The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-12-27

so
&c Norch raiIs, s.g,> said he
they was little the wnst fire, guess, that
they've he'd for twenty year in Essex couGty.
Pettingells new barns burnt down fatter'n
Jerewsalem. Pettingell, he was off dowrs to
Newburyport with a lode O hay, AMI they Gene
a white owl and lit there on the end o. the bsaN.
Well, that air wild Irish Paddy, he's he'd ever
there-I don't see no use O. havin' no sech
good for-nothin' shoat reound-he we,t end got
out Pettingells ole kings arm to 81 cot him,
jest to please the children, Jest foolishness.
WE'LL they expect some O. the waddin' went up
into the barn winder, ont the hay; emmy how'n,
bout half'n hour the barn bust out all in a lite
blaze, burnt up more'n twenty ton O. English
hay, and much as sixteen or seventeen cows,
and three O. Pettingell's horses-they didn't git
out but jest one old critter, and he amt good
for nothin'-burnt the rest on 'em all up clean.
Pettingell, he got home rite in the middle ont;
they amt no insurance, and he's most crazy
bout it he's ben takin' On wuss than ever
see; I've ben up there tryin' to cheer him
up, but he feels dreflle bad, tell yeou.' When
this circumstantial narrative was concluded,
there was a general slence-the result, proba-
bly,, Of sympathy for Mr.. Pettingell, and of
speculation, perhaps, upon the singularity of
the accident which had led to his loss. After
the lapse of several minutes, however, the pause
was broken by dull, frosty-faced old fellow,
who had been staring intently at the Goals ever
since the speaker had finished. Looking up
with an, as yet, unsatis6ed expression of face,
he inquired, Wei, did they kill the owI? p"
THE NEsroR OF THE HoUsE.-A Washing,
ton correspondent of the New York Herald
says:
"From my perch today, in the gallery G; the
House of Representatives, ! noticed, on M ex.
IRENE right, Joshua r. Giddings, of Ohio. the
Nestor of the House. A gentleman near me,
whose accent betrayed him as coming frop the
south side of the Potomac, remarked thpt he
looked like hog-drover. 1t may be he does,
but let US hope that he may not have occasion
to exercise his peculiar qualifications iB that
hpe hereafter in the House ofRepresentatives.v
A CAPITAL SToRY.-A correspondent of the
Springfield Republican tells the following story:
General Cass has fixed himself at the Ma
tional,' in Washington, the new proprietor of
which, Guy, of Baltimore, curiously enough, is
living fac siBi3e of the great Michigander.
Thereby hangs tale A guest at the hotel
lately astonished the Senator by demar;d for
better room. About an hour afterwards, as
Gen. Cass was leaving the house for the Senate,
up came the man again, and this time he COM
menced his remarks by familiar slap on the
shoulder. Now I've got you, old Guy, said
he, and | want you to have me moved down
story or two. Confound it, / thought | ~sked
you this morning, but it turned out to re old
Cass was speaking to, and he looked as Gross
as a bear with a sore head Sir replied the
Senator, in a stern tone, and with pulver:zing
glance, you are evidently liable to mistakes,
for you are now talking to Gen. Cass second
time. Good morning, SIR The aston,shed
victim rushed to the bar, paid his bill to Nicol-
son, (once of the Hanover House, Boston, and
moved to Wizards without delay"
A DISTINCTION WITHOUT DIFFERENCE
BY Mr.. William Sykes This first appearances in
our columns J
II fellows break into n house
To bone the cash they needs,
And gets of safely with the swag.
Ills said the thief succeeds
If Bankers does the self same thing.
Upon larger scale,
And they gets safely all the swag,
IT'S said the Bankers fail!
Comic Tones
STEPHEN HALL, queer genius, had made
FREQUENT gracious promises to his troubled
friends. that he would put himself out Of his
way. One singing cold night he vowed he
would 90 out and freeze to death.
About eleven O'Clock, he returned, shiVering
and swapping his fingers. a.
"Why don't you freeze?" asked living
relative.
"Collel" said the pseudo suicide, when
freeze, mean TO take g. GARNER night than
this for it."
CURIOUS ELoPENENT-The Chicago Demo
crat, of Tuesday, says that woman arrived in
that place few days previous, with the dead
body of her husband, which she was taking
East for burial. On the route, she fell in with
a young man, and, on the arrival of the cars
at Chicago, they went off together, leaving the
dead body of the husband in the depot, where
it has remained since. .
THE PAPER PLANT IN WIsCoNsIN-J Under
this head (says the Boston POST we hsre be-
fore us a description of plant discove' ed in
this country by Mrs. A. l.. Beaumont, of reua.
She has furnished us with fine sample ef cot
ton, and also of fax, from the same plant,
which she describes as follows
~ discovered, two years ago, plant that
Yields both cotton and fax from the same root,
and believe am the first person that ever cul-
tivated, spun, and knit from it. am persua-
Q0O tnat any dTtiCic VIII uidhc as SOOu ciotu
as can be made from this plant will make good
paper; hence / call it the paper plant. It can
be planted in the spring, and cut in the fall or
winter. 1t bleaches itself white as it stands,
and will yield at least three or four tons TO the
acre. From single root that transplanted
last spring, there grew twenty large STALKS, with
three hundred and FIVE pods, containing the
cotton with at least sixty seeds in each. From
this root obtained seven ounces of pure cotton
and over half a pound of fax. 1t is very
heavy plant, and grows from six to seven feet
high"
FLOUR FOR THE CRNEA.-There has been a
steady and active demand for -four during the
week, and sales have been made, reachipg near
ly 5000 barrels, mostly to one firm. TITS -four
is bought on foreign order, and without doubt
will find its way to the Crimea. This firm have
within the past few weeks purchased. IN this
market about 10000 barrels of flour, at an ave-
rage of say S7.75 per barrel.
Detroit Adce,. User:
CENSUS OF ILLINoIs.-The returns Of she re-
cent census of Illinois are still incomplete ia a
few counties, but estimating these nj IN the
most reliable data, the population of To-! State
reaches l,27l ,055, against 851 ,470 in tie year
1850, showing total increase of 4l9. i85; or
in the ratio of 49 per cent. Should tb same
ratio of increase hold good in the mt St i've
years, the population of the State will in the
year 1860 reach 100000. -