Smyrna times., 1872-08-07
A Heartless Old Man,

q
| seized by the buttOn-hole a man whom he
called George, and anchored him only length
| or two to the windward of me, so | couldn't
help but hear Then they pulled and tugged
and bobbed about the lamp-post until the
gentleman with the glazed carpet bag, putting
and wheeling in an indescribable manner, had
spoken, as nearly as l can recollect, to the
following effect:
"Yes George. just got home from New |
York. Came by Sound steamer; and haven't
slept much, | can tell you. What's the mat |
ter2 Well I'll tell you. In the first place, |
George do look like a man that would take
advs ntage Of q fellow with one leg? Don't
have trouble enough getting my two hundred
and seventy pounds along on two legs? Of
course | do! Well, now, George, am just
the same toward married people, or people
going to be married, as l would be to that one
legged soldier over there on the other side OF
the street grinding The Battle Cry of Free
donc, and | wish he would move the war into
the next street. No, sir l might have been
married man myself, once; but am not, for
reasons best known to lady who. But,
pshaw! That was all thirty years ago, and
was going to tell you about last night. I've
noticed, by-the-way, George, that young people
; will get married on any provOcatlon whatever.
: And don't object to it, mind, unless they sit
. up all night and court afterwsrd, and rob me
u of my sleep. But what shall [ say about that
n couple last nlB0L Oh (D6 OOunuI L IuTueu III
Il about ten o'clock. They hadn't even the
> excuse of being married. They were just
courting; and it was the most tiresome piece
Is of u incss you ever heard of, that fellOw-that
e idiot-saying the same thing over and over.
IS They were seated on the guard plump against
n my state-room door. Well, George, it was
> awful | came Hear getting asleep about eleven
es o'clock; and | really believe if he had only
" trotted in few lies, just for variety, L might
have slept through them Now, imagine, if you
rs can, George, the sort of talk | am going tt
oi rehearSe to you striking in endless repetition
ne against the thin wall of your state room JUS
1t where your bare feet necessarily touch it-tol
u your berth is always too short. The pin'
q board tingles with the sound, and-snd-tht
Isl sentiment, George, and that tingles your feet
OF and so it tingles all the way up to your ears
9d Now, you know yourself, George, that's n
In way to take your courting. oh! how di
'ir love Caroline! said for the twentieth time tha
Wo wretch of fellow just outside my state-rOom
10, oh! how | did love Caroline Pit was hi
mo deep chest-tones that were so aggravatng to IN
is toe nails-'and how Caroline said she loved MI
o Then to think of her perfdyl | never kne
IL anything so-so-per6dious as her perhdy
len What an ass he was, George, to be sure 'Sh
ate was very beautiful, Mary he went on-Mar
ate being, | hope, the only person who share
any with me the wretchedness of listening to the
things-'Caroline was very beautiful, Mar
She looked just like you. She was a goo
girl, but so perfdious! l want you to be
she was to me. | want you to take her pla
low in my heart. l want you to be just like he
uch We were engaged for year, said he in one
uld his idotic rounds, and then insisted sa
and he, still aggravatlng my feet through the tn
Of a paneling-'and then | insisted that Car Ii
re should not only cut the acquaintance of tn
he'd spruce young Ransom, the leather dealer,
lin, also write him letter and tell him 8
ON hal,a i'm 10 ha llaln md wa
title nothing more to do with him. She asked l
ood why | didn't write the letter to Mr.. RansC
lady myself, if l wanted it written. | told her,
ars, course, that Mr., Ransom was no friend
own mine, as he was of hers, and thought 1t "
ke her duty to write the letter; and, just becau
ia to | insisted, she went off and married that II
his of young Ransom himself. Oil she was
o be perfdious.
his "Well, George, 1 coughed; but the ste
wait went on. upset a chair; but still the ste
how OF Caroline's perfdy never stopped except
the repeat She was so heautiful!-just like "
,irls, Mary; and | want you to be just like her
one me- Mary Well, | upset the other chair, a
how blistered one of my toes kicking against
very partition-all for no use. Finally, about m
he night, | could stand it no longer | arose q
hat, jammed down my lattice window. The wo
hing 'Carolines perfdy' came in with q breath
one salt air through the opening as l stuck out
one head and saw two shadowy forms seated on
well, guard right against my state-room door. La
and herei | said, frowning upon them-but
when don't suppose they saw that-just look he
I've heard this here story OF Caroline's pert
and about forty times already. l couldn't h
We to hearing it, but didn't want to hear it, anC
make don't want to hear it. want to sleepi Thi
their hard enough work for a man of my weight
you board steamboat in a berth at least five sii
here too small but Carohne's perfdy is too mi
who too much. I've turned over and over in
best and came near falling out more than OIL
most I've kicked over two chairs, and blistered
i don't know but two-of my toes to 3
work you warning Now, l wish you would m
or it. away from here, and take your perhdy v
work you, and let me sleepp They were thun(
for struck. Just as they were rising to g
ds to couldn't help saying, And l should like
most add'-this was in my politest tone-an
7, or, should just like to add, that, in the infe
ike a story you have forced upon me, my sympat
that are heartily and wholly with Caroline. Th
a bug Good niehtp