New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-12-26
A blunder almost as amusing
THE vENTRILOoUIsT.

There were three men and a very handsome
girl loading an immense cart of hay. We walked
on, and at length this moving hay-stack overlook
us. remember it WELL with a black horse in the
shafts and a fine gray in the traces. We made
very slow progress for Naesmith would never
cease sketching or stopping us to admire the see
merry of nature.
Indeed, our progress was so slow that up came
the great Lothian peasant sitting upon the hay
lashing on his team and whstling his tune. We
walked on, side by side, for awhile, think about
half d mile, when, all at once, a child began to
cry in the cart-load of hay declare was cheated
Alexandra, | thought there was a child among the
hay for it cried with a haf-smothered BREATH that
/ AMI sure there never was such deception prac-
ticed in this world.
"What is the meaning of this?" said Terry.
You are smothering child among your hay"
The poor fellow, rough and burly as was his
outer man. was so much appalled, at the idea of
taking infant life, that he exclaimed in half ar
ticulate voice: II wonder how they could fork a
BARN up to me frae the meadow, and me never
ken!" And without taking time to descend to
loose his cart-ropes he cut them through the mid
die and turned off his hay, roll after roll, with the
utmost expedition and still the child kept crying
almost under his hands and feet. He was even
obliged to set his feet each side of the cart for
fear Of trampling the poor infant to DEATH AT
length when he had turned the greater part of the
hay upon the road, the child fell crying most Bit
terly amongst the hay. on which the poor fellow
CHS name was Sandy BurneD jumped off the cart
in the greatest trepidation. Oh, haze thrown
the poor thing ower" exclaimed he. /" / warrant
it's killed and he began to shake out the hay
with the greatest caution. and one Of my com
panions went forward to assist him. (" Stand
back! stand back!n cried he. "Yell maybe
tramp it's life out. I'll look for it myself But
after he had shaken out the whole Of the hay no
child was there to be found l never saw such
looks Of amazement as Sandy Burnets then WERE
He seemed to have lost all comprehension of
everything in this world. was obliged myself to
go on to the brow of the hill and call Oh some of
the Lawmakers to come and load the cart again.
Mr.. Scott and stripped off our coats, and as
sisted, and as we were busy loading the cart, I
said to Sandy, seeing him always turn the hay over
and over for fear Of running the fork through a
child. What has become Of the creature, Sandy
for you must be sensible that there was BARN
among this hay" s
"The Lord kens sr,n said Sandy.
s'Think ye the lasses are all safe and to be trust
ed?'' said l.
"For anything that ken, SIR"
''Then where could the BARN come frae ~
1.-THE Lord ken's, sir. That there was BARN, or
some semblance o. ane, naebody can doubt; but
Pm thinking it was fairy, and that I'm hauntit"
'Dd you ever murder any BARNS, Sandy?"
g oh, no wadna murder q BARN for the hale
world.''
y .But were We ever the cause of any lasses muir
dering their bairnsW
g Not that ken o. "
Then where could the BARN come frae ?---for
you are sensible that there is Or BARN among
your hay. 1t is rather bad looking lob, Sandy.
and wish you were quit of it."
II wish the same, sir. But there can be nae doubt
that the creature among the hay was either fairy
or the ghaist of BARN, for the hay was all forkitt
off the swaithe in meadow. And how could any
body fork up bairn, and neither him nor me ken5
We got the cart loaded once more, knitted the
ropes firmly, and set out but we had not proceeded
a hundred yards before the child fell a-crying
again among the hay with more choakng screams
than ever. Gudeness have care o US! Heard
ever ony levin the like o. that? | declare the
creatures there again!" cried Sandy, and fingng
himself from the cart with summerset, he off,
and never once looked over his shoulder as long as
he was in our sight. We were very sorry to hear
afterwards that he fled all the ways into the high
lands of Perthshire, where he still lives in de-
ranged state of mind.
We dined at +" The Hunters Tryste,' and spent
the afternoon in hlarity; but such a night of fun
as Monsieur Alexandra made us never witnessed
nor ever shall again. The family at the inn con-
sisted of the landlord, the wife, and her daughter
who was the landlords step daughter, very pretty
girl, and dressed like lady; but ] am sure that
family never spent an afternoon of such astonish-
ment and terror from the time they were united
until death parted them-though they may all be
living vet. for ANYTHING that / know. for have