Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-03-14

small room, scarcely larger than a
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 ye," said Dick.
ayes, are responded Johnny, de-
cidedly.
"Why, volts up, old fellow ?"
" Pm sick"
How sick ?"
GIVE got fever. And chilblains. !
And roomatz,' returned Johnny, and |
vanished within. After a moments
pause, he added in the dark, apparently
from the bed clothes" 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 Thompson's grocery, when the voice
of the Old Man, incautiously lifted,
came deprecatingly from the kitchen.
Certainly That's SO. In course
they is. A gang O. lazy, drunken loaf
ers, and that ar Dick Bullen's the
onariest of all. Didn't have no more
sabe than to come round var with sick
ness in the house and no provision
Thet's what | said: Bullen," sez I,
it's crazy drunk you are, or fool,' SEE
I, to think O. such thing STAPLES
sez I, be you a man, Staples, and 'spect
to raise h-ll under my roof and in
valids lynn round p But they would
come-they would. Thet's what you
must 'speet O. such trash as lays round
the Bar"
A burst of laughter from the men fol-
lowed this unfortunate exposure.
Whether it was overheard in the kitch-
en-, or whether the Old Mans irate COM
panion had Just then exhausted all
other modes Of expressing her con-
temptuous Indignation, l cannot say,
but back door was suddenly slammed
with great violence. A moment later
and the Old Man reappeared, haply I'M
conscious of the cause of the late hila-
rious outburst, and smiled blandly.
"The old woman thought she'd Jest
run over to Mrs. McFadden's for a So
cial CALL" he explained, with !jaunty in
difference, as he took a seat at the
board.
Oddly enough it needed this untoward
incident to relieve the embarrassment
that was beginning to be felt by the
party, and their natural audacity re
turned with their host. do not pro-
pose to record the convivialities of that
evening. The inquisitive reader will
accept the statement that the converse
ton was characterized by the same in
tellectual exaltation. the same cautious
reverence, the same fastidious delicacy,
the same rhetorical precision, and the
same logical and coherent discourse
somewhat later in the evening, which
distinguish similar gatherings of the
masculine sex in more civilized local..
ties and under more favorable auspices.
No glasses were broken in the absence
of any no liquor was uselessly split on
the floor or table in the scarcity of that
article.
1t was nearly midnight when the fes-
tivities were interrupted. "Hush," said
Dick Bullen, holding up his hand. 1t
was the querulous voice of Johnny from
his adjacent closet 90, dad !"
The Old Man arose hurriedly and dis
appeared in the closet. Presently he
reappeared. Ellis rheumatic is coming
on agin bad,n he explained, "and he
wants rubbin'" He lifted the demijohn
of whisky from the table and shook it.
1t was empty. Dick Bullen put down
his tin cup with an embarrassed laugh.
So did the others. The Old Man exam
ined their contents and said hopefully,
~ reckon that's enough; he don't need
much. You hold on all O you for a
spell, and I'll be back;' and vanished
in the closet with an old flannel shirt
and the whisky. The door closed but
imperfectly, and the following dialogue
was distinctly audible:
, "Now, sonny, whar does she ache
worst? ~
Sometimes over var and sometime:
under yer; but it's most powerful from
yer to yer. Rub yer, dad"
9 A silence seemed to indicate a brisk
rubbing. Then Johnny:
"Hevin' a good time out yer, dad ?'
ayes, sonny
: "To-morrer's Chrismiss-ain't it?''
eyes, sonny. How does she fee
= now?"
o "Better. Rub little furder down
Wot's Chrismiss, anyway. Wot's it al
n ahout?n
}, 90, it's day."
n This exhaustive definition was appa
e rently satisfactory, for there was silen
interval of rubbing. Presently Johnn
" again:
e "Mar says that everywhere else bu
yer everybody gives things to everybod
d Chrismiss, and then she jist waded int
Of you. She SEE there's man they ca
" Sandy Claws-not a white man, 70
h know, but kind O. Chinemin-come
Of down the chimbley night afore Chri
1t miss and gives things to chillern-boy
ID like me. Puts 'em in their butes
re That's what she tried to play upon m,
at Easy, now, pop, whar are you rubin
N to-thet's mile from the place. Sh
&c jest made that up, didn't she, jess I
I'd aggrewate me and you? Don't ru
st thar. Why, dadP'
he In the great quiet that seemed
e. have fallen upon the house, the sigh
)" the near pines and the drip of leav,
Mt without was very distinct. Johnny
n, voice, too, was lowered as he went OF
ne "Don't you take on, now, fur I'm ge
ae tin all right fast. Wot's the boys dol
10 out thar?"
Ii, The old man partly opened the dot
ne and peered through. His guests WEI
u, sitting there socially enough, and the
were few silver coins and lean bucl