The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-07-03

1nOmaS, III MS correspondence, naQ re
quested his lady-love to keep the matter
profound secret. The widow, who BY
mistake received the letters, did nothing
of the kind. She entrusted the secret Of
her good fortune to her dearest friend, that
dearest friend had entrusted it to her par
ticular and discreet companion, who re-
peated it III turn to some dear old crony.
Thus it spread through Minerstown, and
Thomas arrival had been looked for an
hour before he came by the Minerstowr
gossippers. Mary Rees, the interesting
young girl" had heard Of the proposed
marriage, and it had almost broken heI
heart, although she pretended not to care
about lover who was about to play SC
falsely.
A crowd was collected around the door,
and several invited female friends of the
widow, were crowding her front windows
inside.
Can you not answer, man Z asked the
minister, almost in a rage.
Thomas by this time was recovering
he summoned up the resolution to say
that he did not mean to marry this iromdA.
1t will not interest you to know how
/ furious the minister became. How the
| NluOW SSAcdlIiCO dAlu AAOW LiC
widows friends rushed to her aid unlaced
her. famed her, laved her with cold water.
How she opened her eyes and refused to
be comforted How Thomas was first
scolded and then petted by the widow S
guests, until he was Obliged to run for
shelter to the house Of the father Of Mary,
the interesting young girl How Thomas
was pounced on by the old woman, who
belabored him with broom stick. How
the old man ordered him to the door, but
how Mary Rees 50 prudently fell into his
open arms, and how he kissed her for do
! ing so in spite of the broOm-stlck. She
gussed how the mistake had occurred. Ii
will only bore you to know how Thomas.
with the aid of Mary-the interesting one
found means to explain everything To
the old folks Thomas had the widow $
letters in his pocket, and these explained
the mystery more effectually. After ALL
Thomas did marry Mary Rees, and took
her away from Minerstown before the close
Of the next day. | hear they often laugh
over the widows disappointment, but she,
poor creature, is more to be pittled than
laughed at for allowing herself to be led
away by such a singular mistake. How
she came to suppose that Thomas letters
we're intended tor herself may readily be
imagined, because Thomas and the widow
had been friendly for many years. They
had gone to church, had been Of the
same glee club, had gone to the same bal,
had eaten of the same feast. They hsd
met at pic nics, at parties, and at merry
nakings and, to tell the truth, they were
once at the same camp-meetlng. Not
withstanding all these incidents and CO.
medicines, the right letters had found
their way INTO the hands Of the wrong
woman.
In Minerstown you find all kinds of
business places differing little from the
business places Of other towns at distance
from populous cities, except that they diff
fer in the prices Of their goods.
For the present we will enter the saloon
| of Bill Grant, All establishment of its kind,
the best supported In Minerstown.
| At Bill Grants you may be Accommodated
with many of luxury, not often found IN
request in inland towns and villages.
! In the spring time you may refresh your
self on bull frogs hind quarters, and eel
pies and crisped trout. In the summer
YOU may be regaled on lamb and green
I peas. III Tile ldll CdlAiiON bGAA htAdl lACIc
I is not in Bills establishment. Rabbits are
there, done up in all known methods
Roast pheasant and quail, spitted robbln,
phleger and thrush stewed squirrel and
ground hog form only a part of his bill
of fare" In winter when the ice and snow
CAD the mountains and clOthe the valleys,
when the keen air sharpens your appetite
there Is something more substantial III
Williams we'll warmed retectOire. Steak:
of bear are flanked by steaks of venison.
A roastd goose finds good fellowship in a
roasted turkey the former from the wild
focks on the mill dams the other from
the wild hocks that roost in the woods
Ducks come on to the table in pairs, fine
fat fellows are they too, from the flock;
which straggle into these wilds instead Of
passing their winters in the more freqented
lakes and waters nearer to the Atlantic
coast such as the James and the Potomac
rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, Albermarle
and Pimlico Sounds
SO much for Bills edibles. He has il
his cellars the best Of liquors. Good beer
good ale and good porter, are furnished t.
the imbibers Of these seml-luxuries. Nc
one finds fault with Bills wines.
Then during the winter nights Bill
gives a variety entertainment to the saints
much to the modification Of the sinners
Minerstown. While the sinners groan at tn,
evil the saints laugh at the fun. While thu
sinners spend money to knock down tn,
monstresity sin and corruption" th'
saints lind money to keep it up. The sin
ners have appealed to the town council il
vain. A petition sent to the Governor
signed by all the sinners in MinerstowI
crying down this nightly amusement wa
laughed at when another petition signed
by all the saints in Minerstown, wa
handed in on the same day. The saints
say that before they will allow the sinner
to interfere in such matters the sinner
may 60 to the devil As things exist tn
sinners have no choice but to keep male
dictions on the whole combination 0
amusements. But it matters not, soon a
a sinner utters a malediction a saint pro
nounces a benediction on the whole es
tabhshment, and this benediction include
Bill Grant in the process. Bill does no
care a curse for the sinners as long as h
has the voice of the saints.
But the sinners almost got the better o
the saints in one instance. After appeal
ing to the council, to the court, to the leg
islature, to the governor, to the Y.
Senate and to the President at Washing
ton, they invoked the aid of the dew
himself. From matter Of cool concerl
it now got to be hot piece Of work. A
this carries us on to the devil of Miners
town, said devil needs little description
on the strength of it his devillish design
u,,n ha hoffar hndorafOod
How this devil got into Minerstown
in many respects a mystery. Nobod
knows lchere he came from. Some Of tn
saints, majority Of them, sloear. min
erstown saints do swear when occasion re
quires), that he must have got out Of
| particular cave in the mountain OF Bait
Pake. But the saints, the majority {
; them, look on this statement as mere speC
Il - ~,