The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-29

course the carpet had been taken up. so
when the wind came round to tho north
1t came straight up ut my feet. | hadn't
very good ASSIGNMENT of bedding.
Most of our stuff had been sent over to
Wenncr's warehouse. | had sheet
folded lengthwise, in the form of one of
those sleeping bags which explorers use.
Then had au old blanket and for u COW
erlet one of pair of fine pourchairs.
AT O'Clock got up and secured fine
other pourchair. They were still at
tached to the poles, but that was rather
an advantage than an inconvenience. 1
put the poles across under my head and
thus slightly increased tho effective
length of the cot.
" a little after roso again and Sc
cured n fur rug. 1t was tigers skin,
with the head of the beast on one corner
of 1T. There seemed to be some warmth
i'll that tigers skin, for secured IL little
sleep almost Immediately after spread
ing it over me. had left tho lamp
burning, for thought it might warm
tho room a little. Well, sir, rs l say,
slept few minutes-just long enough
to dream that 1 was one of the early
Christian martyrs in the arcna-and
then awoke to find this tigers head,
with It's gleaming, CLASSY eyes staring mo
III the face. Say, what do you think l
did? Iyelled so loud that the conclusion
put the light out. My wife and her sister
thought there were burglars in the
house. What did they do about it?
don't know, but my opinion is that they
crawled into pile of carpets and rugs
in the middle of their room and hid
there till morning.
- AS for me, the shock of my fright
made me SILVER. And when l got over
being frightened couldn't stop SILVER
ing. How Icould be cold with all those
things over me 1 couldn't understand.
but it was true. arose and secured the
stair carpet. 1t went up and down me
five times, remember, but it didn't
raise my temperature one degree.
Then made the important discov-
cry that it didn't make any difference
how much | had over me so long as |
had only one layer of canvas under me-
And the wind still whistled up through
the bare boards. l decided to put the
tigers skin over the cot and lie down
on it. Then new inspiration came to
me. Why not go down and sleep in the
kitchen: Good idea, picked up the
cot, the pourchairs, the fur rug and the
stair carpet and started for tho kitchen
AT the head of the back stairs l stepped
ON the fringe OF one of the pourchairs.
L endeavored to step off it, but there
We're five apcrtures in the fringe, and
each one of them had secured one of my
toes. Therefore just calmly fell over
forward and slid down stairs, with the
cot as Il toboggan.
. reached the kitchen in this easy
and unconventional manner and discov-
cred almost Immediately that the fire
had gone out. This is not what | had
fallen down stairs for Tho kitchen was
perhaps shade warmer than my room.
but 1t was cooling rapidly and Il kitch-
Ell III the morning with no fire in it is
the coolest room in the house, as every
married man knows.
There wasn't any fuel at hand, but
between you and me l Just had to have
some. There We're two or three conven-
lent pieces of light woodwork which
belonged 10 my late landlord and not tc
me. with these | kindled II fire. and
then broke up two of our kitchen
chairs and piled them in handy spot.
My cot | placed close by the stove, so
that | could feed the fire without get
ting ont of bed. There law and kept
her a-goinS with selections from my
furniture, till by and ~ | got really
VAIN and snug. and then | went to
sleep. The last things | remember put
ting in were the pourchar poles
These brass balls are the ornamental
knobs from the ends of those poles.
They wouldn't burn. of course and
didn dare TO put them III the stove for
fear my wife would find them and sils-
pcct me. So simply unscrcwed them
as lay there with the intention ut
throwing them away ut my leisure.
There ought 10 lie ono more.
Again he Went through ms packets.
III aii aid she found il. If She
hasn t. can make her believe hat Wen
ncr stole the poles and the kitchen chairs
and few other things which burned
that might. She'll believe anything of
him HOW. But, say, wasn't it all her
FAULT
| was forced to stifc my chivalrous
instincts and admit that it was.
She sent the beds away. didn / she:
Or course, and all that happened was in
consequence of that one piece of blank
ETY. blank foolishncss. Well, what do
you think: Have You followed INV
story: Have You got IN idea of how
much walking around ! did iii my'rohc
der moot, as the French say, on that
interesting occasion: 1t was enough 10
kill man. But she says-stay. Are
you married mani
- am