The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-04-09
q Q -[cor. Phiiadelphia Press.
Balloon Dressing.


great delight in the election returns, be-
cause they give the details OF the manner In
which we have just saved the country. In
fact, nothing in our republican Constitution
is so delightful to my mind as the manner
in which our beloved country requires some
help every year, and great deal OF help
every fourth year. Every summer we are
informed that the restless, lubberly, spoiled
child has fallen into the water; and IN we
plunge after him, in the hot haste OF patrl-
otism. Ne have pretty long swim of it;
for we are never completely out OF the wa
ter until the first week in November; but,
on the other hand, we always have the sat
isfaction of seeing. the poor child hauled in
at one shore or the other. If it is on our
o,0n shore, some of US get the rewards o.
merit; or salvage money, or some such thing.
If it is on the other shore, we know thatwe
shall have another chance next year.
Well, vas reading to myself one Thurs
day evening, election speeches and election
returns. | was very much pleased with
some of the speeches, and ventured to read
aloud some striking extracts to my wife and
my five daughters, who sat around the ex-
tension table. By the way, | thought
they (my wife and daughters, | mean), with
their. full faces and expanded skirts, looked
exceedingly like caulifowers Joined to in
verted cabbages, the waist being the point
of junction; but am man of peace and
did not say 80. only took a quiet place,
or rather puncture, in the domestic circle,
which would have been complete female
round-robin, if | had not been visible at a
certain spot, looking for all the world, with
my smooth bald pate, like hydrant set
there to water the tender plants around me.
| My elegant extracts did not please my
audience. had supposed that they would
be delighted with the manner in which one
orator defed " the myrmidoms of power"
and touched by the picture of Kansas
fainting from the loss of blood" which
another speaker feelingly drew. But my
wife tartly remarked that such ranting was
absurd, and that for her own part, she was
tired to death of having the country saved !;
| that she saw no evidence of anything wrong
in the condition of our people; and that she
should not believe in anything of the sort
until she found dearth of fresh and desi-
rable goods at I4evy's and Evans "If"
! she continued, triumphantly-" if the coun-
try ID 80 poor, as you say it is, and we must
change our policy to avert bankruptcy, how,
| in the name of common sense, do such goods
| get here Remember" said she, that
they are not staple goods or things that
| must be sold, because there are too many OF
them in the world. They are choice goods
of new styles, and command good prices
and good pay throughout the world"
! My daughters smiled. | perceived that
the weight of the meeting was against me
| even began to think that there was little
bombast in the speeches. So | got at the
election returns again. Figures cannot lie
but they can put man to Sleep and / soon
began to dream.
The dream ran thus: | met Tompkins al
ThirteeHth and Walnut streets He is mem
Der of the club; in fact, | may say quite {
club man. lie was a Freshman when | was
a Senior. So | can take the privilege O
lecturing him whenever | choose. " How
is it, Tompkins," said | (for the nine ant
fortieth time, have no doubt), chow is i
that you do not marry? That institution,
pointing significantly to the club building
" has las my wife always said it would
brought you to great destitution of the com
forts of domestic life" ' Marryl" sait
Tompkins, impatently, "do you suppose
my dear fellow, that my poor business vii
support the expense of one set of silk bal
Icons to begin with, to say nothing of fiv
O. six more, which are sure TO be the Gu
muiative blessings of happy marriage upol
ones old age . Balloons | reloined il
astoni>hment, q who said anything to yol
about keeping silk balloons?" lie mad
no reply, but giving me Neutrality-suspicious.
Multiplying look, put his foot on the steps
and disappeared through the door of tha
pile of brick-work, which | had been for
hidden to enter BY will notsay by whom
Perhaps it was by my rich old uncle. Per
hdps 1t aods not
turned up Walnut street; as | did so, tw
magnificent brocade balloons hove in sight
coming rapidly down the street. The,
foated along at a height of nine or ten fee
from the ground, so that felt no apprehen
sion for my hat, although was on the sam
side of the way. Their vertical diameter
were about three feet-their horizonta
diameters were at least six. There was NJ
car underneath. There was, however,
passenger above in each one. | could Sc
the tasty bonnet, the India shawl, the lac
under-sleeveS of either occupant, and hea
their shrill voices and merry laughter a
they floated on, without any serious mpedi
ment from an easterly wind | was muc
delighted with the perfection to which tn
art of flying had 80 suddenly been brought
| iOl L SdW, u
the opposite side of the street, couple {
peg-top gentlemen, one of whom | knew
slightly. He visited at our house occasion
ally-that is to say, he called at our hous
once after every party that we gave. N
wife and daughter were SO much delighte
with his condescension, that | had neve
ventured to say that l remembered seein
his father seat my fathers breeches Bot
he and his companion spoke with the mo,
unaffected West-end plunges and grimace
to the fair occupants of the balloons, an
. there was in their manner no surprise be
j yond what is common on all occasions i
thorough peg-tops | concluded, therefore
that ballooning was quite an ordinar
thing, as Tompkins, moment before, ha
said it was. So | crossed the street, an,
said, in an indifferent tone, to my aristC
cratic acquaintance, " Mr.. Sartor, do nc
exactly understand these balloons, nor +,
= member when they came up. Can you Ell
Tighten me? The young cub (excuse m,
my dear wife y stared for ii moment tappe
his head significantly and exchanged sue
a look and laugh with his friend, that wa
glad to make great strides, and turn out
Walnut street at the corner of Broad.
, | I i,,tn cfr /