The Funny Philosophers, or Wags and Sweethearts. A Novel — John Shaqi
The Funny Philosophers, or Wags and Sweethearts. A NovelYellott, George
General
The Funny Philosophers, or Wags and Sweethearts. A Novel
Yellott, George
Fiction
It will be recollected that after Botts had executed his last will and
testament, and addressed letters of farewell to his friends, he had
proceeded to the outskirts of the town, and walked to and fro over the
common, meditating on his approaching end. About the middle of the
night, as he continued to walk with his gaze fixed on the star which he
had selected for his future abode, he tumbled into an unfinished well,
about twelve feet deep, with six inches of water at the bottom. It being
night, and he being under the earth, his loud cries for assistance were
unheard, and he remained in the well until a late hour in the morning,
when the Irish laborers discovered him on his knees in the water praying
fervently; he having experienced a change of heart, and repented of the
great crime he had intended to commit.
While Pate and Wiggins were consoling their friend, they were startled
by loud shrieks from a female voice in an adjacent apartment.
"Good heavens!" said Pate.
"What's that?" exclaimed Wiggins.
"There's murder in the house!" bawled out Botts; and he jumped from his
bed and ran to the door.
"Come back, Botts! you haven't got your breeches on," said Wiggins; and
he seized Botts by the caudal extremity of his under-garment and held
him with a firm grasp.
Shrieks after shrieks were heard, and then the heavy tread of feet
hurrying along the corridor. Pate and Wiggins rushed to the scene of
action, and beheld the landlord, with loud and violent imprecations,
kicking Captain Bragg's monkey out of a room. The creature had got
loose, and climbing over the transom of a door, had leaped down on a
bed where a lady was taking her siesta. The hideous apparition had
nearly thrown the fair inmate of the room into convulsions.
"Get out of here, you infernal imp!" said the landlord, giving the
monkey a kick which sent it rolling over and over along the corridor.
The agile creature gathered itself up, and with an active bound sprang
on the railing of the stairway, where it sat making ugly grimaces, and
shaking both fists at Boniface in intense indignation.
"Get me a gun!" shouted the landlord, in a towering passion.
"Don't shoot!" exclaimed Pate; and a dozen female voices shrieked in
apprehension of the report of fire-arms.
"What are you doing to my monkey?" said Bragg, hurrying to the spot.
"Get out of my house with that incarnate devil of yours!" said the
landlord. The monkey grinned and shook its fists, and the landlord
stamped his foot and swore with vim and vehemence.
"I'll have satisfaction for this outrage offered to my monkey," said
Bragg.
"I'll give you satisfaction, sir! I'm no Botts, to be bullied by you,
sir! If you don't get out of this house, I'll take you by the neck and
heels and throw you out, and your monkey after you!"
The landlord was a powerful and determined man. He had fought under Old
Hickory at New Orleans. He stood six feet three in his stockings, and
could easily have executed his threat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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