The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-13
dishesl One cup, saucer, and plate he
put away, and vowed he would never
wash them. He.wasnot fool, but he was

Il
| put away, and vowed he would nevel
wash them. He.wasnot fool, but he wal
young. eTa
Then he lighted his pipe and sat dowr
to ruminate. There she had sat ani
talked to him; there she had stood by tn,
table while he was writing her name OF
the card; and there she had held it agains
the end of the trunk while he stuck thu
tack through the first corner; yes, dnt
there It sods still! There was no doubt O
1.-THE card was just where he had tacke(
1t. What did it mean! Oh, that stupi(
hound of hackman had taken the wrong
trunk!
Cyrus had scarcely comprehended tn,
extent of this misfortune when ther,
was knock at the door, an(
there entered Heiskill, Seymour, ant
little Myles. They had just got il
from awalk in the country had had {
capital dinner about four o'clock, and.'wert
now here to 60 to work, they said, aftel
an afternoon of play. In order to prove
this assertion they each lighted pipe
and seated themselves around the room
with their feet upon the highest article o.
furniture that they could reach.
"What is the matter with Cy?" saiG
llltlc NKHIcS. w Hat IldhCS Hill SU
and why is he sitting here with the room
all full of the shades of evening, like g
miserable tomb!"
Cyrus made some joking answer, and
rising, lighted the gas. After considerable
talk and general chatting, Heiskill pro
posed that the big table be cleared, and
that they should 60 to work.
"You're professor tonight, Seymour
you know, and try not to ask any Ques-
tions you can't answer yourself"
"Then let him stick to the spinal
column" said little Myles. ~ don't wan,
him asking me to articulate humerus
and fibula again"
"Oh, you needn't bother about who's to
| be demonstrator said Cyrus. "We
can't do any anatomy tonight. The
skeletons gomez
In order that the foregoing converse.
ton may be understood, it may be well to
state that these young men had clubbed
together to buy an articulated skeleton,
upon which they rubbed up their anatomi-
ical knowledge, each of the party acting
in turn for an evening as professor,
and asking questions of the others. This
skeleton was kept in long yellow pack
| ing-trunk, and the hackman had taken Ii
off with Miss Birch to the hotel. There
was no reason why he should not have
taken 1t, for it was near the door, and was
indeed the only trunk visible upon first
| entering. Cyrus was so full of Miss Birch
and the bothersome landlady that he did
not notice the mistake.
OF course, with three such eager and
amazed inquirers as to the whereabouts OF
their common property, there was nothing
to be done but to tell, under promises Of
strict setfecy, the whole story. 1t was
received with unbounded applause, and
the joke was considered far more enjoya-
BILE than any studying of anatomy could
possibly prove. When the laughter had
somewhat suhsided Heiskill asked Cyrus
What he intended to do.
"Why, I'll have to 90 round in the
morning and explain that the wrong trunk
was taken (of course l shant tell her what
is in it), and then shall have to get that
Bill again to drive her and it to the
Baltimore depot, and instead of leaving
the trunk. he must bring it back hefe;
hate the plan, for it net only gives trouble;
| but makes lot of trickery about the young
lady that don't like. And was going
to send down my books SO nicely! Con-
found that mani
"Do you think she'll open it in her
room ?" said little Myles.
"Of coursenot, you blockEead," snapped
Cyrus "She hasn't the key, and besides,
do you suppose she would open my trunk
The most astonishing surmisesjnow en-
sued as to what would happen if so-and-so
should be so-and-so, and when no poss ible
combination of unfortunate circumstances
could be added to what had been already
laughed over, they descended to tuns Sotne
coed ard soiie very bad ones were made,
| and poor little Myles, after cudgeling his
brains for the whole period of punning
time, finished the performance by wishing
to goodness that the man had been named
"COhen," when he was alive, so that
something might be said about "trun-
Gated cone" Nothing was bad enough
to follow this, and so they got out the
cards.
The fieH morning Cyrus dressed hifn.
self in his best, and actually went to his
washerwoman's house to get white vest,
if by chance it was done. 1t was about
half past ten when he reached the hotel
and the clerk told him that Miss Birch
had gone.
"Goner' cried Cyrus "Where could
she have gone so soOn!"
| The clerk looked very hard at him
and replied, "How do kros Nlete che
weptth
However, after Cyrus had explained
how he had intended calling on this young
lady before she left for Baltimore, thus
proving that he was properly aware
of her destination, the clerk Informed
him that she had left, in company with
an elderly gentleman, in time to catch the
ten o'clock train. Cyrus went home in g
state of utter bewilderment When he
reached his room he found there was d
note--a note from Fanny, the first he had
ever received:
nbEiE Nm. DuRHAx,-The telegram reached
| uncle lAst night, and instead Of sending me the
money he came himself early. this morning. ]
wanted to wait until you called and thank you fo
good care % but uncle Thought had bettet tsks
the ten, a,1i3ek tfsin, Because that was the onl,
train; untl afternoon, which connected with tn,
would be worried II didn't get home until afte
my trunks arrived by express. He says he will
leave this and stop and thank you himself.
| M "Yours truly, F. b."
On inquiry, Cyrus found that the nott
had been left by gentleman just before
he came in, who asked for him, bu
couldn't wait
Now what was to be done. Nothing
Cyrus thought, but to write to his father
tell him the story, and get him to seni
over to Mr.. Birch's fof the trunk, and, re
turn it to Philadelphia by EXPRESS. Thi
course havinS been concluded upon, Cy
rus wrote and mailed the letter to hi
father.
The rest of the day would probably
have been spent by Cyrus in the enjoy
ment of Fanny's letter and his rccollce
tions of her visit, had not bis .ffieHds cailet
upon him TO know II he had got back ole
"Cuhen (for 80 they had baptized tn,
truncated" one, since little Myles' pun)
When they heard the rest of the story
they were w1d with delight, and th,
osseous jokes hat were made were worthy
of the inmates of mad-house.
"It's such a mean old trunk" said littl
Myles. "NOthing but thin packing -bo!
any way, and don't believe / locked /
last time. I'll bet any man ten dollars tha
old Cohen's out before this time"
They'll open it on the cars when the,
hear 1t rattle" said Seymour. "Yoil
know people can only take wearing ap
parel, and q skeleton is not wearing ap
parel-at least that one is not wearin.
any"
"1f they think it's freight, and take
out, it will result in fright" suggested
Myles; and then, as usual, the upfoa
stopped the joking.
The next morning, about nine o'clock
just ss Cyrus had finished his breakfas
(got on credit from the grocery stor
where he dealt), he received telegram
| It WAS from Mr. Rirch and .confa IN.