The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1845-02-20

pendent of the New York Evening Mirror,
in giving some sketches of Judge Douglass,
of Illinois, puts the following story in his
mouth. Referring TO his early career in the
Sucker State, the question was asked:
How do you adapt yourself to the people?
How did you n~aturdIize yourself, as it were?
"Oh. nothing easier; you see | like it,
It's Democratic. But it did come awkward
at first. You know | am, or rather was,
bashful to rather a painful degree. Well,
now, nine-tenths of my constituents despise
~luxuries, and have no such thing as a second
room in their houses. In beating up for
votes, | live with my constituents, eat with
my constituents, drink with them, lodge with
them; pray with them. laugh, hunt, dance,
and work with them; | eat their corn dodg-
ers and fried bacon, and sleep two in a bed
with them. Among my first acquaintances
were the LIS, down under The bluffs.
Fine fellows, The LIS; by the way, |
am sure of five votes there. Well. you per-
ceive had 10 Ire there-aud | did live
there. But, sir, | was frightened the FIRST
night slept there. l own it; yes sir, | ac-
knowledge the corn. An ice bath in Au-
gust is something; but | was done to an ic-
icle; had periodical chlls for ten days. Did
you ever see a Venus in Ensey-woolseyY
"NorI'
"Then you shall see Serena LIS.
They call her the "white ployer;" seven
teen, plump as a pigeon, and smooth as a
persimmon. How the devil, said Ito myself
~soiiloquizing tie first night | slept there, am
| TO go 10 bed before this young lady? LIDO
believe my heart was topsy turvied, for the
idea of pulling off my boots before The girl,
was death. And as to dofing my other fix
lures. | Won Id sooner have had my leg taken
off with a wood-saw. The crisis was ire
mendous. 1t was nearly midnight, and the
family had been hours in bed. Miss Serena
alone remained. Bright as the sun, the
merry mink talked on. 1t was portentously
! obvious TO me at last that she had determin-
ed to out sit me. By repeated spasmodlc
efforts, my coat, waiscoat, cravat, boots and
socks were brought off During the process,
my beautiful neigbber talked TO me with I'M
averted eyes, and with that peculiar kind of
placidily employed by painters to embody
their idea of the virgin. | dumped myself
down in a chair in a cold perspiration. A
distressing thought occurred 10 me. Does
not the damsel stand on a point oflocal eti-
quette? 1t may be the fashion of these
people to see people in bed before -T~eiirinn
themselves? May ] not have Kept those
beautiful eyes open, from ignorance OF what
these people deem good breeding? Neither
the lady's eyes nor tongue had indeed be-
trayed fatigue. Those large jet eyes SEEM
ed TO dilate and grow brighter as the blaze
of the wood fire died away; but doubtless
this was from kind consideration for the
strange wakefulness of her guest. The
thing was clear. | determined to retire,
and without delay. | arose with frmness,
unloosed my suspenders, and, in q voice not
altogether sseady, said:
"Miss Serena, | thinkI will retire.
Certainly, sir" she quantity observed,
"you will lodge there, slr,' incIining her
beautiful head towards a bed standing a lew
yards from where she was sitting. | pro-
ceeded to uncase, entrenching myself be-
hind a chair; the while fondly imagining the
position offered some security. 1t is simply
plain 10 a man in his senses that a chair of
the fashion of the one | had thrown between
myself and 'Ethe enemy" at all. No more,
in fact, than standing up behind a ladder;
nothing in the way of the artillery of brig hi
eyes, as a poet would say, sweeping one
down by platoons. Then | had a dead open
space of ten feet between me and the bed j;
a sort Of bridge of Lodi passage which | was
forced TO make exposed TO a cruel raking
fire fore and aft. Although | say it, who
should moi say it, an emergency never arose
for which | had not a resource. had one
for this. The plan was the work of a mo-
ment; | de-
"Ah! | see; you stoTmed the battery and
E"
"Bah! don't interrupt me. No! | de-
termined by a bold ruse de guerre, to throw
her attention out of the window, clear the
perilous passage, fortify myself under the
counterpane before she recovered her sur
prise. The plan failed. You see | am a
small man, physically speaking.
Body, limbs, and bead, setting upbusiness
on one hundred and seven and a half pounds
all told, OF flesh, blood, and bones, cannot
individually or collectively, set up any very
ostentatious pretensions. | believe the young
lady must have been setting in her mind some
philosophical point on that head. Perhap;
her sense of justice wished to assure itsel
of a perfectly fair distribution of the respec.
tive motives. Perhaps, she did not f~eeieasy
until she knew that a kind Providence hac
not added to general poverty individual
wrong. Certain il was, she seemed ratheI
pleased with her speculations; for, when
arose from a stooEing posture finally, wholly
disencumbered OF cloth, [ noticed mischiev
i Gus shadows playing about the corners of he
] mouth. 1t was the moment | dddetermin
e ed TO direct her eyes 10 some astonishing
e circumstance out of the window. But tn