Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-05-23
MAJ. DowNING's CORRESPONDENCE

SENATE CHAMBER,
Washington, 10Th May, 1884.
TO mu old friend Mr.. Dpight, Of the Neo YORK
Daily Advertiser.
You may look out for me nigh upon as soon
as you get this letter, for l guess you must begin
to think l belong to the Post-ofhce Committee, or
some other committee in Congress that don't
like to make no report, seeing that you halnt
heard nothin from me ever since | wrote to you
about the Ginerals Cd Protest, and telled you
that are story about " Old SIZE" and the rest on
'em down East there, at old Miss Cranes Tav-
ern, when they tried an experiment in wiping out
the chalk marks agin 'em. But, my good ola
friend, / haint ben idle since that time, but l have
ben nOckin about here every day pretty much
arter the old fashion all day; and then at night
talking over all matters with MIR. Clay who mas
treated me so kind ever since | have ben at his
house that some folks begin to think he is put
tin np with me instead of my putin up with him.
When the Gineral come to hear where l was
and what | was busy at, he has ben in a pesky
worryment, and almost every day | would glt
some kline of a coaXin hint, from some OF MS
friends here in Congress, that he would like TO
have me back agin with him. And Mr.. Clay
has telled me over and over that | needn't make
no bones ont, but as soon as | thought L would
be better off with the Gineral, | could pack up
and 60 back agin, and he wouldn't think a bit
hard ont
But | am determined TO let the Gineral see
that | haint got as good an opinion OF the folks
about him as he has, and | would sooner hoe
potatoes all day than submit agin to mix up
with SIGH a set of chaps as he has all the while
about the Governments; and the last time the
Gineral sent me a message, and asked me the
reason why | wouldn't quit the Senate and Mr..
Clay and go back to the White House, set
down and wrote to him every word of that are
story about old Deacon Whittlesy's two sons
and the flock of sheep. You remember when
the old Deacon died, about a year afore the
Embargo, he left two sons, Ezra and lchabod,
and telled 'em in his will they might have all his
property equally atwixt 'em. Ezra was a pref
ty ally, cute critter and Icabod warnt SO much
so, but was good natured, and some folks
thought he never would cut his eye teeth, tho |
always thought in the long run he had a pretty
considerable snare of mother wit, but took his
own way in shown ont. We'll, whenthey came
to divide off the sheep, (for the Deacon had
one of the biggest focks of sheep in all them
parts Ezra thought he'd try and git the best of
the bargin, and he got up early one mornin and
put all the fine healthy and clean sheep in one
pen, and all the scabby and shuttle noses and
tag locks in another pen, and then he put Old
Billy along with 'em-Old Billy you know was
a pet ram, and Ichabod loved him almost as
much as he did any thing in this world, for he
had taken care OF him ever since he was a lamb.
So Ezra thought that Ichabod would take that
share, seem that Old Billy was among 'em.-
Well, arter breakfast they went out and says
Ezra, here, says he, Ichabod, the sheep are all
divided off, and seem it's you, and | do'ntswant
to take no advantage on you, you may take
your choice Of pens. Ichabod he got 0n the
fence, and he looked at one flock, and then agln
he looked at another, and as soon as Old Billy
see him he began to ba-ha-ha right out arter
him as he always use to do when ever he see
Ichabod, and lchabod he looked agin, and to
rights he took up the tail of his coat and wiped
his eyes, (for he was an amazin tender hearted
~critter,) and says he-my old friend Billy its
plagy hard for me to part with you, | tell you;
| like you says he nigh upon as well as ever |
did, but you are surrounded by SIGH a raft OF
shuttle nose, scabby set Of rag tails, that | cant
have nothin more to do with you. And with
that lchabod telled Ezra he'd take tother flock,
and so Ezra got the worst ont arter all his pains.
He got Old Billy to be sure, but then he got an
everlastin set of scahby scamps along with him.
And all the neighbours about, say to this day,
that upon the hull, tho Ezra is a pretty sharp
fellow, they some how think Icbabod got the
best of that bargain.
have hearn tell, but l wont say sartin its
true (for | won't say nothin is true nowadays
unless | see it, that when the Gineral got my
letter, containing this story, he read it over two
or three times. and couldn't somehow git the no.
ton ont.
He said he was sartin there was somthin int
important to the Government" for he never
knew the Major to take the trouble to write
about a story without there being something int
of that natur, and so he slated round and or
dered Amos, and Levi, and Reuben, and Barry,
and Blair, and pritty nigh the rest of the Cabi-
net to get together and to lend him a hand in
understandin this matter. As soon as they got
into the Cabinet room and found out what the
Gineral was arter, and all of 'em had read my
letter over; they began to whisper round among
themselves, and to rights one on 'em telld the
Gineral there was one object almost as i'm
portant as the Majors sheep story, and that the
Gineral better take that up at once, and that was
that Biddle had refused to let the Committee,
sent by Congress to examine into the Bank,
have the books and papers of the Bank,
to take over to their lodgings out of the Bank
and TO examine them there. And that he
wouldn't let the Committee have his private let
tiers, that he had written and received, nor his
wife's nor his children's private letters. Nor
would he tell the Committee how much 1t cost
him every day to go to market, nor whether
he roasted his potatoes or boiled EN-.
md when the Committee ask'd himlf ne wore
wig or his own natural hair, he telPd 'em II