Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-08-25
10 Corraspondenf..
From the Home Journal
Nat STAR


A Rat story
And nov, having said many things in favor Of
the rat, must admit that there is about az old one
something especially diabolisal.
desire, IN this connection, TO introduce an epi.
sOde IN the early experience Of P. X A. Bragg,
fellow medical student. What dark mystery vas
! concealed under those initials We know not He
never would explain. Il vas q joke with Us to de-
velop them into Plato, Xenophon Aristophsdes; but
! for eoavenience, We in general addressed bin BY
that title under which seine living. may recognise
hlm-nauely "SucoOtasb, 2 "a nom de gEsTTs which
| he acquired from his remarkable onslaughts upon
that nourishiHg dish} or, more briefly, Sue"
Why, no one could imagine, for the situstioR was
ineonVenient to his eollege) Sue took lodgings in
the lower part Of the city, in large old fashioned
indubitab'y and inevitably haunted houss, which
he'd once been 8 courtly establishment enough. bat
vas then drifting along the great current Of change
IS a second rate boarding house. His Iaudlsdy,
after the bargsin was concluded as she left him In
q vast melancholy, rear, third-story chamber dis
rectly under what vas once the wine-ro0m in the
garnet, observed, "NOv, sir, If you think. some
| night that the walls are coming together, done be
alarmed, for tssns only fls rats" -sr.ef
/ cali right" said Sue, who's afraid" -----.I
If Sue did not soon become afraid, he soon found
that al was not right. At sny rate, on the FIRST
day Of the new year, he shifted bis euGrtsrs For
long time he was silent TO the oauss0 Of his sx-
Odus- Stories 10 be sure, meantime got about, 70
the effect that he got home early-very early-that
morning, shoekingly disguised in liquor, and made
such 3 rumpus in the house that his landlady IN
formed him stl2 ~, January /, she oOuldno longer
entertain him as ledger. So oslumniOus is the
world However, truth will assert itself IN the end,
they say and 80 at length, merry night, after
much solicitation, he told bis story, which became
By the way, STANDARD vi b him ever after Il Is
20 be observed that differing in this respect from
the ordinary run Of marvel mongers) he delivered
bis relation Of events time after time without Varia-
AZ. -
is, perhaps, the reason reeollect il 50 well. His
version Of the matter was as follows;
"BOys, II was the most COMPOUNDED rat-hOle in
creation. wouldn't have minded the thing IN the
abstract, but there particular old cUss that
got into my room every night-the dsucs only
knows hO#-and disappeared before day break every
morning. He haunted me, actually. Boys yon
know Snsgtooth and his terrier Vice. that he backs
for two hundred dollars to kiH eighteen rats IN
twenty seconds Well, hired that dog; but he ran
Ehimpering to me from thr enemy. Then I got
mad, and was fool enough to swear that would not
BE- driven out Of the room by all the rats in Chrfstsu
dom, and in short, would not bulge for ANYTHING
less than the old scratch himself
"Sure enough on New Years eve''-heFe he invs-
riaby made \ theatrical pause which We invariably
improved TO cast our eyes at each other. Then would
he continue; "Fellers, know what you're Wiakinq
at You mean l was drunk. Upon my honor no
had to be sure been round little that night and
taken few horns, but nothing to speak Of was
as sober ss 1 am now" This vas an asssEervation
which we found it very difficult to listen to without
bursting outright, for We considered the repetition
Of this very story as the gusge Of advanced stage
OF lightasss in our friend. ..r.t .-. /
sOathe last night Of the year. would be resume
s'some Of my croues and myself had determined 10
see out the old, and welcome the new, in style. /
Well, We kept It up, till, somehow OF other Il got
10 be two O'Clock before We separated Itraveled /
bomeWaFd, entered the house. and proceeded uD |
stairs-not dreaming Of any mischief But as I an /
preached the door Of my room, suddenly began to /
feel very strange and queer"
ga sensation" one Of would interect s'someN /
times produced BY brandy, sometimes By cigars, /
often By the combination" But P \. 4. Toald /
deign no aagHer to thesneer. 1888 .- - I
However, kept on; and when I had ny hand \
on the lock Of the door which was about to OPEN
heard soms6ody in the room playing on the flute, |
exactly in my style I
That's impossible" would We put in; ''no one /
ever played so ezecrably"
This impertineuce meeting with the fate crthe |
former, Sue would proceed: !
"Feeling much provoked At this iusosncs. bolt. /
ed in with the intention Of thrashine the intruder
If could. Instead Of stranger, I sew ny sEn I
SELF or my exact counterpart, sitting very much At
home, by the ere, and oompo5edly practising my
own music. / stoodspen bound with astonishmenGT
''Praetising your compositions! Don't wonder 4
you were Gstonished Madman!" were our comments
ct this point Of the narrative Sue never took any
q Ny double quietly raised his head. sAh,' said
he, how are you, Mr--ah-sh-really,' tbs strange 4
cannot recall your name, but an very familiar
with your festures. Won't you drinki y
"CoOl that, thouFht I. Remarkably familiar
with my features, indeed, when he has taken the 7
liberty to seize On them himself for his own use and
behoof. Shows his good taste, though" (the mar
rator was huge, shaekly, carroty~headed fellow, |
50 that We had hard work 10 keeP,OuT countensness
when be came 70 this part Of Che story 'shoEs his
good TASTE" would he emPhatcally repeat, aRdtheh
continue: SAT length raised my voice and replied,
MY name is P. Y. A. Bragg f." -s-.
'Ah, said he taking the flute from his mouth sgain
for he had already begun to play an air from Der
FreySehuts,) -'ah, that is 3 singular eOineidenee.
NJ name, also, is ?. x A Bragg. ~.
"The devil =! calculated /. - 4
"No doubt Of it,, said be, ---.....
''ButI am a student Of medicine, pursued I.
"DittO, ditto" answered the stranger; $50 far We
jumped together" ..- = .......... .
'And what said I. procured me The honor Of
visit in my apartment at this late hour 2"
t'Pon my word answered he, 4 was about 10 ask
you the same question: 4
why :. said l. in dismsy, you don't mean to call
this yonr roomT .- ...
4 DO, answered he. .. .-
Seriously was my question.
Precisely So his reply. (
tWeT said !, sif you can tell NE what stands in
the corner Of yonder, closet kept my stores there
boys and the key in ny pocket 4 give up Il was
an old flint lock duck gun that had been loaded from
time immemorial, six feet long in the barrel at the
least and had been left at my room that very mOrn>
ing by friend.
IDoneP ssidhs, eOOlly; and without turning, coz
tinued, st is my old cherry stick pipe that bought
Ct an Indian chief
lugged out in triumph the antique foWlng piece.
'Ah observed he, with a eOmplsoent smile,
hand it to me viii you ~
Obeyed mechanically.
So continued my gentleman, AFTER examining
it. 'all ready FOR smoking. see.' And, putting the
mouth Of the barrel to his lips he addressed me,
politely, May trouble you, namesaks Of mine, to
light il for me ?"
with the greatest pleasure stammered I, think
ing, confusedly, that I should get rid Of him in q
hurry / applied match 10 the ian. BaBgl vent
the old affair into fifty pisses-uekly, without in
juring ne-and the load Of shot knocked out piece
Of the ceiling plaster, twelve inches square =.
WhsFsupon my companion, as be slowly breathed
= L. 4