The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-04-28
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care for listening to his queer but
humorous conversation. The ladies OF
the party thought him perfectly hor-
rid, for he drinks, and the smell of
whisky on him is terrible!" they whis-
pered to each other The men pitied
his weakness, pronounced him very
smart and funny man, but did not en-
deavor to draw him into conversation,
for, when once started, he ran on like
town clock; in fact, made himself
quite bore.
SO the old bachelor, discarded by
everybody, went it alone" nestled in
one corner of the sleigh under a clus-
ter Of fir branches, with no one but his
little brown pocket flask to keep him
company, but he had real enjoyment
with it, and seemed to prefer it's pleas
ing comfort to all the fun and frolic
taking place around him.
His frequent potatiors soon began
to tell upon him, as everyone feared
would be the case, for he was known
to never be without his flask, and
the moonlight as he raised it to his
lips and took what he humorously
termed his astronomical observa-
tons"
Farmer Frisker began to get nerv-
GUS. He had brought Spriggs out upon
the ride for particular purpose-to
make big speech at Dan Kellys hotel
as the opening feature of the "surpris-
ing sensation" he had promised in the
notice Of the village paper.
He began to fear that Spriggs would
be unfit for the delivery of the speech.
These fears were considerably height
ened by the bachelor suddenly burst
ing out into a boisterous song, and as
tipsy mems songs are always as Ions
as your arm, he never finished until
the sleighs entered Fairview and
dashed up before Dan Kelly's door,
where fully half the town were gath
cred to receive them.
'Spriggs!" cried Frisker, selling the
bachelor by the hair so viciously that
he yelled like a wild beast. 81 didn't
think you'd sarve me in this way.
Tarnation take your distillery stom-
ach! You're not fit to grace a mud
gutter, let alone grand affair like
this here. You're not fit to spout
now"
ooh, yes, am, Frisker," said
Spriggs, in quavering voice. Trust
mr. or GrOr a.
on you. He'll make a grand sp-speech."
Frisker said nothing, but turning to
one Of his sons who was assisting some
of the girls from the sleighs, whis-
pered:
Zach, for mercy's sake, keep Spriggs
down in the bar-room, or he'll turn
the whole affair into circus. Don't
let him upstairs, or I'll go mad!
But, father, | can't hang onto his
coattails all the time. must be pres
ent upstairs"
Then tell Dan Kelly to get some
one to do the job. If Spriggs gets up
stairs a cock fight will be nothing to
the row he'll raise"
Frisker, Jr, promised he would, but
the girl of his heart was waiting to be
handed from the sleigh, and as he
sprang to do his duty Spriggs fled
from his memory.
AS the party left the sleighs and
filed upstairs into the snug parlor OF
the hotel, everyone, excepting the
members of the Frisker family, and
the Darrell family, and few others,
was burning with anticipation as to
what the surprising sensation" was
going to be.
When ali were assembled in the
lighted parlor, quite some surprise was
manifested at few certain things.
Farmer Frisker's daughter had
thrown off her cloak, and was dis
covered in a handsome silk dress-a
rather too beautiful and costly Co.'S
tune for straw-ride.
Stephen Darrell was dressed in
handsome black, which is not general
ly worn upon a straw-ride, either.
Two or three other ladies and gen.
tlemen we're dressed in a style not to
be expected for a straw-ride, and the
families of Frisker and Darrell were
dressed in their very best.
All this caused curiosity and re-
mark.
Suddenly the presence of Parson
Brooder, sitting at an adjoining table
with Bible before him, was noted,
and this and that put together gen
Grated a great deal of suspicion.
In the midst of the mysterious Whis'
perings Farmer Frisker arose, and
with sly smile, that showed how he
enjoyed the deception he had prac-
ticed upon his friends, disclosed the
nature of the surprising sensation"
my friends" he said, Il wanted tc
provide you with real enjoyment upor
this ride. We have had great fun or
| the road but have reserved the cream