The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-11-15

ROGERSVILLE, NOV. 9, 1876.
The Devil and Zach Chandler
sAnd he saw the black storm come
Nearer, minute after minute;
Its thunder made the cataracts dumb.
with hiss and clash and hollow huEa,
II r0ared as if the devil was IN IT,
It was midnight, the 9TH Of No
vember, and the II o. clock bell rang
out dismaIly on the heavy air. The
gas shone with a steady glare
upon an old man broken by the
storms of state, lighting up rugged
rubicund features that would have
been but that they were painted in
fast colors. Telegraphic blanks lay
loosely upon the floor and covered
the table. There was a fixed and
stony stare in the eyes Of the old
man as he gazed long and intently
upon a paper in his hand covered
with Grabbed and struggling figures,
and his lips quivered as he eX-
claimed:
1.-TWO hundred and ninety-eight |!
Michigan, too! It's treason, by
-
He arose and threw open the
window and gazed ont upon the city
lying silent in midnight, save that
now and then came the voice Of dis
tant jewellers, and "'Rah for Tilden'
was borne on the rising blast. Then
a distant rumbling sound caught his
ear, and as its portentous thunders
rolled nearer and nearer lie shuder-
ed and murmured to himself: ITS
cavalry. Grant must be falling back
-29S electoral votes. It's rebel
lion" He closed the windows soft
" and took q small brown jug la
belled "official business" crooked
W" poured out five fingers, and
gulped It down. The heel tap blazed
up with a blue flame IS he sat the
glass down, on the side-board.
'D-d singular proceeding in that
article said he to himself, as he
drew a cigar from q box, which had
no revenue stamp. and was labelled
30. B. Reform with-in-the-party."
"That vas a fine cigar" he nut
tered, but I fear that there is no
more reformation within the party"
The old man looked around to-
ward the window as the sound of
wind and rain and thunder increas-
ed, and q fierce blast struck the
house and caused the very walls to
SILVER and tremble.
Terrible Storm he muttered.
s'and we have had one cyclone too
many to-day"
Another blast struck the house
and appeared to wrestle with its
gables and wrench it's four corners
until it fairly rocked.
II feel strangely uncomfortable
tonight" he murmured, as he bit off
the cigar end. Il wonder why my
bovish DAYS come back, and the old /
school-house and the chapel and the |
Sunday-school and my mothers
teaching. wonder if l remember
the Lords Prayer-'N0w l lay me
down TO rest-d-n it. I've forgot
ten the next line. l wish L could
recall it."
'.If Lad Bible I would read q
chapter-not one; Schenck on Po-
ker-d-n Schenck; Machiavelli,-I
McPherson's Hand Book, Taft
sDeech on Military Law-there it is.
There's the cause of It all. It is the
cause. o my soul. it is the cause !"
He lit match and applied it to
his cigar. Just then Q terrific blast
shook the very ground, and the air
was filed with strange noises. The
cigar end blazed mp with blue, sui
phurous flame about his face. "Ihe
devil - exclaimed the old man.
"At your service, Mizzer Chan
dler," exclaimed voice across tue
room Il am here, SIR
There he was. Zach looked at
him in terror for a moment. There
he was, hoofs, horns, and all, and
his. prehensile- tail gracefully curled
mn on the sociable. The devil had
on a white cravat and clerical air
and cold eyeglasses the last time
Zach saw him, and he did not recog5
nize him.
"Some Democrat" said Zach to
himself .thinks be can scare Zach
Chandler : and hitching up his
trowsers, and assuming an attitude
Of offence, he gave him peremptory
order to depart. An awkward
pause ensued. The devil manifest
ed no disposition to leave. and it
dawned upon old Zach that the doors
we're bolted and locked and the win
doWs closed. and a sulphurous smell
pervaded the room. ''Fair play,
Zach cared nae diel q boddie; but
when. that gentleman poured out a
glass OF mis- best crooked and the old
jug ran birthstone flames, and the
goblet famed and smoked as he
Guafred it of, he politely invited the
devil 10 have a cigar. The devil Sc
Iected 3 weed dexterously, lit it at
Zachs nose, and threw himself back
in an easy chair.
"If there is anything j detest,'
said the devil, lit is a failure. You
have lost. told you So"
"If there is anything despise, "
said old Zach, on his mettle, lit is a
man or a devil who says I told you
So You detestable, bat-winged old
buzzard, you hollow-horned, cloven-
footed, ring-tailed damned old scoun-
drel. if you had half done your duty
in providing means we should have
been all right"
softly, softly" replied the dew
il, don't lose your temper. There
was the bloody shirt, the war pas
sion, the war claims, the solid South,
Andersonville, the campaign SLAM
ders, and then / raised up Halstead
and Schurz, and lent you Ingersoll.
and provided Eyarts. and threw in
the TLibuues of New York and Chi
-.o-> e. .~o1I yonacura Come NOu