Brown. "a whole family was
as like as not some of your enemys has laid q
scheme to kill you" -4fs-tef
"Oh.o'ol" ses the gals.
| Little Jimmy. thinkin something terrible
was gwine to happen, grabbed hold of his
mamlny's skirt and sot up yell like forty
thousand cats.
Mr.. Peppers eyes showed the white Gil
round 'en, and Mrs. Pepper put her arm round
him and pulled him further away from the
| box
"Who could do sich thing. my deari"
ses she.
1t was impossible to tell that; ther was no
KNOWN what wicked men mought do; and it
was very certain that the medical docters was
very hostile to-the botanicals; and who could
tell but this was plan of the medicals TO
blow up the man what they couldn't put
down no other way. @
Mr.. Browns idee seemed to take possession
Of the minds of the whole family, and though
Mr.. Pepper felt relieved in one respect, he
was still in terrible perplexity what to do
with the box. He had great mind to call
in the police or some Of his neghbors, but as
he wasn't exactly certain what MoUGHr be in
side of the box, he didn't wish TO run the
risk of maxim himself ridiculous. For his
own part he would been perfectly wilin to
let the thing stay as it was but the wimmin,
specially ms wife, wanted to know what was
in 1t, aud they couldn't rest till it was opened
some how or other. ..--.it.
Brown was brave man, under ordinary
circumstances, but he had mortal aversion
to bein blowed up by informal machine. II
it wasn't for that he'd opened the box In .
mint. Pepper himself made ont to touch it
with HE cane. but the thing had sioh CON-
bustibls look about it, and sich decided gun
powder smell, that the ladys wouldn't con-
sent that either of the gentlemen should risk
their precious lives by openin the box with
the key tied to the eend Of a stick ten foot
long. But still they WAS dying to see what
was inside Of it. After consaltin long time
about it, it was finally agreed that Fanny
should take it out in the back yard and set
it carefully down on the pavement, and
then they would throw fifty ak down on
it from one OF the upper story winders,
and then II it went of IL couldn't hurt no
body. ss1 9a