Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-03-14

the tree, right across the orchard fence; ana
saws the Ginera if the rackoOn amt there, 60
on and cut down the apple orchard, till you
find him; and the Niggers kept at it: but atore
they cut down many trees the Old farmer larni
wisdom: and he come to the Gineral, and telPd
him he was right arter all, for the rackoon was
list where he thought it was, and he had Jump'd
from one apple tree to another, and was IN ms
celIar-and with that, the Glneral ne calrd OH
the Niggers, and tell'd the farmer 1t was well ne
had found the rackoon as soon as ne ala, lo1
he'd cut down every tree in his orchard; ana
so telPd him, says the Gineral ne might Keep
the rackoon for larnin wisdom.
Now, says |, Gineral, what was your notion;
why says he, Major if hadn't done jist So, 1t
would gone all round the country that knoWd
nothin about rackoonin: and it's jist so with the
Bank; if | give up my notion noa1, folks Will say
| know nothin about Bankin, and aiore III 90
that, I'll break every man in trade, from one
eend of the country to the other. iii let 1olks
know afore | am DONE that Andrew Jackson
knows as much of Bankin as he does OF Rae
kOOnin.
Well. saws I, Ginera don't see how you git
SIGH notions. Nor | don't mother, Major, says
the Gineral, but it has always ben my way when
git notion to stick to it till it dies natural
death-and the more folks talk agin my notions
the more stick to EN-. Now says |, Gineral,
that was pretty good story you've been telin,
and I'd like to tell you One-and the Gineral he
filled his pipe, and began: spell ago. says
|. nv old Grandmother Danforth-by my mo-
theirs side-you know, says |, Gineral, my mo-
Their was a Danforth-and so telPd the Glneral
as far as could all about the hull Danforth ia
mily, and Citing that strait, got back agln to
nv old Grandmother Danforth WELL says |, she
owned an old hen that was one of the curlcstest
critters that ever cluck'd This old hen was ne
yer remarkable for laying eggs-but she was
master hand in hatchin on emmy old Grand
mother Danforth used to keep this old critter al
ways busy, and as fast as she hatch'd one batch
she'd stick under her another-it got so at last
all the other fowls about the place would come
and side themselves in along side this old hen
and lay their eggs in her nest-sometimes ducks
sometimes geese-and sometimes dunghill fowls
and Bantums, it made no odds which: this Old
hen would hatch EN- all out, and was jist as tic
killed. every mornin when the young ones would
crawl out Of the nest DIS though she had laid the
eggs herself-and was all the while ruffled and
rumpled and ready for fiji ht-and so | tell'd
the Gineral good long story about this old hen
and about her troubles-and how the other
fowls used to impose upon her, and so forth.
The Gineral was good deal taken with this
story and he has been tellin ont to Mr.. Van Blu,
rem, and Amos Kindle and the rest Of the Cabi-
net-and one on em came to me to know what
BARN that story had on The GoUernment-and
all | could say about it was, that the Ginera tel'd
lllt lIlS oiol W SHo" III" t"'I IL
was for him to stick to a notion right or wrong
and as he didn't know exactly how he got his
notions thought I'd tell him the story of my
old grand mother Danforth's hen, and see if
that would throw any light out
Then they wanted to know if intended to
compare the gineral to that old hen-and tel'd
em it want so much my business as other folks
it was enuf for me to tell the story jist as it
was. One thing howsever says |, is pritty sar-
tin, and that is, that the Gineral has got some
pagy odd fowls about him, and that pritty much
all on 'em have been dropping their eggs under
him to hatch for 'em, and nothing has come out
of the nest yet that the people like. And says
if some on you don't manage to stand aside and
let an egg GO in the nest worth Matching, | am
peskily afraid the people won't stand it much
longer, but will make clean sweep OF the hull
on you, and break up the old nest in the bargain:
and so says that's all for the present.
Your old friend J. DOWNING, Major -
Dow 0ingvilIe Militia Cd Brigade.
TEpPS ljforueu M T01r