The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-04-12

other of the fellers around him, and there he |
sot ez silent and awful ez the grave. And |
then that fancy dancer, Miss Grace Somer-
set, comes in, and dern my skin, II the old |
man didn't git to trembling and fidgeting
all over as she cut them.pidgin wings. I
tell ye what, boys, men is men, way down to
their boots whether they're crazy or not | |
Well, he took on so-that Pm blamed If at |
last that gal hersef didn't notice him l-and |
she ups suddenly and blows him kiss-so
with her. fingers ?
Whether this narration were exaggerated |
or not, it is certain that old man Downey |
every succeeding night of the performance
was spectator. That he may have aspired |
to be more than that was suggested a day or
two later in the following incident A number |
of the boys were sitting around the stove in |
the Magnolia saloon, listening to the onset |
of winter storm against the windows, when |
Whisky Dick, tremulous, excited and brist- |
| ling with rain drops and information, broke |
| in upon them.
We'll, boys, I've just got the biggest |
thing out. Eff hadn't seed it myself, |
wouldn't hev believed it
1T amt the ghost ag-in ?" growled Robin
soul, from the depths of his arm chair tibet
ghosts about played.
'wot ghost? asked new conner.
why, ole Mammys ghost, that every fell
Ter about yer sees when he's half full and out
late O. nights
where p
where? Why, where should ghost be ?
Meanderin' round her grave on the hill
yander, in course
IT'S suthin bigger nor thet, pard,' said
Dick confidently mo ghost kin rake down
the pot agin the keerds I've got here. This
amt no bluff
well, go on | said dozen excited voices
Dick paused a moment, diffidently with
the hesitation of an artistic raconteur.
well, he said, with affected deliberation,
let's see! It's near onto an hour ago ez
was down thar at the variety show. When
the curtain was down betwixt the ak i looks
round fer Daddy. No Daddy thar goes
out and asks some O. the boys Daddy was
thar mint ago. they say must hev gone
home. Bein' kinder responsible for the old
man, hangs around, and goes out in the
hall aud sees passage leadin' behind the
/ scenes. Now the queer thing about this,
boys, ez that suthin in my bones tells me
the old man is thar. pushes in, and, sure
, as gun, hears his voice. Kinder pathet-
! ic, kinder pleadin', kinder--'
f 'Love-makin' ? broke in the impatient
Robinson.
You've hit it, rd,--you've rung the
, bell every time But she says, 4 wants thet
money down, or I'll--' and here couldn't
get to hear the rest. And then he kinder
coaxes. and she says sorter sassy, but listen
in all the time, like, ye know,
: Eve and the sarpint and she says, I'll
u see Tomorrow And he says, 'Ysu won't
: blow on nae? p and gets excited and peeps
: in,and may be teetotally burned eft I didn't
. see
What yelled the crowd.
= why, Daddy on his knees 10 that there
!. fancy dancer, Grace Somerset Now, il
!, Mammy's ghost is meanderin' round, why
:. cts about time she left the cemetery and put
:, in an appearance in Jackson Hall: Thet'.
= allr
,e Look var boys said Robson rising, q
d. don't know ez it's the square thing to spilt
Daddys fun. don't object to it, provided
in she amt takin' in the old man and giving
al him dead away. But ez we're his guardians
T 4 A. 4 L. Iol
d. and find out eff her intentions is honorable
Id If she means marry, and the old man per
n sists, why, l reckon we kin give the youns
r. couple SEND. off thet wont disgrace this ye
,e. camp Hey, boys?'
ot 1t is unnecessary to say that this PROPOSE
ton was accepted with acclamation, an,
that the crowd at once departed on thei
to discreet mission. But the result was neve
tn known, for the next morning brought
dy shock to Rough-and- Ready before which a.
nd other interest paled to nothingness.
m The grave of Nanny Downey was foun
ak violated and despoiled; the coffin opene
X and half filled with the papers and account
n of the robbed benevolent associations bu
nd the body of Nanny was gone! Nor, on e,
lt' animation, did itappear that the sacred an
lis ancient form of that female had ever repos
to ed in its recesses
NJ Daddy Downey was not to be found, NJ
'a' is it necessary to say that the ingenuol
lis Grace Somerset was also missing
" For three days the reason of Rough ant
~ Ready trembled in the balance. No wol
was done in the ditches in the fume nor
the mills. Groups of men stood by II
o., grave of the lamented relict of Dadd
y. Downey as open mouthed and vacant
~ ~ that sepulchre. Never since the gre
earthquake of '52 had Rough and Reat
" been so stirred to its deepest foundations.
+ad On the third day the sheriff of Calsyer
nm "a quiet, gentle, thoughtful man-arriv
I'm in town, and passed from one to the other
zen excited groups, dropped here and there d
,ed tached but concise and practical inform
bi0 tion.
vas "Yes, gentleman, you are right, NJ
ght Downey is not dead. because there was
any Mrs. Downey Her part was played
md George +. Feuwick of Sidney-a "ticket-
acv leave-man," who was, they say, a good
ou. tor Downeyg oh, yes DowDey was ]
ere Flanagan, who, in so, used to run the
in riety troupe in Australia, where Miss So
ent erset made her debut Stand back lit
and boys. Steady "The money!" "Oh, J
q to they've got away with that, sure How
I'm. ye Joep hy,you're looking well and he
in ty | rather expected ye, court week. Ho
red this your wayy"
an "Then they were only play actors,
him HallY" broke In dozen voices.