The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1857-04-29

: O..
his heart, "thanks to my little beggar boy"
JOHN. PHGNTX. EN- ROUTE FOR
80, NEW ORLEANS. p ,.s. !
r"JoHN PAGNIx," in letter which is
published in the April number of the
Knicker6ocker, describes his trip, from
Boston to New Orleans. The letter is
irresistibly comic, of course, but we can
only give our readers a taste of its quail
ty and contents. He says:
ss0nAth fifth of-January,s at eight A..
NJ, left the fremont House in a hack
ney carriage, the wheels whereof had
turned into runners. This method of
progression, rendered necessary by the1
deep SHOWS, is considered a great amuse-
ment at the north. Being particularly
dangerous to life and limb, and usually
terminating in pulmonary consumption,
the pastime is very properly called sleigh
ing"
There is sharp satire in the following
sentence, which willreadily be'appreciated
by railroad travelers:E ~ ~. s
F4eOn-entering railroad car the first
object of the solitary traveller should be
to secure an entire seat to hilaseH This
may generally be done successfully by TAX
ing the outside scat ard skiilfully dispos-
ing a small carpet-hag, great coat, UNI
brella and cane, SO as to cover the inner
one AS the passengers go through into
the ca.r,smany will gaze earnestly at the
place thus occupied, but'wiil usually peefer4
TO move on rather than give you troubles;
hut E the ear+is qAiee filed, the. s.q.tcstien|
will undoubtedly he asked, rs that seat
taken, sir z" when you should reply, with
an imperturbable countenance, i. is, sir!'I
and the Inquirer with perhaps a slight
glance Of suspicion, will move on. AS q
mans object should he to make himself
as comfortable as possible in this world,
that his mind may be in proper frame
to prepare for the next, slight deviation
from truth for the purpose of securing this
object, like the above, is quite pardona-
be- u
Moralizing upon the nuisances which
infest the cars--the small boy with the
newspapers-the dirty boy with the pop
corn--the big boy with the fearful ap
/ ples--and the well-known and indefatiga-
BILE wretch with the ."lozengers ID Ohm
Phoenix, says the boy with the accordion,
has not got so far north. 1t was but the
week before that he met him on the Phil
adclphia cars:
sIt was after eleven o'clock; the train
had passed New Brunswick, and the pas
sengers were trying to sleep, Cha ha y
when the boy entered. He was seedy
youth, with seal-skin cap, singularly
dirty face, a grey jacket of the ventilat
ing order, and short but remarkably
broad pair of corduroy corduroys." He
wore an enormous bag or haversack about
his neck, and bore in his hand that most
Internal and detestable instrument, an ac-
eordeon. l despise that instrument of
music. They pull the music out of it, and
it comes forth struggling and reluctant,
like cat drawn by the tail from an ash
hole, or squirrel pulled shrieking from a
hollow log with ramrod. This unprin-
cipled boy commenced pulling at his thing
and Mortified us with the most awful ver
sion of that wretcheG "Dog Tray" that
! ever listened to- Then he walked
around the car and collected fortytwo
cents. Then he returned to the centre
of the car and standing close to the stove,
which wasred hot-the night being cold
he essayed to pull out Pop Goes the
Weasel" when suddenly pop went the
boy, he dropped the accordion, burst into
tears, and clapping his hands behind hin,
executed frantic dance, accompanied by
tyeIls of the most agonizing character. l
saw it all, and felt grateful to retributiye
Providence. He had stood too close to
the stove, and his corduroys werein light
iblaze; few inches below the termination
of the gray jacket was the seat of his wo.
After he got.on fire the conductor put him
out, and sweet and ineffable calm came
over me. i realized that "whatever is
lis right" and fell into deep and happy
sleep"
/ Passing over his account of the stop at
Albany, the journey to Buffalo, where he
fsaw nothing out railroad depot, but con-
Ecluded that of the cold continued the
Buffalo girls couldn't come out tonight, f"
we were introduced to another model rail-
] road traveller in the following paragraph:
| s4All day and night we ground along,
Tripping and staying.' sWepassed through
Columbus where thepeople had beenehas-
ing q grand ball to celebrate the compile
tion Of their State Capitol, and picked up
three hundred and eighty-feur survivors,
each of whom contained a pint, a half of
! undiluted whiskcy. And SO in the morn