The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-11-08
A CIR A WISH STORY.
"Look out for your pockets. - COns'able's Cry.

That ancient youth, lzaak Walton.
never dreamed that fingers would be
used as fish hooks. We are not sure
that our story does not involve quite a
new and interesting principle in the
art of angling. Of That, gentle reader,
you shall be the judge.
The flood has lett the American bot,
tom, opposite our city, swarming alive
with crawfsh. One of our jocose
steamboat men, merry, happy, heart
ed mischevous wag as ever lived, ripe
for any sort of droIlory, as ready at
any moment for kind or charitable ac-
ton, happened over there the other
day, and the fancy seized him to fill one
OF the large pockets of his coat with
these fish out of water. Returning to
the city, he at once commenced a Sc
ries of practical jokes upon his acquin-
tances. He met friend on front street
by whose side he walked about three
minutes when the man suddenly COM
menced jumping, stamping and halIoo-
ing in the street, in style that aston
ished the neighborhoad for ten blocks
round.
"What's the matter, what's the mat
ter with him?" enquired the people run
ming to the spot with their eyes and
mouth at full stretch.
"Oh-oh-oh, Lord oh. Lord!" roared
the sufferer, grasping his stomach and
making frightful contortion of visage.
"My poor friend what is the matter?"
said the consumate rogue of a steam.
boat man, in most distressed accents.
81 don't know gasped the innocent
victim. "Oh-oh-oh, oh! something has
seized me-here -here-oh-oh! don't
know"
"He's got the cholera-never saw
palmer case in my ifcI' whispered
bystander, to the crowd, hurrying a.
way Immediately, with his thumb and
finger tightly graspeI uponhis nostriIs,
before night the rumor ran that the
cholera had broken out suddenly with |
dreadful violence, thirteen persons hav.
ing dropped and died by convulsions
on the landing; all supposed to be
owing to the flood.
The man continuing in great distress
some of the crowd forced him into a
store and pulled his waistbands open,
when live crawfsh, kicking and snap
ping furiously, was turned out of the
pockets!
Not ten minutes after this, our hero
stood in well known cotfee-room.
with another friend whom he had in
vited to join HIM. The mixtures were
and glasses "touched," when
or 4 single malt instant, dexterous and
lelicate maneuver on the part of our
:rawfish friend caused the victims eve
% glance aside, and he was done.-
The glass nearly touched his lips when |
lis eyes opened in intense horrorupon {
. most appalling, indescribabIe, limbo t
ooking, black and frightful, submarine,
ubterrene monster, Aoundering and
plashing with intoxicated madness in q
ne drdent! me man gaZed as with =
he sight of twenty eyes, for ten Sec ,
'nds. He dropped the glass on the t
loor, turned plaIe as winding sheet,
ubbed his eyes that seemed to grow
misty, grasped his friends hand, and
hook his head mournfully several times
nd then suddenly darted like a shot C
ut of the place. Last Sunday he r
lgned the temperance pledge. I
Tickled half TO death with the mis- S
hief, though keeping face on that
eemed chIseled out of Missouri mar b
le, the wag next sat down close to Il
mother acquaintance who was perus-
lg newspaper. Taking one by p
mself, and pretending to read, he o