The Osceola times., 1884-02-23
ScotchnA,n's Experience
i'm LcapNear COuvtship.

Isbl lDh VI 1 he ~ ip''ii aIli .
1t has been my lot to witness a great
many sorts oftimcs in my life: ! have
had boyish times, good times, bad
times, hard times, soft times, and
some pretty tight tines; besides the
London Times and the OSceola
Times, but of all the times it has ever
fallen to the lot of bachelor to en-
dure, the present times takes the
cake. allude to the present un-
natural state of affairs an society pro-
duccd by liberties allowed females
during leap-ycar making wo-
men out of men and men out of wo-
men-thus putting the bottom rail
on top in affairs Of courtship and
marriage. | knew it was leap-year,
but hoped to be left unmolcstcd-
little thought Of having the quictude
of my bachelors ranch disturbed by
any female woman, as there has never
been one here since | built it. Ny
hopes, however, were very suddenly
upset last Sabbath evening. The
forenoon Of the day had been spent
as usual by the men, in writing let
tiers, cracking nuts, sewing ON but
tons, washing dirty socks, telling
yarns, saving on the fiddle, inter
spersed with an occasional backstep.
or snatches from "Thc girl | left
behind me-" and such like. About
three o'clock, the benches were ar
ranged around the table, and dinner
announced by some one yelling out,
"grub is ready We all took our
seats and began eating, each one
helping himself as usual. was
about half through with the first
round, land there is no second course
with usI when, all of a sudden, one
Of the boys thrusting his hand into
the seat pocket of his trousers for a
napkin, drew forth instead, a note,
which he handed me with the re-
mark that he had had it day or SO,
but had never thought to give it to
me. 1t was sealed and had the APP
pcarance of having been a respecta-
Bile looking missive once, but was
quite dilapidated now. Casting my
eve over the address, ] saw at
glance it was a woman's hand-wri
ing, Now, ! do not believe in pre-
sentiments and all that sort of fogy-
ism, but something seemed to say,
"there is trouble in the camp" Ris-
ing from the table, walked to the
front door and read it. 1t was note
from Miss klzzie ---, saying she
would call on me that evening"
Looking up the road, saw a blazed-
faced horse coming at a considerable
distance, pulling top buggy and
some one in it. Returning to the
middle Of the room, read the note
aloud TO the boys, and told them |
saw her coming up the road. As if
by common consent, all rose at once,
each one looking, first for his hat,
and then for the back door. Benches
began to tumble over on all sides of
the table. "Boys," says |, "that
table must be fixed" "All right"
replied two of them, who seized the
four corners of the cloth, raised eve
rything clear of the table, shaking
tin plates, tin cups and everything
with contents, into one common cen
ter, they gave the corners a twist or
two, then disappeared in the direc-
tion of cane brake just back ofthe
cabin. Dan, the unfortunate fellow,
Ia raw dutchman) who neglected to
give me the note at the proper time,
was the last to find his hat. lR pass
ing around the foot of Il bed on his
way out he became cntanglod IN a
trot-linc, which was tied to the egg
basket, and used to let the eggs
down of Of the hay stack. Before
he could stop, he had turned the bas-
ket over, breaking more than a doz-
en- and spilling twice as many more
eggs on the floor and carried the re
mainder. basket, line and all entire
ly out of doors with him. ! could
not see from where stood, but think