The Democratic Whig. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1842-1843, 1843-11-02
'MUNGo MACKAY, THE PRACTICAL
JOKER.

/
Ofai tie mad devo,ees TO the science Of
practical ioking--of al the iuvteerate manuiac-
lturers Of mischief in this line Of acting, the
lmost systematically troublesome that ever
heard Of was Mungo Mackay, Of tie town Of
Boston, on Massachusetts Bay. Others ol-
low the sport as most men follow the hounds
or cultivate music as a recreation, but Mackay
might be sand TO follow It as though Il were his
Trade. With theta twas The by play, with
him il was the business Of bic, Il was food
and raiment 10 him: ne could not exist without
plot against the tranquility Of his neighbor-
hood; be laughed bets wheu others were 10
agc, and enjoyed 10 mark when those around
him we're suffering from the results Of his in
venlive genius II g father died Just as be
bad grown 10 mans estate, leaving bim a com
! Portable Independence; and from that period
he passed his days and nights in a crusade a.
ga nst the good people Of Boston. He was an
! lshmaehtish wit: for truly chs hand was
against every man, and every mans hand
against him, and the hand Of every woman too
fr5m the Charles River 10 South Boston, and
for many miles round the villages, by a semi
circle Of which the ancient capital Of the land
ofsteady habits is enclosed.
One cod, raw November night, IN the year
! IS, the wind blew as though Il would blow
down old Faneu Hall, and the rain fell in such
torrents that Bunker Hill was nearly washed
away. The sky wss as black as call round
nv hal" and the air was compounded OF that
| delightful admixture OF frost and moisture in
which there is enough Of the latter TO open
the pores whde the former goes directly 10 the
! heart In the midst Of the rumblIng OF the
elements a tall figure might be seen vending
s,calihily along the narrow streets and lonely
alleys, shod with pair Of fsherman's boots,
and cnvaoped in huge pea Jacket for indeed
rubbers aud Mackinloshes were unknown IN
those days, until il halted under The window
ola lonely cottage at some distance from the
town, and the family being sometime IN bed,
/ knocked violently at the door, At iirst his rude
summons was Unanswered; but after repeated
thumps q bed room window was thrown up
and a voice demanded who was there.
"Pray, sir" said Mackay--ior It was he,
evil yea b. kind enough 10 tell me i a per-
son mined Mutt lives in this neighborhoodl"
40 be sure he does, replied the voice from
the window, che lives here"
81 am glad Of that, for the night is very sior-
my, and | have something Of great importance
TO communicate 10 him."
"Of great imporance!-olgreati importance
did YOU say 7 know Of nothing very impor.
tant that can concern Inc at this hour OF the
night; but whatever il is let US hear Il. ] am
the person You want.
"Speak a little louder If you please, said
Mackay, Il am somewhat deaf and tie spout
makes such noise. Did you say your name
was Mutt"
"Certanly | did; aud ! wish you would
make haste TO communicate wha1erer You
have to say for have nothing on bot my shirt
and night-cap, and the wind IS whisLng lhro'
me nation cold"
Have you got an uncle in Boston very old
and chldless worth ten thousand dollars"
At this question long pointed white night
cap vas thrust out Of the WINDOW; and IN an
instant, together with The shirl collar that fol-
/ lowed It, was saturated with ran
/ "Wh did you say about an uncle and ten
! thousand dollarsl There is my uncle Wheel
er--very cid and very rich but what Of himl'
"Oh nothing as yet, oil am certain Of my
man. There may be good many Nuts
! about here, ltisJ. Mutt want"
Il am the man. said the voice in the night
/ cap. #" here is 10 mistake. There's not a
man for twenty miles round Of the name Of
| Nut but mc, and besides my Christian name
% John; and have an uncle in b ton"
BY his time the whole back and sleeves Of
the shirt were ont Of the window; the tassei al
The end uflhc white night cap nearly touched
the green pal,ngs in front Of the house; and
had thora been light enough 10 have seen, a
IpainIcf might have caught am attitude Of aux
fH.aa fa= hot D.
time there was female peCping over Nuts
shoalder, beammg with the anticipation ofgood
fortune to come.
"Wel, said Maekar, very deliberately, 81
suppu. may yentuse 10 speak out but mind
iftlere was any mistake, you cannot .ay it
wss my fault"
mo, certainly not" cried two voices from
the window,
"You say yourn name is John Mutt, doyou.
81 do"
well then, all have say is, may he dsril
crack you"
The two heads were drawn in like lightning
rom ths ain; and, as the window was slams
med down with violence that bespoke rage
and disappointment, a loud horse laugh rose
upon the wind, and the loyet Of practical Jokes
turned on bis heel TO tfgdge'homeward through
The mist, as the good woman inside was going
IN search Of the finder box, 10 enable her tc
huut up dry chemiscs, shirts and night caps.
4 The story was many years afterwards don,
into verse, after the manner Of Colman the
younger by clever student a. Harvard Uni
versity; but all that r, member Of the poetry
ars the two concluding lnes:-
"And II your name be certainly John Mutt
"Why then, the devil crack you!"
One pleasant Sunday morning Mackay wen
70 church BY times, took his seat IN a centra
pew, il,t under the shadow ofthe pulpit an
sat bolt upright with bis arms extended wit
an apparent degree Of unnatural ngidty dow
BY his sides. lie was presently surfounde
BY half dozen females, nearly al Of whor
were strangers TO his person and in a little tim
= the church was foil TO oyerfowng. The psalr
! was sung, the PRAYER was said, the sermon Dc
lyercd in a. e preachers best style. He DIVE
-, particularly on tho requirements Of the grea
I, precepis Of brothorly love, upon the beauty
n universal beneyoience; on the pleasure whlc
ARISES not only from clothing the naked an
ieeding the hungry, but from attention TO III
/, minute and graceful courtesies and charlie
!. Of life, by which The thorny paths are softene
r and adorned. In the language fthe critics
such matters, there was MT dry eye ia II
place; lhe appeal found its way to ever, hear
An Mackay's immediate neigibors we're SCI
l. sibly affected; he wept with them; the b
= FEARS chased each other down his cheeks
But while every one was busy with their hal
\ kerchiels, wiping away the water that the or
Tor, Ike a second Moses, bad, by the strokes
his eloauence, caused 10 rush from their fin