Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1865-11-23
FAYETTEVILLE, TENN: NOV. %, 1865.

lued, UeSdIl W looh llito III Wdiu
robe. had come down with SUI
ficent clothes to answer all ordina
ry purposes, including, of course
Carrie and Nettie; but the new
goddess was certainly worthy of {
new rig on my part, and certainly
should have it. This resolution
was made within fifteen min
utes after hearing the announce
ment of her intended coming, anC
before two hours had gone by,
was whizzing On my way to town
to carry out that resolve. My
choicest m0rsel of wardrobe should
be offered at the shrine of May
Stevens.
i had absented myself on the
plea of sudden memory of bust
ness neglected, and faithfully
promised Nettie and Carrie that
the next day should see me down
at Hyatt's again, to stay out the
month that May Stevens, the wolf
derful, was about to pass there.
The racking Of brain that day
to create a grand ensemble of cos
tume-something beyond all criti-
cism, that shouldn't the first glance
striNe the beholder with silent adj
miration-was indeed terrible
The labor Of writing Paradise
Lost was nothing to it. 1t was
early in the day when l arrived at
my city rooms, and for six hours
i dressed and re-dressed, COM
pared and rejected and selected
and at the end of that time | had
laid out those portions of my
wearable goods in which | had de-
cided to make my first appearance
before May Stevens. Having got
safely through the great object Of
my visit, I thought it would not
be a bad idea for me>to take the
last train and return the same
night to Hyatt's instead of re-
naming over till morning. No
sooner said thar done, | packed
my habiliments and away | went.
Whizzing and putting over an UNI
interesting road is provocative Of
sleep. So | found it when the
shades of evening fell; for to the
best of my recollection, was in the
very midst of a dream, in which
May Stevens, attired in book mus
lin and pale blue satin, appeared
on a purple cloud admiringly in
curing who MY tailor was? Just
as was about to inform her, there
came crash, and for a moment l
was not certain whether it was
the cloud that had exploded, or
myself had torn some portion of
my apparel that was over-strained.
1t required but a moment to ava
ken me to the fact that both pre-
sumptions were wrong. 1t was
our train-2.26-that had run off
the track, smashing things gene
rally, and piling the contents OF
several baggage cars along the
road, to say nothing Of brighten
ing half hundred passengers in
to aState bordering nlunacy. This
was q pretty state of things, and
to make it still worse, | was eight
miles from my destination, though
as it afterward appeared, not a
mile from the next village, where
/ heard it canvassed, q tavern,
supper and beds could be had.
i was disposed to make myself
agreeable, and accordingly rem
dered all the assistance in my
power to the unprotected females.
for which l got my reward on ar.
irving at the haven of refuge
the promised tavern-by being in.
formed that such a thing as bed fol
the night was an impossible idea.
and that with some twenty more
Of the male gender, | must be
content with chairs, while the beds
were appropriated to the gentle
sex. Slightly disguised, ! swal
lowed my supper and looked out
upon the night. 1t was a beauti
tul moonlight, and verging on ter
O'Clock. By Jove, | would walk
over to Hyatt's. No sooner said
than done. Giving my carpet-bag
into the hands of the landlord
with the most emphatic charges
for its safety and punctual deliv
cry at Hyatt's the next morning
at my expense, / set FORTH
Eight miles is a trife, and just al
my watch marked the quarter at
ter midnight, I went up the lane