The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-04-20
AcHANaE OF BRIDES.
Showing the Importance Of Turning On the
Gaa.

One summer evening, just as the sun was set
ting behind the Rip-raps, and making o golden
pathway across the limpid waters, the steamer
Accomack, plying between the local wharves of
the James river and Old Point, set on shore four
persons, or to speak TO the card, two couples
and just married, as any one could see with
half an eye. Bushes and clinging helplessness
so to speak, on the womens part, and great ner-
vOusness, added to a self-prstecting air, the
mems side, and an appearance, badly acted, Of
Indifference in both, told the tale.
The genial PhPbus appears on the scene. He
takes in the situation at glance, and he walks,
or rather rolls up to the quartette.
"Walk up 10 my hotel, gentlemen and ladies.
Ny names Phebus. and I'm owner here.
What might yours ber
One murmurs Jones, the other Smith, and
then, both suffering, present Mrs. J. and Mrs. S
'.Just married, / see" said the genial proprie-
tor. Walk right up, and I'll give you the best
rooms in the house. like bridal couples, do;
reminds me of the time when me and my old wo-
man did the tender racket and cleaned our teeth
with the same tooth brush
After waiting in the reception room for half
an hour, the two couples were shown to their re-
spective rooms, they being marked on the re-
gister as 100 and 10l, and were side by side AZ
ter supper they jouneyed to the ball room, and
sat listening to the music Then the brides got
ilCety and disappeared TO their rooms. One was
a short sprightly brunette. all fire and sparkle.
and as plump as a partridge; the other u tall,
Juno lilnbed blonde, with complexion of cream
and rose, sleepy, sensuOus-just such n type as
Rubens loved to paint. The grooms We're alike
in stature both had beardless faces, with an
adolescent mustache growing, and it is needless
to add that they Were from the country, and ia
king their first dip into fashionable life
After the departure of their wives, the two in
cipent fathers, all unknown 10 each other, and
too much engrossed in their own blissful
thoughts to notice other people, passed an hour
or two in looking on the billiard players, and
varying the mOnotOny by going up TO the bar
every five minutes and taking drink.
Now it happened that gentleman, dare not
mention his name, had watched the whole pro-
ceedinCs with an amused and observant eye,
and having looked at the register, a most sinful
and thoughtless idea came into his head. Ca
zing around cautiously, he saw that the Jerks
attention was engaged elsewhere, so he slyly
takes the pen and changes the nought to one and
the one to nought. 1t is n very simple thing to
do, but very wicked. So the rooms were trans
posed.
BY and by, Mr. Jones, getting tired of loung-
ing around, went TO the book To see the number
of his room; ii read l0l, and he goes along the
dimly lighted passage with the joker stealing
behind Arriving at the door, he scanned the
number to see If he was right, and then walked
boldly in, for the door was unlocked, and the
skylight showed that the room was wrapped in
darkness. Mr.. Jones now being comfortably in
stalled in Mrs. Smiths room, it was not ten min
utes after that Mr.. Smith, the husband of the
plump brunette, having also looked at the re-
gster, came timidly and expectantly stealing,
like a shadow, down the half lighted aisle,
counting for the magic number. Arriving at
No. 100, he walked into the chamber where the
grand looking blonde lay, and the door closed.
An hour at least passed, and our joker waited
in vain for some sign. All was silent and dark,
and SO he turned in himself, but not to sleep.
Imagination played strange freaks, and the ear
lest dawn found him still wondering. Getting
up, he resumed his watch, and just as the lamps
were beginning to pale, Mr.. Jones, looking like
Tar quin, emerged from the room and disappear
ed. Mr.. Smith, by a coincidence, followed suit.
At breakfast time both brides appeared, and
were joined by their iiege lords
One thing was evident to the joker. the brides
had not found out the trick. Their freedom from
burning embarrassment, barring little maiden
bashfulness, showed this, but the grOoms! From
his vantage place Mr. Practical J. saw the young
benedicts sitting by themselves in a brown stu
dy. Every now and then they would laugh ST.
lently until the tears would run down their
cheeks, and they would fairly hug themselves
into an ecstacy of mirth: then they would be-
come grave, only to break ont in grins mo-
ment after; and so the long day passed away,
and they took the steamer to New York.
Now. what was the upshOt of all this, the jo-
ker never knew But remorse tortured his soul.
He took to drinking; then, falling steadily
downward, he became a politician, until, reach
ing the very depths Of the pit, an indignant
public sentenced him to pay penance, and he is
now serving ont a term in the Virginia Legisa-
ture, and he never gets letter but what in de-
rision an ..Honr is put before his name.
Moral for Young married couple-turn on the
gas.-WdshingtoR Capital.