Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-04-22
JOLLY TAM,

jolly! lnaV was lam 8
Tam was jolly; and what did he care
about anything else in the world 30
long as he was jolly? What mattered
1T whether he had any coat, or whole
shoes, or even a respectable hat? What
mattered it whether Mrs. Tam or the
little Tams had any coats, or shoes, or
hats, or any bread to eat, SO long as
Tam was jolly?
Tam carried his jollity bottled, and
80 it was ready at a moment notice.
Sometimes, ah, sometimes the bottle
got empty, and then Tam was wretcbed.
He thought of Mrs. Tam and the little
Tams, and himself, and he desired
nothing so much as to get his bottle
filled again.
Tam was a little, brown, weakened
old man, not because he had lived so
long, but because he had been Jolly 80
much of the time. Tam was kock
kneed, brought about by SO much
lying in the cutters. Rheumatism and
other wretched things lurk in cutters
to keep jolly men company.
Tam had been having an unusually
jolly time, and you must know it was
Christmas time, and what man does
not desire to be jolly at Christmas? He
had lain in the cutters SO long that his
knees had grown through his trousers,
and his feet had burst his shoes. His
hat was a frozen wad of mud, and
why Tam himself was not frozen en-.
tirely was a mystery.
Tam opened his eyes; there lay his
dear bottle beside him-empty. Tam
was afraid of himself when his bottle
was empty. He tried to reach out for
1t. He would go and have it filled
and get jolly again as soon as pos.
sible. But he could not move, he was
so stiff.
Now. when Tam had been especially
jolly, he was apt to see visions; and
while he looked longingly at the empty
bottle, it stirred, and a little green imp,
with eyes of fire, crawled out and
stood up on the bottle. When it opened
its mouth to speak Tam saw that it had
fangs like a serpent.
Tam's matted hair attempted to raise
on his head, but it couldn't. He had
seen this imp before, and he knew
what it meant. There would be more
of them presently; they had come to
torture him. What would the play be
this time, he wondered; they always
had q new play at each visit. The imp
writhed his vile little body and seemed
to be signaling. Then they began to
come: they crawled from under the bot.
tie, and from all about the gutter,
legions of them, and they opened their
horrid mouths and leeered at Tam.
Every instant he expected them to set
upon him.
NOW, said the leader of the imps,
now, let's all be jolly"
They formed a circle about the bot.
tie, and began laughing and dancing.
Tam tried to close his eyes, but he
couldn't.
Now" said the leader, let's fill
Tam's bottle for him." The imps
formed in line, and the first one came
up with his contribution, %grinning and
capering, he was so jolly. Tam looked
hard; he saw a little house, q little
brown house, with morning glories
growing over it. Hold on" ciied
Tam, that's my house. l bought it
with the money I saved up before I
was married.
Either the imps couldn't, or wouldn t
hear, which was all the same to Tam.
They swarmed about the house and
crushed it to bits, and crammed il into
the bottle. Now for the wedding
gown said the leader, and imp mum.
Der Two came up with a beautiful
white gown, which had white roses
fastened to it, and a long white veil
floating over it.
mot that, not that" cried Tam,
trying to reach out and snatch the
gown away. But he was 80 stiff he
could not move a finger, and the white
vision was crumpled and twisted and
snatched into shreds, then it disap-
peared in Tam's bottle.
"Who has the ringp the ring comes
next" said the chief of the imps.
"Step lively, there's lots more fun be-
fore we get through"
"The ring, the ring l gave Luella
when she promised to be my wife, the
ring l put on her finger on our wedding
day; the day I promised God to love
and cherish her till death do us part.
Yes, and the words are inside the ring,
till death ,io us part 1t should have
been, ELL the bottle do us part .
Tam groaned. but nobody paid any at
tention; the imps split the ring in
halves with a stone, and dropped it in
the bottle. ere3 SE
Nov the furniture.'i Then began
smsAtefss and
position in town, city or country. 0neshies
ion to be sold. A wide awake hustler few
clear SIS to so q day easy; washes and -