Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-11-17
EVENING STAR,
A TALE.


manuscript has frequently furnished the basi,
| of many a spirited boz mot. the best we ever
! saw having been penned by the late Ma IN,
North. But the peculiar illegibility of Mr.
Choate's handwriting will be seen by the fol
lowing incident
On the occasion Of the meeting IL bee ame
necessary that the letter of declination should
be publicly read, and the chairman was called
upon to fulfil the Office Chairman accord
irt;Iy rose in his seat and thrust his hand into
his left hand pocket to find the letter Letter
wasn't there. Chairman tried the right-no
90. Tried the coat tail pockets no success
Letter turned mp missing Chairman stared
at Secretary, and Secretary, in turn, scruti-
nized the cOuntenance of the Vice President
no Choate manuscript TO be found. The next
step was for the person to whom II was ad
dressed to go to his hotel, Colonel Richard 3.
Jones in Lock street, and hunt the letter.
Col Jones was az busy, when his guest enter
ed, as musk-rst at high water, engaged in
giving Dutch carpenter directions for ma.
King an ornamental cornice
what's the matter, SIR" he asked as the
tat gent rushed into the saloon, putting like a
porpoise; " what your hurry 2'
w ny, Colonel, I'm as mad as thunder.
I've lost Rufus Choate's letter to the Demo.
cratic meeting, and they're waiting to hear it
road.''
" Ah, indeed that's pity" remarked the
Colonel, with his usual sympathy. Where
did you leave Il last %
''Well, the fact is, don't know hut Pm
pretty sure / left il in my room"
HaVe you looked there ,"
Yes, but | can't find il.
why, that's very strange; nobody has en-
tered your room since you left. Suppose You
go up endtake another look pa
The fat gentleman acquiesoed, an they as
cended tho stairs together, when fat gent
q lrtY al
declared to be the missing document. This
he seized, and hurried up to the State House,
where the meeting was in session. He en-
t5red, and as the audience were on the eli.
materic OF expectancy to know what Mr.
Choate 5 sympathies were, fat gents appear.
ance, red as a lobster in a new suit of vermil-
lion, with paper in his hand, produced a
round Of applause.
Fat gentleman subsidized into a chair and
wiped his face with a square yard of cam brio,
While Secretary arose, adjusted his spectaclcs
aad neck-tle, pulled up his shirt collar pre-
ciseiy three quarters of an inch higher, aud
then unfolded the document When he did
30, he blushed scarlet, returning paper TO ia;
gent and sat down. Audience began to hiss,
while fat gent soon saw that, instead of the
Choate letter, he had brought with him, by
mistake, an architectural design. The house
then went into an uprOar. As il was too late
to read tho letter, and while the Secretary
stated the facts of the case, our fat friend re-
turned to Col Jones, to enlist his sympathy
While the Colonel was thus listening to his
chubby friends narrative, in comes a Dutch
carpenter. with Z planed board under his
arm, sawed in angles innumerable. Dutchy
locked irate, and, IS a matJer of course his
employer wished to know why
- why, CEones, L shust give up dis chob
and hes noting more to do NIT it-dad ish all -
"W Why not 20 was the surprised rejoinder
- fe!, why lot ?'' added fat gent, quito in
terested in the man manner
Well, pecausc il takes too much shtuG.
und too much work; und loosh money on it
pesides'
why, you get all you ask, don't you y'
inquired the Colonel
" Yes; bat you tell me dat de diagram was
plain, und you sends me one what ish differ
ent every ten foot und ash hard to make as
der tuyfel "
why, that's odd" says the Colonel.
" Let's look at it 90
"Dere, by tonder!" said Dutchy, produ-
cling the paper and spreading it on the table.
Shoost dell NE how you dinks L make dat
for six tOllars ~
The deuce :" exclaimed the Colonel, with
emphasis
Good gracious, :" said the fat gentleman.
: ne been making cOrntcs by that Ckoote
letter.
Such was the case. The carpenter-a new
~ arrived Leipsiger-had by some mistake
got hold Of the fat gentleman treasure, and
supposiDg it TO be the COIonels draft of a
- tam Yankee cornice," had faithfully en-
deavored 10 saw out pattern. Itwas most
unexampled case of perseverance, under ex-
treme difficulties, as Col Choate's manuscript
looks very much what a Virginia worm fence
must appear to gentleman upon a hard spree