The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-04-01
The Left-Handed Fiddler.

try" Here it was necessary to make decid-
ed demonstration, and accordingly The two can
didates fairly spread themselves to catch all
votes possible, soaring up the American eagle
and calling down the shade Of Washington ;
pitching out profuse promises, and pitching
into each others party politics, in manner
decidedly refreshing to the hearers. On the
first days canvass. victory hung suspended by
the tail feathers over the rival forces, but the
second day fell into the lap of the shortest and
stouIest candidate. leaving his long and lean
opponent "no kind of a show In vain the
long man pumped up the waters of eloquence
and poured out full stream, there was no.
body to drink. But round the short man ell
bowed and crowded mass of thirty voters.
drinking in his tones with delight. Why this
attraction? Had he barrel of old Bourbon
whiskey? No! he had a fddle!! Getting the
start Of the long man. he had addressed the
voters in a short speech, and then. for the first
time, bringing out fiddle, retired a short dis
tance from the speakers stand, in order to let
lis opponent reply, playing, however, such
lively airs that he soon drew the entire assem-
bage away, and leftthe other sideof the ques-
ton unattended to, unheard. s<.ss = az.s
For three days in succession short man and
the fiddle carried the day, in three successive
mass meetings, in as many towns in the bill
country, and the long whig's chances fora sim
gle vote in those parts grew remarkably slim.
In vain long consultation was held BY the
latter with his political friends. ~ esd @@@A
Get the start of him at the next meeting
and speak frst," advised one
Raise fiddle and play them tunes!" said
another. -szsz1E -@sz sat4-.v .agzasggs
yell the rapscallion down, shouted third,
The long man followed the advice of his first
counsellor, and got the start in voice, but the
noise of the fiddle run him neck and neck. He
would have listenedlo 10 his second monitor and
raised a fiddle, only he knew it would fall
through as he couldn't scrape note. AS for
his third adviser, he told him as for cycling
down" the short animal it was "simply rid
culous.'' .=sz =5..s5 4ssv 81. ~ez .=5uzkaG
Affairs grew desperate with long man when
on the third meeting he saw, as usual, the en-
tire crowd of voters sweeping off after short
man and his fiddle, leaving only one hearer,
and he lame cobbler, who was just about to
hobbe off after the others. -sarr =estgzzzeE
"Can it be possible that tfreemen-citizens of
this great and glorious country -neglecting the
vital interests of their land, will run like wild
men after ca!gut strings? Can it be possible,
say?'' And the lame man, to whom the long
speaker was thus eloquently discoursing, an
swered, as he too hobbed off, "Well it can,
old hoss!" 8 las 7@ a@lzf-~z 5#t
Despair encamped in our long friends face.
as he watched short man at a distance playing
away for dear life and the gubernatorial chair
on that "blasted'' old fdde but suddenly
ray of hope beamed over his "rueful visage,"
then another ray till it shown out like the sun
at midday. .'Got him now, sure!'' he fairly
shouted, as he threw up his arms, jumped from
the stand, and started for the dingy tavern,
where he collected his political friends, consist
ing of the landlord and one other, and there un-
folded a plan which was to drive his rival "no
where in no time" ..-.... .-.. .....,.~
The fourth meeting was held. Short man
addressed the crowd with warmth, eloquence
and brevity, vacating the stand for his adyer
sary, and striking up lively air on the violin.
in order to squash his proceedings, but though
as usual, he carried the audience away, he no.
ticed that they were as critical IS numerous.
One six footer, in homespun walnut dyed
clothes, with wild looking eyes, and coonskin
cap, watched every movement of the fiddle bow,
with intense disgust, finding utterance at last
in, why don't you fiddle with that t'other
hand o'yourn?''' s--
"T'other hand" shouted chorus of voices
''Fire up with that t'other hand?" Faster
played the short man, but louder and louder
shouted the crowd "T'other hand t'other
handp' g E.z ..-.- -G u-..E A..
"Gentlemen, assure you-' s. ..r.s
''No more honey. old hoss. We amt b'ars!"
shouted the man with the coon-skin cap.
"T'other hand, t'other handR yelled the
crowd: while even from the distant stand.
where the long man was holding forth, "to
next to nobody" for listeners, seemed to come
faint echo. ''T'other hand, t'other hand!'
Short man began to be elbowed crowded,
pushed; in vain he tried to draw the bow; at
one time his bow arm was sent up to the shout
der over the bridge;a at another, down went tho
fiddle, until he shouted out .,..-s ...--...
"Gentlemen, what can I do but assure you
that ~. --5'-
"T'other hand!' roarcd coon skin, should
ering his way close to the short man We've
heard about you! You fiddle down thar in
that d-Blue grass country, 'mong rich folks
with your right hand, and then when you git
up in the hills, 'mong pore folks, left hand fd-
dis good enuf for them: you've cussedly
missed it! Left hand doin's wont run up
Iup hear; tote out your right hand, stranger. Or
look out for squalls!'' 'l.--9l z..2 4 gs- sa.a
The short man looked out for squalls, threw
down the fiddle and bow, ohp-jumped on
his horse and put straight horse-ta between
him and his enraged fellow citlzens.'
z@a'ltis a fact, says the long man" my op-
ponent being left-handed rather told against
him up in the hill country, and whoever crcu
lated the story, up there, that he always fd
died with his right hand down in the Blue
grass couItry, headed off his music for that
campaign" g.. - -..... g.. Porter's Spirit.
MUN1FIcENT SAvAN-We learn from the
Charleston Mercury that Michaux, the well
known French botanst and author of "Ameri-
can forest trees" has remembered the new
world in which be so long labored, most mu~
nihcently, in his last will and testament, be-
queathing us the generous sum of $4,000.
FOR the encouragement Of sylvyculture and hor
ticulture; S14 900 to the American Phosoph-
ical Society, and $4,000 to the Massachusetts
Agricultural Society. 1t is now more than half
century since Michaux's first labors in this
country, and there are at present growing on
the Ashley river, South Carolina, says the Mcr-