Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-08-22
ly heralded at the hour of death was sufficiently
characteristic of the old mans associations and
continued iteracy. II was nothing but the
homely, vulgar distich
Tickle me Billy, do do. do
You tickle me, and I'll tickle you

Tickle me Billy, do, do, do
You tickle me, and I'll tickle you'
He declared its operation was founded in hu-
man nature and therefore infallable. when the
precept was prudently obeyed He cautioned his
sons against the vulgar error of striving to pros
per by practices that are inconsistent with the
prosperity Of the persons with whom we DEAL
The true golden rule is, = You tickle me, and I'll
tickle you The man who acted thus would OBJ
tain wealth if he perseverngy directed his efforts
to that object The maxim was the key by which
could be unlocked all the avenues to prosperity.
The old man spoke to his sons in German, for
that was the Language in which his thoughts flowed
more fuently than in English. The young men
had heard the lesson very many times before, but
as this was to be the last infiicton, they listened
to it, though they had heard it for the first time
and were astonished at its sagacity and freshness
Thus comforted in his tenderest vanity the old
gentleman lay short time silent and was dead.
The literary education ofthe sons had been sad
ly neglected, not from any censuable Indifference
to the subject in the father, but from his want of
knowledge. They had been taught to read little
which accomplishments, with some skill in the ell
ementary rnles of arithmetic, he deemed by con-
trast with his own deficiencies great attainments.
The sons were not, consequently qualified for any
higher employments than the mercantile traffic
which had been followed 6y the father, and into
which they had become partially initiated. They
possessed. however, dssimilar intentions, for
while Frederick, the elder, determined to contin-
fha old huci of hic faith md
in the old shop, the other, Peter intended to see
something Of the world before he established him
self finally in any place and in any given occupa-
ton. He felt also strong desire to see Germa-
ny, the native country of his forefathers, where
many of his paternal relations were still supposed
to exist; and as they were known to be poor, Pc
ter's vanity may possibly have desired TO glorify
itself little by astonishing them with the spen-
dor of the American branch. His share ofthe pa
ternal spoils was tenth of the whole, and when
reduced into money amounting to twenty thousand
dollars, which, after decent period of mourning.
and with view ofkilling two birds with one stone,
he converted into cotton for the French market,
and took passage with it in ship for Havre, sor-
rowfully remarking to some of the cautious old
friends of his father, who dslIked these evidences
of a roaming disposition, that grief was mpairing
his health, and that change of scenery was abso-
lutely necessary for his spirits. To remain in the
old shop he knew would kill him, and he wonder
ed how his old brother could endure it though
Fred always possessed strong nerves and could
bear anything.
The ship in which Peter embarked experienced
succession Of the most favorable winds, but was
unfortunately standed on fatal sandbar, almost in
sight of its destined port, and after all thoughts Of
danger had been dismissed from the minds of the
passengers. They were all saved except two who
were washed overheard and drowned and most
of the cargo was eventually saved and taken on
shore by the lighters, but it badly damaged by
the salt water. This was conting ency against
which Peter had guarded by any insurance, for
where he ventured his life he thought he might
venture his property. His loss was large, aud he
felt it severely; but at the commencement of life
pecuniary losses are much miugated by an exn-
berance Of underlined hopes. He could not how
ever, help occasionally rejecting that as yet the
maxim of his father had been impracticable. No
body had tickled him, though he felt keenly dis
posed to tickle in return, according to the injunc-
ton of the adage; that is nobody had conferred on
him any benefit, which was the tickling that the
adage meant, as he supposed, when interpreted
literally. On the contrary, when the ship strand
ed, intead of being tckled, every man on board re-
gardec himself only, or seemed to vie with each
other in throwing into the sea Peters cotton, that
the ship might be foated: and when his damaged
cotton was in position to be sold, every purchas.
er exaggerated its defects and sought to obtain it
ruinously low. His experience thus far, therefore
was anything but propitious to his hopes; while
the steadily occurring diminuiion Of his patrimony
irritated all the latent avarice which his fathers
precepts had constantly fostered in him. and made
him specially anxious that the tickling process
should be commenced speedily.
As soon as he realized from the wreck Of his
venture all that could be obtained, he hastened TO
Paris, in the expectation that a change of scene
would produce favorable change in the operation
Of his maxim: but al Paris his funds diminished d
even faster than at Hayre, for he could not resist
participating expensively in various novelties OF
that city of curioses, in occasionally uniting in
It's more personal dissipaiions, and in becoming a
victim to the swarm of sharpers, foreign and ma
i've, that make Paris their head quarters, and ev-
sry stranger their special object of attack. Still