The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-09-05
A LOST BARREL

Its Mammoth Dimensions and Multi |
tudinous Conference.-The Losers Pre-
dioament.
have lost a barrel To the best OF
my judgment it must have been about
thirty feet high and fifteen feet in
diameter. Isay Judgment" because
! have no distinct recollection of ever
having owned such behemoth of bar
res. l simply infer its mastodonic d.
mansions from the following facts.
have lately moved from my former
place of residence to another part of
the city. In this connection will say
right here that it is not my purpose to
dig up any of the archaeological
''moving-day'' chestnuts that llourished
in the Jurassic period of American
humor. Having laid this ghost of APP
prebension in the readers mind, and
secured his unterrified attention, l will
simply say that the process of moving
my things was conducted very gu city
and without incident by certain Hi
herman artists, whose addresses l will
furnish TO the 'Danbury Newsman"
upon his personal application.
Everything, apparently, turned up at
the new house in good order and condi-
ton save one barrel, which the teamstcr
could neither produce nor satisfactorily
account for. Surprising it to be a
trifling matter of ex-stole pipes and
other hardware, however, he incautious-
ly agreed to make the loss good as
soon as we could ascertain the value of
the missing articles.
A superficial investigation showed
the backing brushes. the butter-dish
of decorated dinner set, the kitchen
clock and a pair of cavalry boots be-
longing to myself to be missing These
were distinctly remembered to have
been packed in the lost barrel, and a
memora ndum was made accordingly.
TO this list was added later, rolling
pin, an oil-stove and the family Bible.
Later still, Vol. Nv. of.Knight's Shake
speare, in tree calf, and the molasses-
Jug Then a set of fire irons, and one
of pair of Sevre's vases, carefully
protected against breakage, according
to the distinct recollection of the women
of the household, by being wrapped in
my dress-coat.
The next day small chest of draw
ers, filled with retired underclothing
and lother domestic articles on
the half-pay list, was found to have
been omitted from the returns, and
this, together with a childs velocipede,
was also referred TO the missing barrel
as part and parcel of its probable con-
tents Later in the day it was discov-
cred that the clothes-horse and an iron
bedstead had not turned up, and these,
too were supposed to have been en-
barreled with the rest.
Late in the afternoon word was re-
ceived from family who had occu-
pied the flat next to ours, and who had
moved out on the same day, to the eff
feet that grand piano belonging to
them was missing, and had probably
been carted off with our things by mis-
take. A thorough search having
shown no such article to be among our
chattels, the conviction was forced upon
us that the piano must have got into
that barrel by some blunder, and we
sent back word accordingly. stating
that the teamster would make it all
right
The next day the teamster presented
his bill, and asked what allowance he
should make for the lost barrel pro-
duced my memorandum and figured or
it. found that the teamster owed me
after deducting the amount of his bill
just eight hundred and sixty one dol
lars and forty three cents. Iannouncct
this result to him, and he asked to SEE
the figures. He then retired, remark
ing that he would see me in some plac,
or other-I didn't catch the name
first.
He did not keep this appointment
however, for on looking him up mex
day l found that he had sold out hi
business and left town to escape liabil
ity.
You see the predicament in which
am placed in consequence of all this
Not only do lose all of my own thing
that were packed in that barrel-an'
the list is growing every day--but l an
held responsible, in the Transfers ah
sence, for the value of that grand plan
as well
So, ifany person has found barre
answering to the above description, an
will kindly return it to me in care c
this office, he will relieve me of grea
anxiety, and be suitably rewarded-b
SO doing. Puck.