The Prescott daily news., 1914-01-23

4 T.
90 ~ y mel .rlppitt ever
~ bore you fellows
| ever did to win
his special favor in that respect. but
he appears to take peculiar delight
In entertaining me with his pestife,,
Gus recollections of the good old
Zines which, as Washington Irving
says, appears TO have abounded in
good-fornothing characters | deter
mined to give him a long, dreary, I'm
consequent shadowgraph of the past
that, | thought. would prove an eff.
cient antidote to his mania for an.
cient biographical fatuities.
The opportunity came one night
when l caught him sitting alone at a
table in Hennessy's place | sat down
beside him and asked him to take
something
beg your pardon, colonel, but
there's something | want to ask YOU
before | forget. This afternoon Jesse
Randall and | were having a talk.
and neither of us could recall the
name of a certain man whom we used
to know very we'll 1t wasn't Mere.
dith, nor Merryweather but some
such name as that-it began with
Merry anyway
Yes said the colonel, closing one
eye and scratching his head: there
was man Of some such name as that
ilved around here, years ago. How
iong has he been dead, John?'
We'll, | turned that question off
or course, there never was any such
man at all,
Oh don't know, exactly | said;
but you must remember him. all right
lie lived on Delaware avenue. on the
side opposite to your house-a little
farther up, nearer the park He was
tall, flne-looking man, with a heavy.
iron-gray mustache.
Yes, sir said the colonel. that's
the man, all right | knew him as
well as | know you. John. Strange
that | can't speak his name-and I've
got it on the tip Of my tongue
or 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
great deal-kept open house, in
fact
eou never spoke a truer word
than that in your lfe john the colo
mel exclaimed, enthusiastically And
he knew how to do it. He didn't do
it by halves
And, II 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.
Ell on petition. 1t was proved that
votes had been bought for him-if not
by him; and he came near getting in
to trouble
" But this old fellow that we'r.
speaking of-Merry something a
glass eye, you know
All, That was it, | knew there
was something peculiar about him ;
SeS NOdidh just 1OCdlt tue
That's what 1t was. John-a glass eye
But there wasn't one person in a hun.
dred that knew it; 1t 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 | can't get
the rest of 1t out
We'll. you'll think of 1t by and by
colonel said; but you'll have to ex.
cuse me now. ] must go-got an ap
pointment. Good night
Good night, John, says the colo
mel. I'll tell you the old cocks name
next time see you
Il didn't see the colonel again until
last night, when l happened to drop
into Hennessy's place again. Id for.
gotten all about the old Merry fel
low; but the colonel hadn't.
The other night. John he said
you were asking me about man nam
ed Meredith, or MerrivaIe, or Merry.
weather. or Merry Andrew-got elect
ed to the city council, but was un.
seated for bribery.
Yes, yes | said What of him.
colonel?
We'll, you were all right up to
that point, John, said the colonel.
slowly; but you said he had a glass
eye
Yes
That's where you were bit of,
John the colonel replied, taking 9
sip of his liquor.
How? | asked.