The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-04-09
IN A BLIZZARD.
How eFisherman" Tins Truthful
ness Was INDICATED.

Eyes, there's been lots of storms long
about Christmas time late years, began
Fisherman" Tim; ..and speakin' of
'em reminds me of one out in Dakota;
les see, it must be ten years ago this
Christmas"
"Ah, come nowr' interposed ..Skep"
Thompson, so called from his consistent
disbelief in everything, from Fisher
man" Tins stories up to what the
parson preached on Sunday; "come.
now, if you must tell story, Tim, draw
it mild. The last fish story was most
ltoo big. Jest for onc give us some
thing reasonable"
Tim had been relating an experience
Of his which had occurred while he had
been sharking in the South Pacific. His
pseudonym of Fisherman" had been
derived from his alleged adventures
among the finny tribes of those distant
waters, which adventures being of a
kind entirely unfamiliar to the dwellers
in the small Wisconsin town in which
Tim was now residing, were considered
by them to be largely the product of
the .Fisherman's" Imagination. Still.
they were interesting, and even .'Skep"
Thompson, the very loudest to de-
nounce their fictitious character, was
sure to be around whenever Tim was
known to be in a storytelling mood.
Tim himself always protested that
everything which he related was strictly
true.
"Some day." he would remark, s'you
fellows will find out that you've been
abusin' me. One of the South Sea
Islanders or somebody else will happen
along this way, and you'll feel pretty
mean to think how you've gone for me
and my yarns all these years."
But such speeches as these were con-
sidered as only a part of Tins stock-in-
trade, and as further exhibiting his skill
in the art of lying.
On this particular night-a certain
bitter cold Christmas Eve not many
years ago-a little knot of men were
assembled around the glowing stove in
Titus PERKINS, store. Titus Perrin's
store was the main source of the crea-
ture comforts of the little village, and
also the usual stamping-ground for the
more reputable portion of the towns
people during the winter evenings. No
liquor was sold there, and Titus Per-
rims wife, a s'smart, " and not unrefined
woman, who kept her husbands books
with care and ability. was always sit
ting at her desk in the corner at such
times, making tire atmosphere of the
place distinctly purer and more whole
some for Der presence.
They kad succeeded in "waking up
Fisherman" Tim at an early hour Of
the evening. 1t was cold and stormy,
as Tim had intimated; and as the
rattling blasts shook the little store they
had listened with eagerness-but with
more ~incredulity than ever-to one Of
his familiar shark stories. Tins pic
ture of the warm Southern seas, in which
men dove scores of feet, and leaped
and cut up all sorts of antics, was ut
terly incomprehensible in a Wisconsin
winter, with the thermometer at ten de
grees below zero. Even Mrs. THU.
Perrin. the sole person who ever i'm
plicitly believed Tim. had had to admi
that this particular story was a trifi'
''steep." She usually asserted, as 10
creasing Tins credibility, that he wa
one of those lucky people of whom i
might be said, as OF one of Mrs. Whit
ney's well-known characters, tina
where he was, things happened
which was the reason why he Away
had so many strange adventures to tell
Even the expression of her doubt in thii
instance was tempered with charity.
81 think it might be true Tim," sh'
had added. you always pay you,
bills and keep your promises, and 1 al
ways try to believe such men till the,
are proved false"
Beats all what women will swaller!'
laughed "Skep" Thompson.
Mrs. Titus PERKINS, sister, Mrs. Hard
away, who had just arrived in town t,
pay her sister a visit. after many years
absence in the far West, had brough
her sewing in from the living Don be
hind the store to keep her sister com
pany. Her son, a boy of sixteen o
seventeen, who had attended her o.
her journey, was among the group O
men around the stove. Mrs. Hardawa
evidently did moi agree with her sister
and she now took occasion to say Sc
~ didn't believe it, she remarked