Volcano weekly ledger. (Volcano, Amador County, Cal.) 1855-1857, 1857-01-10

the following lncident
On the occasion of the meeting it became
necessary that the letter of declination
should be publicly read, and the chairman
was called upon to fulfil the Office Chair
man accordingly 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 go. Tried the coat tail pock
ets--no success. Letter turned up missing.
Chairman stared at Secretary, and Secretary,
in turn, scrutinized the countenanee of the
Vice President; no Choate manuscript to be
found. The next step was for the person to
whom it was addressed TO go to his hotel,
Colonel Richard b. jones', in Dock street,
and hunt the letter Col. Jones was as busy,
when his guest entered as a musk-rat at
high water, engaged in giving Dutch car
penter directions for making an ornamental
cornice;
Whats the matter, sir" he asked as the
fat gent rushed into the saloon, pulling like
porpoise; whats your hurryY
why, Colonel I'm as mad as thunder;
I've lost Rufus Choate's letter to the Dem
ocratic meeting, and they're waiting to hear
it read"
"Ah, indeedl that's pity" remarked the
Colonel, with his usual sympathy. Where
did you leave it last?"
"Wel, the fact is don't know; but I'm
pretty sure l left it in my ROOM"
"Have you looked therel"
Yes: but can't find it."
"Why, that's very strange; nobody has
entered your room since you left. Suppose
you 90 up and take another look?"
The fat gentleman acquesced, and they
assembled the stairs together, when fat gent
espied paper lying on the floor, which he
declared to be the missing document. This
he seized, and hurried up to the State
House, where the meeting was in session
He entered, and as the audience were on the
climacteric of expectancy to know what Mr.
Choate's sympathes were; fat gents appear
ance. red as lobster in a new suit Of vermll-
lion with paper in his hand, produced
round of applause Fat gentleman subsided
into chair, and wiped his face with a square
yard of cambric, while Secretary arose, ad-
lusted his speetacles and neck-tle, pulled up
his shirt collar precisely three-quarters OF an
inch higher, and then unfolded the document.
When he did SO, he blushed scarlet, returned
paper to fat 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 it
was too late to read the letter, and while the
Secretary stated the facts Of the case, our fat
\ friend returned to Col. Jones, to enlist his
sympathy. While the Colonel was thus lis
tening to his chubby friends narrative, in
comes a Dutch carpenter, with planed
board under his arm sawed in angles innumer-
able. Dutchy looked rate, and, as a matter
of course. his employer wished to know why.
"Why, Chones, shust give up dis chob,
and has noting more to do nit it--dat ish ALL"
"Why not?" was the surprised rejoinder.
Yes, why not?" added fat gent, quite inter-
ested in the mans manner.
"Well, pecaused it takes too much shtuff,
und too much work; und loosh money on it
pesides"
"Why, you get all you ask, don't you?" in
quired the Colonel
Yes; but 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 ash
der tuylel"
"Why that's oddl' says the Colonel
" Let's look at it?"
Derc by tonderv' said Dutchy, produc-
ing the paper and spreading IT on the table.
Shoost dell me how you dinks make dat
for six tolarsl"
"The deucelp exclaimed the Colonel, with
\ emphasis.
"Goodness gracious" said the fat gentle
man, he's been making a cOrniee By that
Choate letter.
Such was the case The carpenter--a
newly arrived Deipsiger-had by some mis-
take got hold of the fat gentleman's treasure,
and supposing it to be the ColoneFs GRAFT OF
a tam Yankee cornce,p had faithfully en-
deayored to saw out a pattern 1t was
most unexamped case Of perseverance under
extreme difficulties as Mr. Choate's manu-
script looks very much what a Virginia worm
fence must appear to gentleman upon
hard spree