The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-03-15

|, | from without. lie had q blan ket around
his shoulders, and had evidently just
arisen from his bed. "Come in he
repeated, land don't make no noise
The Old Mans In there talking to mar,
he continued, pointing TO an adjacen,
room which seemed to be a kitchen
from which the Old Mans voice came
in deprecating accents. LET me be, he
added, querulously to Dick Bullen who
had caught him up, blanket and all,
and was affecting to toss him into the
hre, let 90 o me, you ID old fool,
dye hesrf'
Thus adjured, Dick Bullen lowered
Johnny to the ground with a smothered
laugh. while the men, entering quietly
ranged themselves around = long table
of rough boards which occupied the
center of the room. Johnny then
gravely proceeded to cupboard and
brought out several articles which he
deposited on the table. "Thar's whisky.
And crackers. And red herons. And
cheese" He took bite of the latter
on his way to the table. "And sugar."
He scooped up amouthful en- route with
a small and very dirty hand. And
terbacker. Thar's dried apils too on
the shelf, but l don't admire 'em. Ap.
pills is swellin." "Thar," he concluded,
now wade In, and don't be aieard. /
don't mind the old woman. She don't
b'long to me. S'long."
He had stepped to the threshold of
small room, scarcely larger than
closet, partitioned off from the main
apartment, and holding in its dim recess
a small bed. He stood there a moment
looking at the company, his bare feet
peeping from the blanket, and nodded.
" Hello, Johnny You amt goin' to
turn in again, are ye," said Dick.
."Yes, 1 are" responded Johnny, de-
cidedly.
why, wot's up, old fellow ?"
I'm sick"
How sick?
" I've got fever. And chilblains. |
And roonatiz," returned Johnny, and |
vanished within. After a moments
pause. he added in the dark, apparently
from the bedclothes-" And biles."
There was an embarrassing silence.
The men looked at each other, and at
the fire. Even with the appetizing ban.
quet before them, it seemed as if they
might again fall into the dependency
Of Thompsons grocery, when the voice
Of the Old Man, incautiously lifted,
came deprecatinrly from the kitchen.
Certainly! That's so. In course
hey is. A gang O. lazy, drunken loaf.
ers, and that ar Dick Bullens the
'nariest of all. Didn't have no more
abe than to come round var with sick.
less in the house and no provision.
lhet's what | said: Bulen," seq l, ,
it's crazy drunk you are, or FOOL seq ,
f, to think o such a thing Staples
ez l, be you man, Staples and 'spect ,
o raise h-ll under my roof and in 4
Aids lynn round? But they would !
ome-they would. Thet's what you I
must 'spect O. such trash as lays round I
he Bar"
A burst of laughter from the men fol-
owed this unfortunate exposure. =
Whether it was overheard in the kitch.
n, or whether the Old Mans irate COM \
anton had just then exhausted all
Their modes 0: expressing her con- .
smptuous Indignation, cannot say,
ut back door was suddenly slammed Y
18th great violence. A moment later
nd the Old Man reappeared, happy un- h
onscious of the cause of the late hila-
Gus ou,burst, and smiled blandly. 4
1.-The old woman thought she'd Jest v
In over to Mrs. McFadden's for So |,
lal call" he explained, with jaunty in n
Inference, as he took seat at the II
oard. :;
Oddly enough it needed this untoward Il
lcident to relieve the embarrassment q
lat was beginning TO be felt by the h
arty, and their natural audacity re- y,
lrned with their host. do not pro- i,
ose to record the convivialities of that II
7ening. The inquisitive reader will :
'cept the statement that the converse y
on was characterized by the same in Z.
llectual exaltation, the same cautious
'verence, the same fastidious delicacy, +
lie same rhetorical precision, and the -
me logical and coherent discourse =.
mewhat later in the evening, which -
stnguish similar gatherings of the - -
asculine sex in more civilized locali- n'
Is and under more favorable auspices. 8
o glasses were broken in the absence ~
any; no liquor was uselessly split on re
e floor or table in the scarcity of that le
ticle. ca
1t was nearly midnight when the fes- 70
titles were interrupted. "Hush," said ey
ok Bullen, holding up his hand. 1t an
is the querulous voice of Johnny from
J adjacent closet 80, dadw do
The Old Man arose hurriedly and dis 20
peared in the closet. Presently he sal
"His rheumatic is coming II
agin bad" he explained, "and he =
nts rubin" lie lifted the demijohn hit
whisky from the table and shook it. Di
was empty. Dick Bullen put down II
J tin cup with an embarrassed laugh. Gre
did the Others. The Old Man exam lor
ID their contents and said hopefully,
reckon that's enough; he don't need sof