Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-03-08

uOH AuHlIc Gil. ApplIS Is
swellin". Thar he concluded,
'now wade in, and don't be afeard.
l don't mind the old woman. She
don't b'long to me. S'long."
He had stepped to the threshold
of a small room, scarcely larger
than closet, partitioned off from
the main apartment, and holding in
its dim recess small bed. He
stood there moment looking at
the company, his bare feet peeping
from the blanket, and nodded.
"Hello, Johnny! You amt goin'
to turn in again, are YEP said Dick.
eyes, | arc," responded Johnny,
decidedly.
"Why wot's up, old fellow?"
"I'm sick"
"How sick?"
"I've got a fowler. And child
blains. And roomatiz," returned
Johnny, and vanished within.
After moments pause, he added
in the dark, apparently from under
the bedclothes,-" biles."
There was an embarrassing
silence. The men looked at each
other, and at the fire. Even with
the appetizing banquet before them,
it seemed as if they might again
fall into the dependency of Thomp-
sons grocery, when the voice of the
Old Man, incautiously lifted, came
deprecatingly from the kitchen.
"Certainly! Thet's SO. In course
they is. A gang o lazy drunken
loatcrs, and that ar Dick Bullen's
the ornariest of all. Didn't hev no
more sdbe than to come round var
with sickness in the house and no
provision. Thet's what l said:
"Bullen," sez l, cts crazy drunk
you are, or fool" sez l." "to think
O. such a thing" "Staples," sez l,
"be you a man, Staples, and 'spect
to raise h-ll under my roof and
invalids lynn round?" But they
would come,-they would. Thet's
wot you must 'spect O such trash
as lays round the Bar"
A burst of laughter from the men
followed this unfortunate exposure.
Whether it was overheard in the
kitchen, or whether the Old Mans
irate companion had just then ex-
hausted all other modes Of express
ing her contemptuous Indignation.
| cannot say, but back door was
suddenly slammed with great vio-
lence. A moment later and the
Old Man re-appearcd, haply uncon-
scious Of the cause Of the late
hilarious outburst, and smiled blan-
dly:
''Thc old woman thought she'd
Jest run over to Mrs McFadden's
for a sociable CALL" he explained,
with jaunty indifference, as he took
a seat at the board.
Oddly enough it needed this un-
toward incident to relieve the en-
barrassment that was beginning to
be felt by the party, and their ma
tural audacity returned with their
host. l do not pSaposc to record
the convivialitics Oh that evening.
The inquisitive reader will accept
the statement that the conversation
was characterized by the same in
tellcctual exaltation, the same eau
tious reverence, the same fastidious
delicacy, the same rhetorical pre-
cision, and the same logical and
coherent discourse somewhat later
in the evening, which distinguish
similar gatherings of the masculine
sex in more civilized localities and
under more favorable auspices. No
glasses were broken in the absence
of any; no liquor was uselessly split
on floor or table IN the scarcity of
that article.
1t was nearly midnight when the
festivities were interrupted. Hush,
said Dick Bullen, holding up his
hand. 1t was the querulous voice
Of Johnny from his adjacent closet:
80 dad!"
The Old Man arose hurrledly and
disappeared in the closet. Presen-
tly he re-appcarcd. ellis rheuma'
tiz is coming on agin bad" he ex'
planned, "and he wants rubin. y
He lifted the delnijohn of whisky
from the table and shook it. Itwas
empty. Dick Bullen put down his
tin cup with an embarrassed laugh
So did the others. The Old Mar
examined their contents and said
hopefully, 81 reckon that's enough
lie don't need much. You hold on
all o you for spell, and I'll be
back" and vanished in the closet
with an old flannel shirt and the
whisky. The door closed but i'm
perfectly, and the following dialogue
was distinctly audible
"Now, sonny, whar does she ache
worst?"
Sometimes over var and some
times under yer; but it's most power
full from yer to yer. Rub yer
dad"
| A silence seemed to indicate a
brisk rubbing. Then Johnny
"Hcvin, = good time out yer
dad?"
ayes, sonny"
\ "To-morrcr's Chrismiss, = AIM
it?"
eyes, sonny. How does she fee
now?"
"Bcttcr. Rub a little furder down.
Wot's Chrismiss, any way? Wot's
it all about?"
| 80 it's a day"
This exhaustive definition was
apparently satisfactory, for there
was silent interval of rubbing.
Presently johnny again:
"Mar seq that everywhere else
but yer everybody given things to
everybody Chrismiss, and then she
jist waded inter you. She scz thar's
man they call Sandy Claws, not a
white man, you know, but kind o
Chineman, comes down the chin
blcy night aforc Chrismiss and
gives things to children boys
like me. Puts 'cm in their butes!
That's what she tried to play upon
me. Easy now, pop, whar are you
ruhbin" to-thet's n mile from the