Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-10-17

stump without opposition, and clear
majority Of the voters followed me TO
hear what l had 10 offer for the good Of
the nation. Bcforel was half through,
one Of my constituents moved that they
would hear the balance Of my speech
after they had washed down the first part
with some more Of Job Snelling's extroct
Of corn.s,aIk and molasses, and, the
question being put, ttwas csrried unan.
imously. 1t wasn't considered necessa. .
~ to call the yeas and nays, SO we ad.
journed to the shanty, and, on the way
| begun to reckon that the fate Of the ma.
ton pretty much depended on my shoot.
ing another coon. s''''.'' '-'.
"Whilc standing dvsthe oar, feeling
sort Of bashful while Jobs rules aud reg,
ulations stared mo in the face, cast
down my eyes, and discovered one end
Of the coon.skin sticking between the
logs that supportedrthe bar. Job had
slung it there in the hurry Of business.
| gave it a sort Of quick jerk, and it fol.
lowed my hand as natural as, if l had
been the rightful owner. | slapped it
on tho counter. and Job, little dreaming
that he was barking up the wrong tree,
showed along another bottle, which my
constituents soon disposed Of with great
good humor, for some OF them saw the
trick, and then we Withdrew to the ros.
trum to discuss the affairs Of the nation.
81 don't know how it was, but the vo.
ters soon got dry again, and nothing
would do, but We must adjourn to the
shsnty, and as luck would have it, the
coon skin was still sticking between the
logs. as il Job had flung it there on pur.
pose 10 tempt me. was not slow in
raising it to the counter, the rum follow.
ed, and l wish l may be shot, il Jida't,
before tho day was over. get ten quarts
for the same identical skin aud from
fellow, too. who, in those parts, was con.
sidercd as sharp as steel.trap, and as
bright as pewter button.
"Th;s joke secured my election, for it
soon circulated like smoke among my
constituents, and they allowed with ono
accord, that the man who could get the
whip hand Of Job Smelling in fair trade,
could out.wit old Nick himself, and was
the real grit for them in Congress. Job
was by no means pnr.1ar, he bcasted
Of being always wide awake, and that
any one who could take him in Yves free
to do so: for he came from stock, that,
sleeping or waking, had always one eye
open, and the other moi more than half
closed. The whole family were genius
es. His father was the inventor Of wood.
en- nutmess, by which Job said he might
have made fortune, If he had only ia.
ken out a patent and kept the business
in his own hands his mother Patience
manufactured the first white. .oak pump
kin seeds Of the mammoth kind, and
turned pretty penny the first season
and his aunt Prudence was the first to
discover that corn .husks, stepped in TO.
bacco water, would make as handsome
Spanish wrappers as ever came from Ha'
vana, and that oak leaves would answel
all the purposes Of filling, for no one
could discover the difference except the
the man who smoked them, and then i,
would be too late to make stir abou
it. Job, himself, bregged Of having
made some useful discoveries, the mos
profitable Of which was the art Of con
verting mahogany sawdust into Cayenne
pepper, which, he said. was a profitable
and safe business for the people have
been so long accustomed to having dus
thrown in their eyes that there wasn'
much danger Of being found out. . -
"The way got the bin side Of tn
Yankee merchant was pretty general.
known before election day, and the re
suit was that my opponent might as vel
have whistled jiss to milestone as at
tempt to beat up for votes in that quar-
ter. beat him out and out, quite bacl
into the old year, and there was scare
enough left Of him after the canvass we
over to make q small grease spot. H
disappeared without even leaving a mar
behind, and such will be the fate Of Ad
am Hun,sman, If there's fair fght an
no gousing. "'e-
u "After the election was over, ser
Smelling the price Of the rum, but too
care to keep Il. fact from the knovede
Of my 20 constituents. Job refused the NOR
I ey, and cent Inc word that it did biz
good to be taken in occasionally, as
| served to brighten mp bis ideas: but
afterwards learnt that when he found OF
the trick that had been played upon hin
he put all the rum l had ordered I'M
1 the bill Of my opponent. who, being ell
n ted with the speeches he had made q