Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-09
Some Old Inhabitants.
BY ]. A. TIFFANY.

Does old Col. IrlpplJt ever OOIe
you fellows with interminable yarns
about things that happened and peo-
pie he knew SO or 60 years ago2"
maybe not. don't known what
/ ever did to win his special favor
In that respect, but he appears to
take a peculiar delight In entertain
ing me with his pestiferous recollec-
tions Of the good old times. which, as
Washington Irving says. appear to
have abounded In good-for-nothing
characters.
"Of course, the colonel's an old
man, and ones got to make allow
ances for him. I've stood 1t like a
good 'un for years; but about month
ago ! made up my mind that it was
time to retaliate. determined to
give him a long, dreary, inconsequent
shadowgraph of the past that, l
thought, would prove an efficient anti
dote to his mania for ancient bio
graphical fatuities.
'"The opportunity came one night
when / caught him sitting alone at a
table in Hennessy's place. ] sat down
beside him and asked him to take
something.
THE colonel called for his favorite
tipple, and Immediately launched into
the preface to one of his three-volume
stories about nothing in particular.
"'You don't remember old Billy
Cough, that used to live the other
side of Hanson's creek, John?' he be-
gan-the stereotyped formula. No, ]
guess that was before your time.
Well sir, the funniest thing hap
pened that you ever heard of, one
morning when we were driving over
to-
" Il beg your pardon, colonel, for in
terrupting you,' l broke in: but
there's something I want to ask you
before | forget. This afternoon Jesse
Randall and were having talk,
and neither of us could recall the
name Of a certain man whom we used.
to know very well. Guess you could
have told us in a second; but neither
Jesse nor l could think of that name
to save us. 1t wasn't Meredith, nor
Merryweather; but some such name
as that-it began with a Merry" any
way
Yes said the colonel, closing one
eye and stretching his head there
was man of some such name as that
lived around here, years ago. How
long has he been dead, John?
We'll, turned that question off.
OF course, there never was any such
man at all.
"Oh, l don't knew, exactly l said;
but you must remember him, all right.
He lived on Delaware avenue, on the
side opposite to your house-a little
further up, nearer the park. He was
tall, fine-looking man, with heavy,
iron-gray mustache'
"'Yes, sir said the colonel, that's
the man, all right. l knew him as
well as | know you, John. Strange
that l can't speak his name-and I've
got it on the tip of my tongue
"'Of course, there's no question OF
your knowing him, colonel said. He
had two very handsome daughters.
They were very lady-like girls, and
highly accomplished. The father was
hospitable man; used to entertain a
great deal-kept open house, in fact
You never spoke truer word
than that in your life, joint! the colo
mel exclaimed, enthusiastically. And
he knew how to do 1t. He didn't do
it by halves. Manys the night he's
sent me home in his arraige-though
Id only a couple of blocks to go
after the rye had been running pretty
swift
And, If you remember, colonel
went on, Jogging the old gentleman's
memory of this purely hypothetical
parsonage, he was elected to the city
council one year, but only sat there
about three months. He was unseat-
ed on petition. 1t was, proved that
votes had been bought for him-if not
by him; and he came near getting into
trouble
True as you're living, John. re.
member it as well as If it were yester-
day, the colonel said. But what was
the mans name?
Funny, isn't it,? said, sympathet.
ically; just when you want to remem.
Der mans name, you can't do it for
the life Of you; and, another time,
when you have no use for the blamed
thing, it'll keep dinging in your ears
like buzz-saw. But this old fellow
that we're speaking of-Merry some
thing-had glass eye, you know
"'Ah! That was 1t. knew there
was something peculiar about him;
but couldn't just locate the trouble
That's what 1t was, John--a glass eye.
But there wasn't one person in a hun
dred that knew it: it was as natural
looking as the genuine article. But
what was the mans name? Merry
Merry something with a Merry in
front Of it, / know; but l can't get
the rest of 1t out. It's just on the end
Of my tongue, John; but there it
sticks
Well, you'll think Of it by and by,