Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-10-03
Rip Van winEIe Win IN boston.

The Boston Journal says gentleman
of that city, whom il designates as Mr..
Winkle, retired at an early hour last
Saturday evening, occupying, in the ABB
sence Of his wife, his lonely couch in
the front room Of house situated in
one, of the most frequented thorough
fares of the city. He locked his door,
and was soon in the land OF dreams.
About 1880 o'clock on Sunday morning
a daughter of Mr.. Winkle, thinking that
her father had oversight himself, knocked
at his door. As Mr.. Winkle gave no
signs Of responding to the summons,
more vigorous application Of the
knuckles was made, accompanied with
suggestions as to the hour of the day.
Mr.. Wrinkle still maintained dogged
silence A third attack followed, but
Winkle made no sign. The young lady
was naturally alarmed, and as people
have been found cold in their beds horrid
ideas Of the untimeiy end Of Mr., Win
kle rushed through her mind. Two Of
the neighbors were Immediately sum-
moned, who responded promptly 10 the
call, and they made an assault upon the
door, and endeavoring to force the same,
but as the hinges refused to yield, their eff
forts were without success. 1t was at this
period that life insurance policy upon
Winkle could not have been effected at
any rate of premium. Desperate cases
require desperate remedies, and the idea
of smashing the door with q broad-ax
was suggested, when wise counsels pre-
vailed, and it was concluded that a lad
der placed at the window of the sleeping
room of Mr.. Wrinkle would at once solve
the mystery. IL any one has tried to
procure on Sunday morning ladder
sufficiently long to enable person to
enter the second-story window of a
modern-built house, he can tell how diff
fcult it is. The aid Of the hackmen at
the nearest stable was invoked, and they
promptly scaled q paintshop, and by
dint OF hard labor procured the desired
article. AS it was being carried through
the street and placed against the house,
the neighbors, the ladies, male and fe-
male milkmen, q stray policeman, news
paper carriers, domestics returning from
early mass, and few matutinal strollers
collected around, and commented upon
the fate of Mr.. Winkle. Their sur
mises were more or less compliment
ary to the unfortunate man, while
gentlemen who had parted with him
the night previous bore cheerful testi-
mony to the well known regularity of his
habits. That Wrinkle had shufled off
this mortal coil was fixed fact for he
still refused to relieve the narrowing
suspense of his immediate family and
neighbors by an intelligent demonstra-
ton of vitality. The ladder was very
successfully raised and placed in po-
sition, when Spider volunteered to make
the ascent and solve the great doubt,
He proceeded cautiously to mount round
after round till he reached the window.
The expectant crowd below held their
breath. Spider hesitated for second,
and then opened the blind slowly, while
preparing evidently for sight which
would throw him at once to the ground.
WELL" exclaimed the crowd, impatient
at the vacant gaze of Spider, who was
peering into the room. Spider turned
round and quietly remarked, as he slid
to terra frma: "Mr. Winkle is now get
ting out of bed" The disappointed and
yet happy assemblage dispersed to their
fishballs and baked beans The ladder
was quietly removed and, we are happy
to state, Mr.. Wrinkle occupied his seat in
church that morning as usual. Mr..
Wrinkles statement only confirms what
the reader will suspect, that he was en-
joying an unusually sound nap. He
heard nothing of the attack upon his
door, and he only came to consciousness
when Spider peered in through the open
blind. His first impression was that the
house was on fire, and he expected to
rush through smoke and fire to the street,
but he was relieved, when sufficiently
awake to grasp the situation, to find that
he had been the innocent cause of a
hubbub in quiet neighborhood on a
Sunday morning, which is without pa
al