Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1868-08-27
Dosing a qraveler---A Hotel Scene.

proved by acrowdof witnesses who have heard
the landlord tell the story.
The hotel referred to, was, on the occasion
of which we are speaking, rather full, and the
nephew of the landlord lay sick in one OF the
rooms on the third floor He was to receive
medicine during the night from the hands Of
a person who had been procured to "watch
him" The landlord had instructed the aiore-
said watcher to administer portion of somo
little physit to the patient at twelve o'clock,
the dose to be repeated at certin hours of the
night
:" He is rather techy, and you had better stay
out of his room until YOU go in to give him the
medicine" said the landlord.
"Oh, for that matter, prefer to sit here,
+ replied the watcher, who Was hcVicc in tie
vocation, and he eyed the sofa which was in
4 the room.
"Well, you wont forget the number Of his
room" said the landlstd.
"No sir"
"And tell him he must take his medicine
without making such confounded fuss as he
made with the last dose-tell him say he
must take it; It's good for him, said the land
lord earnestly.
Boniface retired and the watcher deposited
himself on the sofa, from which he was aroused
by his own snoring, at a quarter before one.
In dismay he seized the potion and hurried
up stairs
The sick man was lodged in No 50, but the
nurse in his mistake mistook No. 63 for Il,
and entering the latter, be saw a person lying
in the bed face upwards, with his mouth wide
open, and respiring with that peculiar gurslo
in the throat which indicates strong lungs and
plethoric habit.
! "Ah. he makes fuss about taking his
medicine, does he I'm blowed, though, If he
don't take one dose quietly-before he wakes
up, in fact" mentally exclaimed the astuie
watcher
The idea of gitinga potion of bitter physic
to a somnolent patient, was sufficiently ridicu-
lous. but when we consider that the watcher
had entered the wrong room, and was about to
administer 1t to the wrong man, the affair be-
comes still more ludicrous.
Our friend, the watcher acted promptly,
and having filled the bowl of large spoon
with the natseating mixture, be forced il down
the throat Of the sleeping traveller, who hap
pened to be healthy Hbernian, who never
had tasted of pbysic before in his life. Tho
Irishman struggled and bit the spoon severely,
but the watcher plunged it still deeper in his
throat saying as he did sd
"0h, but you must take title landlord
says you must
The nasty dose went down, bu. when Pat
rick recovered his breath and began to pour
forth his obiurgations in his own peculiar rbe-
toric, the watcher discovered that he had COM
mitted an awful blunder, and, scizing the light,
fed from the room.
The astonished and enraged traveller arose
from his bed, and was soon heard rushing about
in search Of the landlord swearing vengeance
against him and all connected with his house.
On he came tearing through the passages,
banging doors, and roaring like grisly bull.
"Oo-oo-oh it's kilt am, be dad, any how :
Au-ush I'm chawed with pizen! Divil bit
v fay7um in the western country will II buy
tiow-for ] am dead man, sure The pizen
is ating me pjist Och it'senougb tomake
dog throw his father in the fire! Holy Saint
Patrick / Landlord Landlord Land
| l-o-r-dw
Patrick had by this time descended 10 tho
floor on which the landlords apartment was
situated, and the worthy host, bearing the cry
opened bis door and asked what was the mat
| ter.
"Ahi is It there ye are? come out for ba-
ting-or let me come till ye. Add poorly
house yere kapin, to send yerrnan into an hon
ist travellers room to pizcn the innocent devil
in his slapel Ughl the bitter nasty pizen
Come out here, I'll latber you like blazes "
What's the mater, my good ficndT in
quired Boniface.
Ow the matter Is t.? whin Is awakened
| from my svate slapc, and big blagssrd stood
forrnit me, ramming big ladlc down me trotc
full NV pizen-and says he, You must take it
for the landlord sez you must And now
what's the matter, sez you And that's one
" of your tricks on travellers Come out here,
and III ba-hate ye! BY the blood Of the holy
martyrs, III break livery bone in your body !
III tacbe ye to pizen daccnt traveller that's
going to buy land out in the western eoun-
thryi"
The Irishman here became entangled il the
meshes Of a wooden settec which stood in his
way, at the SANE time, the landlords wife
seized her wratht lord, who, although host
In himself she was not willing to risk IN
rough and tumble fgh! in the dark, and hav-
ing pIecked him beck % her sleeping apart
noht she locked and boited the door securely.
The prospective Purchsscr Of "Vestern
land having cKtric.ted his legs snd arms
from the scttee, still thirstcd Jr the landlords
blood.
"Bring me the nuiherin old yillayn; Jet
me come at him y
1 At this juncture however, Mike, the hostler,
made his appearance with lantern, which he
LII A. ,Le rbvs,c smeared face Of the en-