The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-11-17
rae gerfilsIe Hesuft or = sn..,IY
AZ 7sKEefacaI Joke 9, u Il 81 -

gloyeo az y ttaVeiing salesman Tor O.
New York house, whose family resides
ID 81 interior town OF this State
kstopped, as many do, weary end ira.
yel-stained, at q hotel in this city. he
arrived on the $50 train from De-
troit, having come from some point
lar to the westward that day, and,
tired, weary, dusty, sore, fatigued
and Disguised, registered his name,
had room assigned him, and pro-
ceeding thereto, sought to repose in
the quiet arms of Morpheus, dream
ing, if he dreamed at oil, of the trade
he should drive with the thrifty mer
chants of the Corn City on the NOR
row.
A merchant of this city, who was q
patron of the house to which this par
ticular traveller belongs, happened
to be in the hotel that evening at
about 8 O'Clock, and his eye falling
upon the register it alighted upon
this particular name. Unfortunate
look! Unhappy circumstance! For
this merchant was of a jocose turn of
mind-a wag, q joker-one of those
men who do all sorts of ABSURD things
hoping that amusement OF some kind
will follow. He did an absurd thing
to the name, though the occurrences
that followed were anything but
amusing. What did he do? WHY he
seized pen, and in the samo hand
writing rs near as possible he added
to the name of the commercial ira
yeler mp stairs the words "and lady,"
Two small words; but things are often
productive of great results. 1t is said
dispute about hog-trough set in
motion tho succession of events that
made Martin Van Buren, President,
and it is well known fact that n we'll
bucket caused one of the largest and
bloodiest wars that ever afflicted Eu-
rope. These two land lady"
added to the name Of sleeping
commercial traveller, was the occa-
sion of an unpleasantness not as ter
rible to humanity in general as war,
but qnite rs disagreeable to this one
member of the human family.
For, as the fates would have it,
brother-in-law of this commercial
traveller, the only brother of the idol
lied wife of his bosom-also a tra-
veler for n New York house-had
been that very morning at his (the
first commercial traveler's} house in
the interior, where he had seen his
sister. Anxious to see her husband,
he had ascertained that he would
probably be at Toledo that night, and
as fast as steam could carry him he
sped hither, arriving on the 11:3O p.
M. train Of the Cincinnati and To
ledo Railroad. He went to one hotel
and then to another, and finally
struck the right one. He looked at
the register, lie saw the name, and he
saw, alas! the added words, "and
lady" "And lady?" What lady?
Not the lady who had o right to
travel with him, for that lady-his
sister-he left at her home in the
pleasant interior town that morning,
and as she did not come with him, it
was morally impossible thut it could
be she. The brother-in-l law knew all
about it at once, and being bigger
man than the wretch who was thus
shamefully abusing tho confidence
reposed in him, he determined to
surprise him in his sin, and with his
good right hand, or rather both
hi'LuE3 Ohi iCCt GO CuuS-
tise him. Boiling with rage, he
mounted the stairs, and without
waiting to announce his presence by
the regular knock, he applied his
foot to the door, which, unable to
stand the pressure, as !. N. has it,
yielded. In he went, and the sleep
ing traveller awoke to find himself in
the embrace of strong and angry
| man.
The commercial traveller was some
what astonished, as may be supposed.
He had no time to think; he was as
sailed SO ferociously as to leave no
doubt that the assailant meant to
take his life. He resisted. Though
small, he is remarkably active man,
and not at all cowardly, and he sailed
in. The fight was rather a pretty
ono. Now the commercial traveller
Was under, and anon the brothor-in-
law had the commercial travellers ear
between his teeth, and then again the
commercial traveller was industriously
tearing away small but savory bits of
the brother-inlaw's cheek. Chairs
were smashed, stands and tables wero
upset, and groans, and screams, and