Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-05-14

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forty, made her appearance, and imme-
diately inquired whether could be accom-.
,nodated with room for the night
"Well." replied she, IL am sorry to
say that every room in the house is en-.
gagged. You see the fair takes place to.
morrow, so that the house is quite full. I
am afraid you'll have to put up with the
sofa there-unless, by the'way,' she added
after pause" but no, you would rot
like that" -..:
!. s Like what r., said l., thinking size was
+ going to sugg-st that share room, with
some one.
Why, was going to say that there's
a very good room containing two beds,
but
Well. then" l exclaimed, "let mo
have one, and care not who occupies the
other
But said she in depreoatory tone,
/" one Of them contains corpse"
Ny only reply to this pleasant announce.
ment csnsisteI of a long, low whistle, not
usually found in dictionaries, but common.
ly received as an expression of intense
surprise.
les,' continued the landlady, 81, is
the body Of gentlemen who died here
last night. aud, as he was friend of ours.
we should consider it mark pf disres-
pect to remove the body before the day of
the funeral. If you think, however, you
would like to occupy the room, will 20
and prepare it. But perhaps you would
prefer the sofa -
I was not long in making my choice;
and | was just about to decline the offer
of the room, when noticed the eyes of
the company fixed upon me as though en-.
deavoring to take the measurement Of nv
mettle. This settled it. My pride rose,
and, determined not to give an evidence
of weakness, replied in a careless tone:
ooh let me haze the room by all
means ! shall sleep there MS we'll as at
home A dead man can do me no HARM"
Bravo!' cried the farmers.
"Give me the hand m on" said one Of
them; " OF wur sure thou vert no cur--
Th>u's 60: pluck in thee. Why OF wur
go'n to offer thee part o moi bed, but oi
thowt thou'd feel insulted loike."
Much Obliged said I, I" | shall be all
right
"Wel',' exclaimed the landlady, "Ill
20 and fix the room. You needn't fear
any dsa-reoabe smell, for the complaint
was heart disease, and as the weather has
been cold, the body is yet quite fresh"
With no very pleasant reflections but
with an assumed air Of Indifference, re-
sumed my place a. the freside, and con-
versed with the farmers till 10 o'clock,
when the land'ady Informed me that The
room was quite ready, and that, if
wished to retire, the chambermaid would
show me the way to it. OF course there
was no retreating now, so, wishing the
company good night, followed INV guide,
but under silent protest; for never before
had | felt such regret at leaving the society
Of the living as upon that nigh, when I
was leaving it for that Of the dead.
As was conducted up several flights of
stairs and along sundry corridors and tor.
tuous passages, my excited imagination
performed the somewhat extraordinary
feat of transforming the very stout cham
bermaid to aa Internal hay, who was Goa.
ducting me to the tomb.
Arrived at length at a some hat isolated
part Of the house, my guide pointed to y
9oQr. gave me the candle and Lade me q
rather hasty good night.
4. lCpqn opcpps the jopr, the frs, thin,
which .strusk ny at.en,iou w.s large,
thick carta;n drawn across the middle Of
the room, ,has dividing it into two com.
par:nlents, one for me, and the other
4. II was one Of those oh fashioned apart.
ments which at once cause the mind to
revert to the sixteenth century, tapestry
and tradition. The furniture was carved
ard very old and massive in fine, the
whole appearance Of The chamber betok.
enea one Of those which the inimtable
descriptions Of Sir Waltar Scott have rem.
dered classical. l, must, even in the day.
time, have presented a sufficiently solemn
aspect, for the windows were small and