Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1845-02-22
From the New York Mirror,
A Thought Of the West.

From the New York Mirror.
A Thought of the West.
Speaking of Texas reminds me Of Judge
Douglass, Of Illinois. Where The game !,
politics, and popularity the stake, can All
swer for the Judge he will be thar. The
Judge has held all the Office Of any account
in Illinois, and has how COMB down to
Washington to astonish the natives on .
large scale. Napoleon kept his eyes open
seven days and nights. Judge Douglass
does not sleep at all. 1t savors Of his met
tie. that his plan for annexing Texas was
among the very 6rst--numbering third or
fourth, whilst the slow coaches come lum-
bering along with 'splans'' down to the
thirty-seventh, the last al present recorded.
q. D-s al :. - - hrs ears agu,
Judge Douglass was a bcard!ess youth Of
twenty Of age, freshly come among
the people or The ssSucker Statcn with ali
air suspiciously redolent Of Yankee land.
A mere youthful adventurer amongst those
square" Suckers--one would deem the
position embarrassing. Not SO with the
Judge: he had come on business. A po-
litical fortune was to be made and no time
lost. He was about launching on the sea
Of popular favor: and he commenced gen.
eral coast survey the day lie arrived. He
soon made himself District Attorney. mem
Der Of the Legislature, Register Of the Y.
S. Land Office, Secretary Of State, and
Judge of the Supreme Court.
This was well enough for boy. The
Judge is now thirty; ndahas come down 10
Washington for the Quincy district, to make
the new territory Of Nebrasl a, and annex
Texas.
But to come at the point Of my story. I
dropped in on young Douglass one day.
when he had advanced about six months in
that preliminary coast survey. After .
hearty show are you hoss," we sat down
at his Office table, over water mellon as
large as the premium squash lately exhib-
tied In 1horhurn's window. Interrogating
him through mouthfnl of the pleasant veg
etable, said: well, old boy, how the
do you get on amongst these ginger-colored
ague shaking, badly preserved samples Of
humanity?' ta
Get on; why, it is the greatest country
in the worlds
And then followed the most magnificent
eulogy Of the country. the people, and flow
ing of into vivid pictures Of political alli-
ances, offensive and defensive-plots -
counter plots--grand caucus niannuvres
head him -of--get the nomination in
spite-.
WELL said |, adroitly dropping in my
oar whilst his face was buried to the ears
in the melon, sHow did you adapt yourself
to the people? How did you .,saturalize
yourself, as it were?' /.
oh, nothing easier: you see like IT,
It is democratic. But it did come awk-
ward 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 beat
ing up for votes, live with my consiitu-
ents, drink with them, lodge with them,
pray with them, laugh, hunt, dance, and
work with them; eat their corn dodgers
and fried bacon. and sleep two in bed
with them. Among my first acquaintances
were the Ls, down under the Bluffs.
Fine fellows the L. -s,--by the way,
| am sure Of FIVE votes there. Well, you
perceive, / had to lirs there--and did
live there. But, sir. l was frightened the
first night l slept there. own it: yes,
sir, | acknowledge the corn. An ice bath
in August is something: but was done to
an icicle; had periodical chills for ten days.
Did you ever see Venus in linsey -wool-
sey?'
MOI 4' A3 H.
Chen you shall see Serena Z
They call her the ssWhite Plover:" seven
teen: plump as : pigeon: and smooth as
persimmon. How the devil, said to my
self, soliloquizing, the first night / slept
there-a,D to 60 to bed before this young
ladyP do believe my heart was iopsy-
turvied, for the idea Of pulling off my boots
before the girl, was death. And a. to dof-
ing my other fixtures, / would, sooner
have my leg taken of with wood-saw.
The crisis was tremendous. II was nearly
midnight, and the family had been hoursiin
bed. Miss Serena alone remained, Bright
as the sun, the merry mink talked on. It
was portentously obvious to me at last, that
she had determined to out sit me. By re-
peated spas,nodic efforts, my coat waist
coat, cravat, boots and socks were brought
of. During the process, my beautiful
neighbor talkedtc me with unayerted eyes,
and with that peculiar kind Of placidity
employed By painters to embody their idea
Of The virgin. dumped myself down ia
a chair, in cold perspiration. A distress
sing thought occurred to me. Does not the
damsel stand on point OF local etiquette.
It may be the fashion Of these people to
see strangers in bed before retiring them
selves? May i not have kept those beau
tiful eyes open, from ignorance Of what
those people deem good breeding? Neither
the lady's eyes nor tongue had betrayed
fatigue. Those large jet eyes seemed to
dilafe and grow brighter asthe 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, unloo,edr
my suspendsrs, and to = voice not alto
pcther steady, said: fs e. 81 ss
ssNiiss Serena. think ! will retire.
/. "Ceftainly, sir" she quietly 6bSeryed,
ssyou will lodge there, sir;n inclining her
beautiful head towards bed standing