The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-02-19

are very decent people, though
they only keep small house, and
they sell very good stuff"
So along Turner street we went,
and entered a rather dingy hostel
ry, having frontispiece Of white
paint, daubed at random on black
ground. I followed Joe into the
bar parlor. Eight or ten men
were talking, smoking and play
ing cards before large fire; they
welcomed Joe as an old acquaint-
ance.
The landlady soon after entered
the room. "Mesthur Twining,"
; she said, addressing Joe, "we're
goin' to have o rattle for that
goose" pointing to one that hung
in corner Of the room. "Will
you try yore chance, or will yore
friend hev q shiliin's worth ?"
Joe dec!ined-said that he was
not married man ; but | had not !
yet bought my Christmas dinner,
and knew that I should have to
provide one. Moreover, if l won
the goose, it would certainly be
cheap; while if 1 lost shilling is
nothing to cry about, so l paid my
shilling, and inquired at what hour
the rattle was to take place.
"Nine o'clock, an its afther eight
now," said mine hostess; "you'd
better stay till it o'er."
Every we'll, bring me some more
ale," l replied.
Joe and [ now began to talk of
school days and our Juvenile com.
bats which often had been the
means Of giving each of us
swollen nose, pair Of black eyes,
not to mention the sound thrash
ing that, from our respective
fathers, invariably followed our
encounters. Soon, one of Joe's
friends proposed that we should
Join him at a hand Of sail fourss
and accepting his offer, just to pass
away the time till nine o'clock, We
ordered some more ale, and sat
down to cards. The impression
left on nay mind by tina. game of
cards is, that Joe and his friend
were always winning, while |, on
the other hand, was always losing;
but the two praised my playing
so highly, and said with such
earncstness that | should ruin
them, that 1 could not but believe
their statement that I had won
nearly every game. Once or twice
we were almost quarreling over
some point of the game, but we
recovered our tempers, and on &C
count Of these slight interruptions
became the more thoroughly joyial
and affcctionate.
At last the clock struck nine,
and when our hostess made her
appearance, bearing large basin,
we left our cards and the whole
party got around her like 80 many
hens about to be fed. 1t would be
needless to recount in detail the
dicing-tor two ivory cubes were
the appointed judges upon whose
decision the fate of the goose de-
pended-suffice it that l Glanced
TO throw double skies.
"And fine cheap bird it is;
plenty ofpeople will have to spend
a vast deal more nor that's cost
you for their dinners" said one Of
the losers.
"And not every one who has
spent shilling has had the good
fortune to get goose for it," said
another.
AS | handled the noble bird
and it WAS very plump and fat
| I became thoroughly happy.
Here. indeed, was a present such
as any wife ought to be glad to
receive just before Christmas Day.
How Annie would stare when l
should gravely inform her that it
only cost shilling. In my delight
l huggcd Joe, and tried to do the
same to the landlady being foiled
in this l turned to the party, ask
ed them to order something to
drink, promising to pay the score,
and persisted in sbaking hands
with each person in the room. lip
to that moment, | fancy that they
had drunk nothing more expensive
than beer; but, at my invitation,
wine became in full requisition,