Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-11-15
A FUNNY MIXTURE.
What Came of Putting s'Mrs." Before q
Mans Name.

have purchased billiard table. My
wife says that it is good thing to have
in the house, and prevents our boys
from spending their evenings away from
home, and lounging in saloons or bar
rooms.
The table being new thing, is i'm
mensely popular in the family, and as
our connection is large and friends nu-
merous, it is seldom that | get chance
at the balls. By the by, l wonder why
everything about balls has such fasci-
nation for human kind, and why every
body is after them, of some sort or an
other. There are race balls and inau-
guratiOn balls, paWnbrokers' balls and
billiard balls, cannon balls and nursery
bawls, and l once knew widow Balls,
who had more offers of marriage than
any spinster or widow of her age in the
country.
My brother-in-law, who lives over the
way from our street, frequently comes
over to play a game of billiards. He
never played before we got our table,
and did not care much for it at first,
but now, since he can carom on the red
and white, and make run of two, he
is incessant in his playing, and we have
hard work to stop him at bed time. He,
like all other fancy players, insists upon
knocking the balls right and left for an
hour after the game is finished and the
lights are ready to be put out. Indeed,
so pertinacious is he that we have jocu-
larry named him Mrs. Gibbs, after the
historical lady who owned SOW that
required beating to get 1t to the trough,
and beating to get it away.
A few evenings since, my family hav-
ing gone to the theatre, and l detained
at home by a cold, sent the following
note by a new servant to my brother
in-law:
MY Dear Mrs. Gibbs-Susan has
gone to the theatre, the coast is clear,
and We can have a good time. Come
over at once. Ever yours,
IN. 7. FULLNAME.
Instead of delivering my note on the
east side of the street, he handed it on
the west side, where, as it was plain
sheet of paper, not sealed, it was care
fully read and returned to the bearer,
with advice to take it next door, where
the same process was gone through,
until it had been perused by every do
nestle circle in the block.
Finally, neighbor told the servant
that Mrs. Gibbs resided in blank street,
No. 129, two doors from the corner of
another street, which place he soon
found, and joyfully presented the note
to Mrs. Gibbs, who was enjoying aquiet
evening with Mr.. Gibbs, surrounded by
all the little Gibbses, and several inquir-
ing friends, who all wanted to know the
contents of the note that Mrs. Gibbs
was blushing over and telling the man
she did not understand b..
Imagine Mr.. Gibbs surprise when
he had read it, and the sorrowful look
that overspread his countenance while
gazing upon the partner of his bosom
and the mother of his eleven children.
Mrs. Gibbs could not explain, and the
new servant complicated the case by
saying that the lady he was after was a
gentleman, which determined Mr..
Gibbs to put ON his hat and come over.
Mrs. Fullname had returned from the
theatre when he arrived. note in hand.
and over a social glass all was satisfac-
torily explained and settled. But, alas!
the numerous curious eyes in the other
street that had glared upon my note,
next day spread the report that poor
Susan Fullname was neglected by her
husband, and that poor Mr.. Gibbs was
suing for divorce. ....
Time, that kills all things, is killing
and curing the rumor; but, although
nine days are over, do not dare to
pass the Gibbs mansion or to look at
Mrs Gibbs when Mrs. Fullnamc and
myself are together IN public.