Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-02-25

the assembly rose and took distant sur
vey Of the triangle. / then was required
to mount the step Of the little platform
to get into chair, when the whole meet
ing broke out in fit of the most enthusi-
astic applause. / trembled. Always
innocent and confiding, l had suffered
myself t.. be led, in white kids and fine
clothing, and with my hair carefully
dressed, into the midst of a society Of
decidedly deranged persons. rose to
take handkerchief from my pocket.
The crowd again applauded, and hastily
sat down again.
"Our friends are giving you an enthu-
siastic welcome, SIR said Mr.. DOGGY.
"Yes," said I, "thank you" And, de-
voted as l am to art, the heroic idea
seized me to save my triangle. re-
moved it from the table, fresh applause
following that movement, and imme-
diately dropped the instrument, upon
which heard droll little man, leaning
over to speak to a young lady in spec
tacles, whisper to her friend, ''He will
use that thing as an illustration; I have
heard of his doing SO. Tt is very inter-
esting."
My listening was, however, interrupted
by question from Mr.. DOGGY. slave
you your notes with you? or perhaps you
do not use notes?" I answered that I
could not very well perform music, and
especially the triangle, without notes, an
answer which seemed terribly to puzzle
Mr.. DOGGY; but that gentleman went on
to say, consulting his watch, that it was
late and was 1 ready to begin? or would
desire to take something before began,
and he pointed significantly to the pitcher
on the table.
1, thinking to gain time, if nothing
else, said: "Thank you, would like to
have a glass of sherry"
A shudder ran through every member
of the committee. ga what, sir?" in
quired Mr.. DOGGY.
ga glass of sherry" I replied inno-
Gently, ''or claret, or brandy and water,
whichever is nearest your hand" Great
CONSERVATION appeared to arise among
the crowd at my very ordinary remark,
which, I could perceive, was being re-
peated from bench to bench.
-''Brandy, SIR" exclaimed Mr. DOGGY.
care you moclzing us?' "Wen," said
/, ''anything; I am not particular. You
asked me to take something to drink, and
l said wine Or brandy, or drop Or two
of old Bourbon-anything Of that kind
will do" Whereupon the lunatics began
to hiss me, and one gentleman among the
crowd called out that the man (meaning
mel was fool.
The people rose from their seats. The
r-osln1 Tho Y7Nicn
became threatening. Mr.. DOGGY got up
and, in a very severe tone and with a
terrible frown, addressed me personally,
saying: ''Your conduct demands ex-
PLANTATION, 3Ir. Tod" 'Tod yourself,
said I, now positively angry. 'Who is
Tod? Here! Crackles Where are you9
What is all this about Tod?"
Cant say" answered Crackles, and,
guided by his voice, I saw him at the
other end Of the room and heard him de-
clare that they did not appear to have so
ment. "Why, can't you see, De Cor
dova, that this is temperance meeting?
We have evidently got into the wrong
house." Certainly" exclaimed Mr..
DOGGY, ''you were, or, at least, Professor
Hiram Tod, Of Mudham, Conn, was to
address this meeting here tonight on the
glorious subject Of temperance and total
abstinence.
ga temperance meeting'' cried l.
Certainly, SIR replied Mr.. DOGGY.
"Now. who are you, if you please?'
'Never mind who am" l retorted, II
am not Tod" mo! nol'' exclaimed a tall,
thin and solemn man who had just come
into the room and strobe straight up to
the platform with the air of man who
had right to that place and took it. 81
am, said the man, professor Tod, of
Mudham, Conn, and what l have gone
through this night nobody would scarcely
believe"
Well, 1 need not say that neither
Crackles nor l waited for any further
explanation, but made our way to the
street door with the utmost celebrity,
where saw the Carhart mansion in a
blaze of light, and, understanding now
how matters stood, and that l had been
undergoing torture through my having
got into the wrong house, crossed over
the way, and Crackles and spent the
remainder of the evening with the intel
lectual Carharts.
1t appears that the trials through which
Crackles and l had passed were as moth
ing in comparison with the martyrdom
which that poor creature had undergone
in the refined society of the Carharts,
through his having mistaken the house
by reason of Miss Henrietta's humorous
joke. Because nobody in that company
knew him, everybody had assumed the
privilege of staring at him. The serv-
ants. when they ushered him into the
drawing room, sneered at him because
he was not well dressed and had no white
kid gloves on.
Never having been in New York be-
fore, and living as he did in the no doubt
classic shades Of Mudham, in Connecti-
cut, he regarded much of what he saw,
with reluctance, as proof of the eccentric
manners of a strange people, whose de-
generacy he deplored. He blushed when
he bcheld young ladies who wore very
low dresses and did not blush. His color
deepened when he saw elderly ladies,
whose cheeks, which werepale by nature,
had been deeply colored by art; and &c
! trelnbled for his reason as he saw languid