Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1834-03-20

down the tree, this tree stood right along
side an old farmers apple orchard-and
afore it was half cut down a man cum
along and asked the GiAeral what he
was after, and he tell'd him, why, says
he, Gineral, you are barkin up the rong
tree this time, for jest see that rak oon
jump to the next tree, and afore this he's
mile off there in the woods-the Gin
eral tel'd him he was mistaken, and jist
then the old farmer cum out and he
ask ed the Gineral what on earth he was
cuttin down that tree for, that it was one
Of the best bee trees on his farm, and
had supplied his family and the neigh
bors round with honey for good many
Sc asons, and that the bees was jist swar-
min agin in it.
And with that, the Gineral got wraihy,
and tell'd the niggers to cut away, and
down went the tree, right across the
orchard fence; and says the Gineral, if
the rakOon aint there, go on and cut
down the apple orchard, till you find
him; and the Niggers kept at it, but a
fore they cut down many trees, the old
! farmer larDt wisdom; and he comes to
the GineraI, and he tell'd him he was
right arter all, for the rackoon was jist
where he thought he was, and he had
jumped from one apple tree to another,
and he was now in the cellar, and with
! that, the Gineral he call'd off the Mig
| gers, and telfd the farmer it was well he
had found the raSoon as soon as he did,
for he'd n cut down every tree in his Or
chard; and so tell'd him, says the Gin
ernl he might keep the rakoon for larnin
!. wisdom.
) Now, says ], Gneral, what was your
otion; why says he, Major, if ! hadn't
done jist so, it would gone al! round the
country that | know'd nothin about rae
koonin: and it's jist SO with the Bank, il
, | give up my notion mo,o, folks will say
know nothin about Bankin, and afore III
do that, III break every man in trade,
from one eend Of the country to the 9TH
5 er. l'll let folks know, afore am done,
, that Andrew Jackson knows as much OF
Bankn as he does Of Rackoonin.
Well, says l, General, don't see how
, you git sich notions. Nor don't moth
: er, Major, says the Gineral, but it has
always ben my way when git notion
| to stick 10 It till it dies natural death
5 and the more folks talk agin my notions
, the more stick 10 'em Now says ],
3 Gineral, that was pretty good story
:. you've been tellin, and Pde like to tell
e you one-and the 'Gineral he filled his
( pipe, and began: A spell ago, says /,
s my old Grandmother Danforlh-by my
t mothers side-you know, says !, Cine
s raj, my mother was Danlorth-and SC
d l telI'd the Gineral as far as l could al
g about the hull Danforth family, and git.
ting that strait, / go back agin to my old
q Grandmother Danforth-well, says
o she owned an old hen that was one of the
e curiestest critters that ever cluck'd.-
It This old hen, was never remarkable fol
It laying eggs-but she was n master hant
e in hatchin on 'em-my old Grandmother
= Danforth used to keep this old critter al
k ways busy, and as fast as she hatch'd one
8 batch, she'd stick under her anothcr-i
II got so at last all the other fowls about
$ the place would come and slide them.
y selves in along side this old hen and lay
their eggs IN her Dest-sometimes ducks
8 sometimes geese-and sometimes dung
n hill fowls and Bantums, it made no odds
I, which: this old hen would hatch 'em all
D out, and was just as tickled every morn
3 ing when the young ones would craw
y out Of the nest as though she had lair
= the egg herself-and was all the while
n ruffled and rumpled, and ready for
6ght-and so telled the Gineral goot
y long story about this old hen-and abou
= her troubles-and how the other fowl
d used to impose upon her, and so forth.
8 The Gmeral was good deal takel
e with this story, and he has been tellil
n ont TO Mr.. Van Buren,, and Amos Kin
l. die, and the rest oithe Cabinet-and ON
e on 'em came to me to know what harm
N that story had on The Government
,r all could say about it was, that the Gin
'e eral tel'd me his rakoon story, to sho,
h how important it was for him to stick t
8 notion right or wrong-and as he did'n
r, know exactly how he got his notions,
* thought I'D tell him the story of my Oh
" Grandmother Danforth's hen, and see
to that would throw any light ont.
ID Then they wanted to know if nten
lie ded to compare the Gineral TO that Oh
e. Hen-and | tel'd 'em il wam't so muc
y my business as other folks-it was emu
a for me to tell the story jist as it was.-
ID One thing however, says /, is pritty sar
he lin, and that is, that the Gincral has &c
Mt some plagy odd fowls about him, an
~ that pritty much all on 'em have bee
y dropping their eggs under him to hate
ut for 'em, and nothin has come out of tn
III nest yet that the people like. And say
i, J., if some on you don't manage to stan
M AZ side and Let an egg 90 in the ne Il wort