The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-03-19
"Forty.Four."


"Did you ever have the toothache ?"
This was asked by one of party of gen.
tlemen who were waiting in drug store
for the belated bob tail car, when tall,
sallow. faced man, who looked as though
all:his worldly goods was his dignity, an.
swered: He didn't say, well, I should
smile,' as thousands of others would have
said, but simply glanced at the circle
around him with look full of sadness
and compassionate pity, and launched
out into his tale of woe without any pre-
liminary remarks.
"I have not only had the toothache,
simple without ornaments" said the sal.
low.faced man, "but I have also had it
on its worst night, when it made me so
nervous. I had 10 whistle to keep from
hearing my heart beat. I am now forty
eight years cid. Ten years ago I was a
happy man, living on pretty fve.acre
lot in the suburbs of large city, but now
I am sad and gray.haired. Toothache
did it.
Zone night, ten years ago, I had been
victim of toothache for about two
weeks, when on came the worst night.
knew it was the worst it ever would
ache. Why I knew it | can't explain !;
but when it strikes you, you won't need
anybody to tell you about it. I lay in
bed until about o'clock 8. m., when I
could stand it no longer; &c, getting up
and putting on my clothes, l thought /
would walk around outdoors, as it was
cooler, being in the summer time, and
the moon shone brightly. Fearing that
my wife, who was of a very nervous
nature, might wake up and miss me, I
woke her, telling her that 1 was going to
step out for a while. She raised up in
bed on one elbow and. all innocence, re-
marked: Toothache again, dearie?' 1t
was too much. I rushed from the house
and started across the field, where I was
obliged to pick my way more cautiously.
I came to place where luxuriant
growth of honeysuckles clasped the fence
and mingled with the weeds. was
always a great admirer of nature and her
scenes, but nature herself is often decep--
tive. got half way through. Some
thing bit me on the leg. 1 knew it was
the old turkey hen. was mad 1 forgot
I was one of the pillars of the Baptist
Church. I wanted to get my hands on
that old turkey and wiring her neck of.
I hunted for her, but not finding ber, 1
went on across the field wondering where
she was.
ri determined to 60 outside the lot and
take walk in the country, so headed
for hole in the fence as am not much
of a climber. For two weeks I had been
trying to get my son to nail that par.
ticular paling on. O., the wonderful obe-
dience of youth 1t was nailed on. I
was madden atill, my toothache had
gathered fresh energy. / was hot. very
hot. 1 took off my coat and threw it
down.
Starting back to the house, I kept my
eyes on that patch of honeysuckles, and
succeeded in falling into two bitches I
had no idea were on the place.
"When I got back to the house I was
determined to get cool at any cost I
started to climb up the ladder as it was
cooler on the roof, and I did climb; just
to the fifth round which gave way and
down I went.
SAT this moment a moonlight pic mic
Was returning from the scene of its de-
vaststions. With the pic mic party was
brass band. As I struck the ground
the band struck up Down went McGin-
ty.'
"Were all the demons in league
against me? 1 was wild, crazy, delirious,
heaven knows what! I started from
home, out the front gate across the
street. Down into gas ditch. 1 fell
ten feet. I ran along inside the ditch
falling, crying, cursing. know not
where I went. That was ten years ago.
have been running ever since.
"Gentlemen, for Gods sake, protect
me There he is; look, gentlemen, in
the corner!" As the narrator cried out
thus in fear, a man who had not seemed
to take any interest in the story rose up
and, touching the man who was covering
and cringing frome some mysterious
fancy, said: "Come, Number Forty.
-Four, you have said enough"
The sallow faced man was an escaped
| lunatic. JULIAN HARRIS.
|