The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1869-12-23

aO ihuCn at STAKE, JnaC we felt anxious and
depressed. We felt that, if our looked-for
guest should not arrive in time. we should
have but blank board and blank faces
round it at our little Christmas merry
making.
How we longed and listened as each
football on the pavement echoed clear and
loud in the frosty air How we hoped
that it might pause, and, turning in at our
little doorway, be followed by the peals
of the changing bell. Thanks to the lib
eral arrangements at st. Martin'sle- Grand,
we had postal delivery about once in
each twenty minutes; and when we heard
the postman ply-knockor or pull bell-wiro
anywhere in the neighborhood, how anx-
iously we waited, in some vague hope of
an explanation that we felt to be impos-
8ible. | believe we had some underlined
idea that the mighty fowl might have been
despatched at the eleventh hour by pat
tern post, and be delivered with his blue
drumsticks hanging out at one end of the
parcel, and his red wattles depending from
the other. Ours is a semi-detached mai
sonette, and the gravel walks that lead up
to our door and to our neigh hbor'saro mere
ly separated by low wire railing; con-
soquontly, when foot treads ON either, it
is heard with equal distinctness in ono
house and the other, and for a moment it
remains matter Of speculation for which
the newcomer is bound. Twice was the
cup of hope raised to our lips by such
football, and twice was it dashed down
again, as we woke to the painful truth that
the errand was not to us. Once a sus-
tanned conversation carried on in the neigh
boring garden boiled up my wife's excite
mont to fever point, and at last, declaring
that it was evident that there was some
mistake which wanted clearing up, she in
sisted on my going out to examine the
night and be in the way to rectify any
misunderstanding.
The voices of the night came from the
servant next door and railway porter.
Notwithstanding the extreme lOwness of
temperature, he seemed to have been light
ening with some passing gallantries con-
versation which must be of business char
actor, in so far as it regarded hamper
which lay at their feet. On my emerging,
the young lady made a snatch at the ham
per, and cut short the dialogue with an
5ul45 slam of the door. The young man
% Nd Indignantly at me from under the
...-e mp, and seemed to be breathing some
thing the very reverse of the goodwill sup
posed to be cougenial to the especial season
Of love and charity. A sudden thought
struck me. Providence had sent me, not
the turkey, unluckily, but perhaps the
means Of relieving our minds about it.
subpmnaed the sulky official with six
pence, whereupon he smoothed his frowns,
and consented to step into the witness-box
and be examined. His answers were at
first vague and extremely unsatisfactory.
"They lad 'ad a many turkeys through
their 'ands that day, ay, and mayhap for
ten days or fortnight back. They 'ad
all been aloavin' turkeys heyery where
hall over the place."
Questioned further, he had heard no
compliant of any being delivered anywhere
at wrong addresses. Thought it was the
parties that they went astray from that
was more likely to make complaints of that
sort than the parties that they came to by
mistake, Had left one himself at Yicto-
ria Villas-tho joint name of the twin
residences inhabited by the Bobsbys and
myself-that one was addressed to Mr..
Bobsby; "but I'm sure 1 see another at
the station ticketed for Victoria Villas,
perhaps two. l don't rightly remember
the names on them; but as that one was
for Mr.. Bobsby, why them ones in course
would be for you. Anyhow, they've all
been delivered somewhere; for there were
none laying at the station when came
away"
So far the porter, and | re-entered the
house, with my mind, as l believed, some
what enlightened, but certainly very far
from pacifed.
My wife and I talked the matter over,
and arrived, not very reluctantly perhaps,
at the same conclusion which the commu-
nicatiye porter seemed to have come to.
1.-two turkeys had really been left at Bobs-
by's, why, one of them must of course be
ours. Who ever heard OF couple of tur-
keys coming lawfully to the larder of
little somi-detached villa? We never
had thought much of the Bobsby's. Bobs-
by himself was certainly a quiet, unassu-
ming-looking little man, with not un-
pleasant face. But then he habitually
came home late in the evening, and at the
most irregular hours. Either his business
was disreputable one, and his deeds Of
darkness, or his habits were intolerably
dissipated. Whether criminal or only Vi
cious, be was in any case hypocrite, and
the most undesirable of neighbors. My
wife decidedly inclined to pronounce him
criminal. The truth is, that Mrs. Bobsby
glorifed in an endless variety of the most
dazzling toilets, and wealth of dress and
lavish profusion Of colors that set expense
and good tastealike at defiance. It was
therefore much more probable that Bobs-
by earned enough by his ill-gotten gains
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