Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1868-08-29
HOW PEBBLES ASKED THE OLD
MAN

said eyes" 1t therefore became abso-
lutely necessary to get the old man S
permission, SO, as PEBBLES said, that ar
rangements might be made for hopping
the conjugal twig.
PEBBLES said hid rather pop the in
terrogatory to all of old Merriweather'
daughters, and his sisters and his fe-
male cousin, and his Aunt Hannah in
the country, and the whole of his female
relations, than ask old Merriweather.
But it had to be done, and so he sat
down and studied out speech which
he was to disgorge to old Merriweather
the very first chance he got to say it at
him. So PEBBLES dropped in on him
one Sunday evening, when all the fam
lily had meandered to class meeting, and
found him doing sum in beer m measure
trying to calculate the exact number of
quarts his interior would hold without
blowing his head off him.
"How are you, Peeb ?" said old Mer-
riweather, as PEBBLES walked in as white
as piece of chalk, and trembling as if
he had swallowed a condensed earth
quake PEBBLES was afraid to answer,
because he wasn't tsure about that speech
He knew he had to keep his grip on it
while he had it there or it would slip
away from him quicker than an oiled
eel throug.. an auger hole So he blirt-
ed right out:
"Mr. Merriweather, sir: Perhaps it
may not be unknown to you sir, that
during an extended period of five years
have been busily engaged in the pros
ecution of commercial enterprise"
'Is that SO, and keepin' it sec. ct all the
time, when | thought you was tending
store. Well, by George, you're one Of
'em now, amt YEP
PEBBLES had to begin all over again
to get the run of it.
"Mr. Merriweather, sir: Perhaps
it may not be unknown to you that dur
ing an extended period of five years,
have been engaged in the prosecution of
a commercial enterprise, with detcrm
alton to procure a sufficient mainten
ance-"
''Sit down, Peeb., and help yourself
to beer. Don't stand there holding
your hat like a blind beggar with the
paralysis What's the matter with you,
anyway? IL never see you behave
so In all my born days" "
PEBBLES was knocked out again, and
had to wander back for fresh start.
"Mr merriweather, sir: 1t may not
be unknown to you that during an ex-
tended period of five years, | have been
Engaged in the prosecution of COM
mercial enterprise, with a determine
tion to procure a maintenance"
GA whichance ?" asked old Merri-
weather but PEBBLES held on to the
last word as. if it was his only chance,
and went on:
"In the hope that some day I might
enter wedlock and bestow my earthly
possessions upon one whom [ could call
my own. l have been lonely man,
sir, and have felt it not good for man
to be alone; therefore,
"Nelther is It PEBBLES; and Pm all
fired glad you dropped in. How's the
old man ?"
"Mr Merriweather, sir, said PEBBLES
In despalring cenfusion, raising his
voice to a yell, 'it may not be unknown
to you that during an extended period
OF lonely man, l have been engaged
to enter wedlock and hestow all my
commercial enterprise upon one whom
procure determination to be good for
sufficient posession-no, l mean
that is-that Mr.. Merriweather, sir, it
may not be unknown"
"And then again it may. Look here,
PEBBLES, you'd better lay down and take
something warm you amt we'll. y
PEBBLES, sweating like four-year-
old colt, went in again.
"Mr. Merriweather, sir It may not
be lonely for you to prosecute me whom
you call friend for commercial main
tenances-but- but-oh, dang it-Mr.
Merriweather, sir. it"
"Oh, PEBBLES you talk as wildly as a
jackass | never saw a more first class
idiot, In the whole course of my life
What's the matter with you, anyhow 2
"Mr. Merriweather, sir" said Peeb-
les in agony of bewilderment, s'it may
not be unknown to you that you perse-
cute lonely man who is not good for a
commercial period of wedlock for some
five years, but"
See here, Mr. PEBBLES, you're drunk,
aud if you don't behave better than that
you'd better leave. If you don't III
chuck you out, or I'm Dutchman."
"Mr. Merriweather, sir" said Peb-
les, frantic with despair, Git may be
unknown that my earthly possessions
are engaged to enter wedIock FIVE years
with sufficiently lonely man who is
not good for commercial maintenance
''The bloody deuce he isn't. Now
you just git up and git, old boss, or I'll
knock what little brains out Of you that
you've got left.''
With that old Merriweather took
PEBBLES by the collar and shot him into
the street as if he had just run agair st
a locomotive going at the rate Of forty
miles an hour. Before old Merriweath-
er had chance to shut the front door,
PEBBLES collected his legs and one thing
and another that were lying around on
the sidewalk, and arranged himself in
a vertical position, and yelled out;
t'Mr. Merriweather, sir: It may be
unknown to you-' which made the