The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-12-03

One night. during the recent troubles in
the Pennsylvania coal regions, Judge
Potts brother, Thomas Potts, was round
at a meeting Of mine owners, and after the
adjournment he stepped into a tavern.
" hilc there he met with some friends, and
in the course of an hour or two he became
very intoxicated. On his way home he
lost his hat, and miner who knew him,
feeling compassion for him, clapped on his
head miners hat, and in order to make
the dark street brighter he lighted the lit
tie lamp in front OF the hat. When Potts
reached the house his wife had goue to bed
and the lights were ont, but Potts felt
certain the lamp was burning in the hall,
but he couldn't for the life of him tell
where it was. He looked at the regular
lamp, auC, that seemed TO be out then
hunted in every direction for .he light, but
he was unable to find il, although it seem
ed to shine brightly wherever he went.
Presently he happened to stand in front of
the mirror in the hat rack, and then he
saw precisely where the lamp was. After
a brief obiurgation upon Mrs. Potts for
leaving light in such "A prepostOrous
place, he went up to the mirror and tried
to blow it out. He blew, and blew, hut
somehow the flame burned as steadily as
eve:.
That" said Potts, "is the moz cxtror'-
nary lamps ever been my mizrortune t en-
COUNTER
Then he took of his coat, and holding
il in front of him, he crept cautiously up
to the mirror and tried to crush the coat
down over the light to smother it. He
made half a dozen Intellectual attempts,
and then standing off and regarding the
light, which still burned brightly, he said :
THAT'S cert'nly very eXtro' nary, moZ
stonishin' circumstance ever come un'er
my observation. Don't know how't ac-
couut for it,
1t occurred to him then that perhaps..he
might smash the lamp with the umbrella.
Selling the weapon, he went up TO the hat
rack, and aiming terrific blow at the
light, he brought the umbrella down. He
missed and smashed his Sunday hat into
chaos. He took aim again and caught the
umbrella in the hall lamp owe head, bring
ing il down with crash. Then lie tried
a third time and plunged the furule of the
umbrella through the mirror, smashing it
into atoms. lie felt exutant for a mo-
ment as the light disappeared from his
vision, but he was perplexed to find that
there was another light somewhere, he
couldn't tell exactly where. So he sat
down on the stairs and remarked:
"Moz 'stonishin' circumstanz ever come
under my observation. What in thunder S
it mean, anyhow? Lights gone and yet
it's sliinin'. Perfectly incompr Esible. =
Wisht grashus Miss Podd's wake up and
explain it. Durn f / know what I'd bet
ter do
Then Potts took off his hat ta scratch
his head, in the hope that he might scare
up an idea aud the truth flashed uron
him. Gazing at the lamp for a moment,
until he drank in a full conception of the
trouble it bad caused him, he suddenly
smashed it down on the floor in a rage
and extinruiSbcG it. after covering two
yards of carpet with grease. Then he
went to bed. and when in the morning
Mrs. Potts informed him that some of
those awful miners had broken into the
house tbe'night before and left one of their
hats with lamp, Potts turned over in
bed so that she couldu't see his face, and
said if the stern hand of the law WASH {
laid upon those ruflians soon nobody's life
would be safe.