The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-03-05
how PEBBLES Asked the Old man.
BY JOHN QUILL.

him a lift out of bachelordom, and she
had said "yes." 1t therefore became ab-
snlnte'yy necessary to get the old mans
permission, so, as PEBBLES said, that ar
rangements might be made for hopping
the conjugal twig.
PEBBLES said he'd rather pop the inter
erogatory to all Of old h1erriweather's
daughters, and his sisters, and his female
cousin, and his aunt Hannah in the
country, and the whole of his female re-
lationa, than ask old Merriweasher. But
it had to be done, and SO he sat down and
studied out a speech which he was going
to disgorge TO old Merriwesther the very
first chance he got to shy it at him So
PEBBLES dropped in on him on Sunday
evening, when all the family had rsean>
dered around 10 class meeting, and found
him doing a sum in beer measure, trying
to calculate the exact number of quarts
his interior could hold without blowing
the head of of him.
CHOW are you, Peeb p said old Mer>
| riweather, as PEBBLES walked in as white
rs piece of chalk, and trembling as If
he had swallWred a condensed earthquake
wasn't sure 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
through an augur hole. So he blurted
right out:
"Mr Merriweathcr, sir: Perhaps it
may not be unknown to yOu, sir, THAI
duNng an extended period of some five
years, l have been busily engaged in the
prosecution OF commercial enterprise-'
"Is that so, aud keepin' it secret all
the time, while l thought you was tendin'
store. Well, by George, you're one OF
'em, now, amt your
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 during
an extended period of some five years,
have been engaged in the prosecution of a
| commercial enterprise, with determina
ton TO procure sufficient maintenance-'
''Sit down, Peeb, and help yourself to
beer. Don't stand there holding your
hat like blind beggar with the paralysis.
What's the matter with you, any way I
l never seen you behave yourself SO in al!
my born days"
PEBBLES was knocL ed ou: agair, ard had
to wander back and take fresh start.
"Mr. Merriweather, sir Il may not
be unknown 10 you that during an ex-
ttended period of some five years, l have
bren engaged in the prosecution of COM
mercial enterprise, with the determination
to procure a sufficient maintenance
"a which-ance :" asked old Merri>
weather: but PEBBLES held on to the last
word as if it was his only chance, and
went on:
sin the hope that some day l might
enter wedlOck, and bestow my earthly
possessions upon one whom l could call
/ my OWN. have been a lonely man, sir,
and have felt that it is not good for man
to be alone; therefore,"
Neither is it, PEBBLES and I'm all
fired glad you dropped in. How's the
old man p
"Mr Merriweather. sir" said PEBBLES,
in dcspairing confusion, raising his voice
to yell. "it may not be unknown to you
that, during an extended period of a lonely
man, have been engaged TO enter we'd
lock, and beStow all my commercial en-
terprise on one whom l could procure a
| determination to be good for. sufficient
| possessions-no, l mean-that is-that
NIr. Merriweather, sir, it may not be un>
known"
"And then again it may. Look here.
PEBBLES, you'd better lay down and take
something warm: you amt well -
PEBBLES, sweating like four-year-old
colt, went in again:
''Mr. Merriweather, Sir: 1t may not
be lonely for you to prosecute me whom
you can call friend, for commercial
maintenance, but-but-oh, dang it
Mr.. Merriweather sir-it-n
ooh, PEBBLES, you talk as wildly as a
jackass. l never see a more first-class
idiot in the whole course of my life
What's the matter with you, anyhow 2"
"AIr. Merriweather, sir" said PEBBLES,
in an agony of bewilderment, cit may
not be unknown that you prosecuted a
lonely man who is not good for a CONNER
cial period of wedlock for some FIVE years
bat"
''See here, Mr.. PEBBLES, you're drunk,
and if you can't behave better than that
you'd better leave. If you don't I'll
chuck you out, or I'm Dutchman."
''Mr, Merriwealher, sir" said PEBBLES,
frantic with despair, ''it may not be un-
known to you that my earthly poss sessions
are engaged TO enter wedlOck five years
with sufficiently lonely man WHO is not
good for a commercial maintenance''-
"Thc bloody deuce he isn't. Now you
just git up and git, old hoss, or II knock
what little brains out of you you've go;
left."
With that old Merriweathcr took Pee
bes by the shirt collar and the part of
his pants that wears out first if he sits
down much, and shot him into the street
as if he had just run against a locomotive
going at the rate of forty miles an hour
Before old Merriweather had a chance 70