The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-14
JACKS VIGIL.

there's something about wildly that
there ain { about any other created Wom-
an. To put it poetical1y, gentlemen, y
1.-The wildly is like a rose. In the rose
you'd call it perfume, in the wildly a
charm. You take the rose and smell of
it, and you can't, for the life of YOU,
say what makes it the queen of flowers
You can only say it's rose! All"
Hear, hear" shouted Jacks audit
ors uproariously.
Jack raised his pipe to his lips with
serene satisfaction, indulging in placid
Whit till the noisy demonstration came
to an end.
Quiet restored, Jack resumed:
Il repeat my last words You can
only say it's rose. So, gentlemen, it
| is with the wildly. That something
about her is nameless. Afar or near
you feel it, but you only say-it's the
wildly"
Hi, hir' responded the audience.
Jack took another puff and somewhat
sadly continued:
Gentlemen, we have so far had the
wildly in general; now Wen take the
wildly in particular-my wildly. Gentle
men, she was as -timbered craft
| as ever set sail for husband Her eyes
were as blue as the ocean, her lips like
two coral banks, and her teeth and skin
| like solid sea-foam! not a speck on the
whiteness of either. And the color on
her cheek! Bless YOU! no rose ever
equaled it; while her chestnut-brown
hair was enough to entangle the soul OF
of web, OF a sailor! 1t got me!
well. the upshot of my ensnaring
was that | took board with her She
kept neat. handy girl, and nobody ev-
er had nicer home. The longer |
stayed the more | swore it should be
mine forever. and the wildly with it. |
didn't lose any time, but set straight in
to courinr, and with very good success.
| Mr. Marrihew, soon acknowledged that
l was the man for her, and the thing
was settled
"But about two weeks before the
banns were 10 be published, began to
notice Mrs. Merrihew looked worried,
| and little more worried every day.
| For ten days or so, she put me off. AT
last she Ioid me all about her trouble.
IT an orderly woman, you know,
jack she said.
| Such another don't liver l cried
-" well, Jack, she answered, there 5
Il chest, pointing toone across the room,
| all done up tanciful in chintZ, there's a
chest that won't stay in order one
m%hl First. l accused Mary Ann (the
4 Il karIth
llt he, she was so mad, and | soon
found l was all wrong. But who was
at my chest every blessed night, and
who is? There amt thing in it but
old bills and papers. They are OF use
to me and often look over them, but
they amt of use to any other living
soul Jack, I'll tell you what think.
"'Well?'
81 think the chests bewitched! And
| Mary Ann thinks so, too, and threatens
to 90 if | don't burn it! As true as you
live, Jack, put that chest in apple pie
order every day. and every night its
turned topsy turvy. / lock it, and put
the keys under my pillow, and lock and
bolt my door, and screw down the win
| dows-it's all the same. The chest is 8
sight the next morning.
The wildly stopped to sob, and | sal
still to think. 1t was curious, very Gu
rious | couldn't deny it, and didn't
try to. At last | hit on plan.
".I'll stay down here and watchr
said
The wildly first looked at me witt
eyes as big as saucers, and then she die
something better She threw her arms
around my neck Naturally, we wan.
dered off from the chest then
But before bedtime we got back to it.
and we agreed that | should sit there il
the dark, keeping close in corner away
from the chest. If | heard nothing,
was to do nothing. If | heard a rust
ling among the papers | was to strike 6
match and look into it. That all fixed
the wildly left me looking as happy as al
angel
''But somehow, / felt pretty queel
when she left me alone there with tht
glim doused 1t wasn't bit like know
ing what you were going to meet, anC
meeting it under good light. l hat
my own idears about witches, and they
| wasn't pleasant idears. began to sex
eyes glowering at me through the dark
and to feel Shiny hands touching my
neck, and to hear whispering voices ant
soft Kissing laughs all over the room
| stuck it out till just as the clock strucl
twelve, and then gave in to the witch
es. | wouldn' a-stayed in that room
another hour for two widys-no, not fol
a dozen!
with that in my mind / started W
to run. But, bless you; when | got W
couldn't run! My legs and my fee
we're froze stiff. There was no mor'
run in me than in the chest! Just as
got square on my feet there was a sof
fumbling sound at the door, and then ;
horrd rustling of something moving il
the dark
Il had been frightened thinking o
the witch, but was worse frightened
with the witch there! / heard the thing
90 TO the chest; / heard the lock turn
| | heard the lid 90 up; | heard the pa
pers rustic. would have run then, fol
my legs began to feel n little alive by
that time, but was afraid to 60 in the
dark. The, matches were in my hand
drew one quick across my coat sleeve
; it was very bad smelling but very quie
as it blazed up.
4 Il didn't dare look at the chest til
I'd got the candle lighted, for fear {
| let the match drop and be in the darl
again. If / had, think I'd a-gone int
a fit.
Mighty sirs! the things | thought o
were nothing to what presently faces
me! After the candle was lighted
raised it over my head and looked a
the chest. In front of it stood some
thing that drew me to it Almost withou
my knowing.
1T was woman l saw; but VIVA
J Kind of woman never guessed till
got to the end of the chest, where
could see the face. As 1 looked at that
] felt my hair rise and my flesh creep.