The true Democrat., 1856-12-23
Playing Old Sledge for the Presi'
 danCv
Dream of Slut LuvengOod.

we'll out, WiiaC was your dream! Tell us; if you ever dreamed anything smart your friends ought to know 1t for the benefit of your car-ac-ter, for cuss me if you ever houoht anything smart awake"
 Thus bantered, Slut leaeed against the roucb board counter of the doggery, with tumbler of whisky in one hand, while the other sound- ed for the bottom of hole in his brooches, by courtesy called pocket-took small sip, and began to tell his dream. Hear him, reader, speak fol himself:
 "Gentle- men! 1 dreampt an unposibiity last mite. wur in Washington city, an know never will be thar, onless they take me thar tu. hang UT cruelty me fur drinkin' more nur my sheer of ov the peoples drink, old rot gut. But in my dream l was thar, an' DO mistake sartain sure-at thundern' big taven, whar, they rung leetle bells tu keep from hollcrin' arter the triggers an maxim noise; an whar they called yu tu your mush by rattln' on a big still bottom just fur the sake ov the noise; an whar they took thirty dimes day fur doin' nothin' fur yu; an whar they gin yu sass enuf tn make yu fte Cat hone) fur nuthin' at all.- Darn the seat ov govurment! Darn the legs an' body ov govurment!-an' darn everybody, say!'
 "Tell your dream before you get drunk, you long legged cuss you, or let somebody tell it for you"
 Thus reprovcd, Sut sheered into the channel
 "Well, arter supper awhile, I nosed round ontil got inter a room whar seed lite, an thar sot three fellers playin' ov old sledge.'" !"
 "Old what?''
 |" Seuen-,p, you drotted weazel skinned, frog legged son ov kangaroo"
 This was addressed to young specimen of the intenstmus An,ericanus anti- PopeatiJus n.l- d1eusimus who shone resplendent from K, in tights, small cane, and watch ribbon, and had laudable desire to learn something of the hidden mysteries of "old sledge" He played only on an asthmetic trombone and "schess," :" when Tn the scity."
 " They war playin' seven-up with bran new kerds, spank span new and no marks, every feler fur his self seemingly. Now, gentle men, believe kin smell kerds, eff they ar in mo- tion as fur as rum here tu the spring, or how the devil did l happen tn hit onto that room whar gambolliug wur gwine on? But thar did go by instink, reckin' an the three fellers wur nobody on yearth but Buck cannon, Fill more, and Fremount, an they wur a playin' a single game ov seven-up for the Presidents cheer ov these free an awful United E Puri- bus States, Atirty-one in number, an kivern' the whole yearth. Thar wur another chap inter that room, with one hand under his coat tai an tother astrokin' ov his chia, wakin' about sorter keerless like, but fust lookiu inter Fill more's hand ar then inter Fremounts, and then winkiu' and frownin', fIst at one ov them and then tother. Then he'd tiptOe an try to peep into Bucks hand. But the old ieler hit 1t under the shadder ov the table, and sorter looked at 1t sideways his self, an was a watchin' the peep-in feler too, all the while rite clost. His name was Sea-ward or He-ward, or sumthin oy that sort, no matter which. Now, gentlemen, kin play old sledge myself rite peart, and when l seed that t wuI game ov two pluck one, and that Buck can con was bound tu be skinned eff his hide didn't grow fast onte his bones got mad as bee in swarmln' time, an jist thought (minl l sed nuthin) that Pd like tu nook euuf of ov that chaps skull tu make built adlc, et 1 dara tu He IS darn'd snake ill the grass, sure.
 " We'll, arter they had played out their hands, Mister Buck cannon sez, d bowin' mity purhte believe, gentlemen, l had high jack, and that has sot me six, ef l aint mistaken Then both on eln, Fillmore aaa Frcmouut, spread all O Bucks tricks out onter the table, till they saw h5s ace ov trumps an' tbe jack ov trumps which he had cotch from Fillmore with the king ani then they agreed that he Wds six Sea-Ward said, Yes, he rcconcd that was the state of the game Fillmore then, as modest as fifteen year old gal, sed, l made low; vou kotch my juice with your old ace, NJ ster Buck cannon; and that sits me threc All agreed on that cont; and Fremount, leaning on his cheer back, whispered behind his hand tn me, And d-d low 1t was, too, don't yu think SOP an' his black must-tuch- us twisted up like into two corkscrews; but all agreed that Fillmore was three, an no mistake. Fremount then sed, I made ga1ne, an that sot me six with you, Mr. Buck k-cannon.' Buck bowed again tu that; but Fillmore said, Si-r-r I'll count game with you; this Is not adzactly accordin' to our understand ing, si-r-r,' and for the fust time he looked like he mout be made to tte. Sea-ward frowned, shook his head, winked and sweated nightly. Fremount did so too, an aH dt Old Fillmore, but 1t warn't no use, count game he would; and Ere mount beat him one. So that sot the game Buck six, Frenount six, an Fillmore three an Bucks deal an Fremount's beg or stand
 Buck licked his thumb and delt them mity slow and keerful. looked at Fillmore's kcrds he got em from the dea and 1t liked to knoked me down. There was the ace the king the queen, the jack, the ten, an Me juice ov trumps! Thinks l, oh Lordv!a and then look ed at him, an thar the old feler sot, his belly kivern the cheer all over, nearly out tn his knees, as solemn, as big, an' about as wise as an ole Dutch squire tryin of bastardy case with good proof agin the daddy. l tell ye boys, he looked jest like he had his fust big horn of whisky fur the nite, an felt it in his boots l tho't oh, Lordy, agin.
 Buck never turned up his hand, but axed Fremount what he ment tu do. He looked at his kerds, sorted em, then looked at em agin, then up at the lamp, then at Buck, scratched his year, shot up his eyes, an very slowly sed-- 1-b-e-g. By the jumpn Jehosephat! Buck run lem quick, and thot it no harm tn take another look at old Fill. He fotch low col licky sort ov grunt, and then he blowed. I swar, the wind come outen his nose, mouth, eyes, an years, an like to put the lamp out.
 "l lodged, an tux peep inter Fremount's hand, and now swar, that when mans six on big game of seven-up, 1 never seed list slch kerds. He hit tother three aces, bound to be high let what would cum-an' out-an' -out President at that Thinks I, o Lordy, Buck! o Lordy, Fillmore! am watched to see what suit was to make the President outen that darn'd mule -eatin' Fremount, when thars nara No Nothin' in hell ef he didn't turn jack list as easy as ef thar'd been fifty two of lem in the deck, and then only leaned back and smiled loud tira President! Fillmore rared back'ards outen his cheer, an tainted as comfortable on the floor as an old maid at a quiltn' when the kissin' begins. Fremount's eyes turned green the har on the back ov his head rs up like the teeth ov comb; his must touch-us turned up towards his eyes, he prayed like mule, an at one jump kivered old Fill as he lay, and then sot in tu btin' an chokin' an a maulin' ov him like the devil beatin' h,miny. This sort oy excitement fetched the old feller tn: an as soor as he felt all the hurtin' that was a gwine or all over him, inside an out, he sot rite in tt fghtn' tn, like an old stud hoss, an' thar they he'd it. looked at Buck, (who still hlt the kerds in his hand, with the jack turned up on top) as much as to say Shall part 'em?'- He shook his he'd, an put my hands in my pockets an kept outer thar way. They fit So,a by this time, tell yer-har, wool fur, an feath CTS flew, sorter like ginning cotton. Sea-warc cut dirt as soon as that orful jack was turned locked the door on the outside, an went strai tn nra,r m eet in Ninth street vhar [ roel ,,