The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-17

"And did you ever play any tricks
YOURSELF" asked the first young man
who had spoken.
Mr.. Hicks slowly turned himself to-
wards the speaker, and, winking his eye
several times, replied: II should just
about think / did-many and many a
one. And now you remind me, I'll just
tell you about one played"
Mr.. Hicks, having toasted himself to
his entire satisfaction, now conde-
scended to let some of his companions
see what the fire was like, settled him
self slowly and ponderously down into
the chair which by prescriptive right
belonged to the senior traveller in the
room, took long sip at his grog, and,
with preliminary clearing of the throat.
began.
at was in forty-two, and it s strange
thing, but it was in this very identical
place. There was a cocky, stuck-up
young fellow of the name of Brownsmith
travelin' for Stokes & Nokes, Great
Tower Street, in the same line as mine.
He admit been ere afore, and didn' t
know who | was, so | says to myself,
Pl just take rise out o you, my young
pOplnJay; see II uOn I.
At that moment the great man mar
rative was interrupted by the entrance
of a little old man dressed in black, who,
observing that the seats round the fire
were occupied and that nobody offered
to pl9Jke-ase,fa. fe,f-9isaaI, -rs,stv-5GJwn at
side-table and commenced to write let
tiers.
"Ahemr said Mr.. Hicks. 81 beg your
pardon, sir, but l was Just agoing to
begin tale; but as see you are busy;
I'll wait until you're finished"
"Not at all, not at all" said the stran-
ger. pray don't let me interrupt you;
you won't disturb me, l assure you. In
fact, I'm not sure that, not being trav-
eler, ought not to apologize to you for
coming into the Commercial Room; but
the fact is that the fire in the coffee-room
has gone out, and the waiter said he
thought you would not mind me coming
in here"
"Quite welcome, sir, quite welcome, ="
said Mr.. Hicks, with almost monarchical
granduer "It's against custom, l know,
for strangers to enter the Commercial
Room; but under the circumstances, l
don't think We'll mind. Will we, gen
tlemen?"
The gentlemen chorused that they
didn't mind so the little man proceeded
with his writing and Mr.. Hicks with his
tale.
"Well, as l was saying, gents, made
up my mind to take this young Brown
smith down peg or two. So what do
you think does? goes to the stables,
and | says to the hostler: "Bill, if
you'll get Mr.. Brownsmith's cob and
gig out of the way the first thing to-
morrow morning, and when he orders
them, say you're very sorry, but you We
let them out to another gent by mistake,
here's a sovereign for you OF course,
it was worth good deal more than a
sovereign to me to get the young chap
out of the way, for saw he was pretty
cute, and | knew he'd be after my Gus
toners. But that amt all; for knew
it was the easiest thing in the world for
him to hire another cob and gig until
his own was returned. So goes down
into the all very late that night, where
were very much more alike than they
dIc uOW, anu uSto W DC Will
the numbers of their owners rooms, to
distinguish them-and quietly rubs out
his number and puts on another, and
puts his on to another lot of bags, so
that if he did start, he d find himself in
a hole and no mistake. Next morning,
l was uncommonly haffable with him at
breakfast, pretending, of course, not to
know he was in the same line as me-
and l starts off and does all my bust
ness. When l came back, l found the
poor young chap running about
like mailman. He was satisfied
that the gig business was mistake; but
when he came to find that another
man had gone off with his bags and had
left him with lot stuffed full of French
frilling, thought he d have brought the
'ouse down. He got the landlord and
the 'all-porter, and the chambermaids
and the walters, and he threatened to
ave 'em all up before the magistrate;
and all the time 1 was GRIMM in my
sleeve and pretendin' to be as concerned
about it as any one."
''Weli, and what happened?" asked
one of the audience as the speaker
paused.
"What 'appenedP Well, I'll tell you,"
replied Mr.. Hicks. ''The gent who had
taken Brownsmith's bags by mistake for
his own, 'ad gone off to castings; and
there was nothing to do but to wait till
he came back. And when the gent did
come back you can imagine that there
was pretty row in the place, in which
of course | joined, saying that it was a
disgraceful thing, and threatening the
landlord that I'd take my custom over to
the other hotel if better watch WASH t
kept for the future The poor Young
fellow took it very ard, he did; and
when he got his gig and bags and went
round the next morning and found that
all the business had'been done, he came
back, and he sat down in that corner
there, and told me it would ruin him,
cause it was his first job for Stokes &
Nokes, and he was on trial.
Weren't you very sorry you'd done
itP' asked one of the party.
''Me sorryp" said Mr.. Hicks, with
contempt. mot me. Alps fair in
love, war and commences; and if l
hadn't done it, he'd have done
me by cutting me out of a lot o. bust
ness. AS it was, never set eye on him
again, and I've 'eard he got the sack
from Stokes y Nokes. Sorry Not
me ~ ...r..
There was an expression on the faces
of some of the Young men as if they