The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-09-05
MIS- LL a NJ o U S :.
A GOOD STOR .

M StOI VIC CAUdNt lloiii d
letter TO the Alabama Journal. by J. }.
Hooper:
Old Col. D, of the Mobile District
was one of the most singular characters
known in Alabama He was testy and
eccentric, but possessed many fine quail
lies which were fully appreciated by the
people of his district. Many of his freaks
are fresh in the memory Of the cold uns,"
of Mobile-and all of them will tell you,
that the Colonel, though hard TO beat, was
once terribly taken in by a couple of legal
tyros.
1t seems that Col. D had had
Misunderstanding with the gentleRen al
luded to, and was not on speaking terms
with them, although all of the three were
professionally riding the circuit pretty
much together. The young ones, being
well aware of the COlonels irascible ma
ture, determined as they left one Of the
courts for another, 10 have some sport at
his expense by the way. They accord
ingly got about half an hours start in lea
wing and presently they arrived at broad
dark stream, that looked as if it might be
4 dozen feet deep, but which in reality
was hardly more than as many inches -
Crossing il, they alighted, pulling off their
coats and boots, and sat down quietly TO
watch for the old Tartar.
Jogging along, at length, up came the
old fellow. He looked first AT the young
sters, who were gravely drawing on their
coats and boots, as il they had just had
swim-and then he looked at the creek
tha; rolled before him like a fluent, trans
lucent star The Colonel was awfully
puzzled.
'Is this - creek swmming?' he
growled, after pause of some moments.
No reply was made-the young men
simply mounted their horses, and rode off
some little distance, and stopped TO watch
our hero.
The Colonel slowly divested himself of
boots, coat, pantaloons and drawers
Then he remounted with paunch of in
ordinate size, rather inadequate legs, a
face like a withered apple, and brown
wig, there is no doubt he made Fan inter-
esting picture, as he bestrode his steed,
with the "breeze holding gentle dalli-
ence" with the extremities of his only
garment.
Slowly and cautiously did the old gen.
tleman and his horse take the creek. Halt
length and the water was not tetlock
deep. Here the horse stopped to drink.
length and half-and the stream no
dseper Thirty feet farther, and decided
shoaling.
Here Col. D. reigned up. "There
must" said ne, ssbe a HI of a swift deep
channel between this and the bank-see
how the water runs! We will have to
dash throughn'
A sharp lash made the horse spring
over the "watery waste, - and another car
ried the horse and rider safely on the op-
posite bank. The creek was nowhere
more than foot deep.
A wild yell from the "young uns' an
nounced their appreciation of the sport as
they galloped away.
"I'll catch you, you - rascals! was
ground out between Colonel D|s
teeth, and away he galloped in hot pur-
suit, muttering dreadful vengeance on his
foes.
On, on, they sped-pursuer and Pursu-
ed The youngsters laughed, yelled, and
screamed-the Colonel swore with nigh
~ emphasis, while his shirt flowed and
crackIed in the wind, like a loose flying
Ub.
On, on-and the pursued reached farm
house on the roadside. Their passing
startled flock of geese from fence cor
ner, which as the Col. dashed up, met him
with outspread wings, elongated nee ks and
Kisses dire. His horse swerved suddenly
and the Col. in moment was on the
ground in most unromantic heap, with
MS brown wig by his side, and his bundle
Of clothes scattered around!
The white headed children of the house
came out first and took distant view of
the monster-as it seemed TO them-and
then returned to report progress. After
little the father of the family came, and
the affair being explained, assisted the
Col. IN making his toilette: the Col swea-
ring and the cauntryman laughing, all the
while.
Dressed and remounted, our hero star
ted off with woful phiz, and was soon
out of sight.