The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-05-15
TEACHING A DEACON.

TEACHING DEACON.
A gentleman who resides in the town of Ell
more, Mequango county, Is, as he describes HIM
self, very Onsurtdin in politics, and, besides that
is the most onsartain practical joker we have
heard of late Here is one of his jokes:
The gentleman in his store one Sunday
morning preparing for the duties of the day,
when the deacon entered. An unfortunate pack
of cards was lying on the counter, and the Deacon
as in duty bound demonstrated with the joker on
his -ianous practice. The latter admitted that
it was an idle waste of time, and taking the cards
in his hand, moralized on the subject just as we'll
and warmly as the deacon. At the same time he
allowed few cards to fall here and there on the
counter, they lying very much in the shape Of
tricks and looking as if the two had been taking
a hand"
At this iuncture another member of the church
came in (the post office was in the store,) and all
at once the joker placed his finger couple of
cards on the counter, enchanting:
Now, deacon, tell you this won't do The
Queen always takes Jack, and ten the nine, and
so down, and if you don't attend you will never
learn the game That Jack is good card, but
my Queen takes it, besides one spot count for
game"
"Why, neighbour" exclaimed the Mortified dea-
con, "what On earth do you mean by all that"
Exactly what | say was the reply, "the
Queen takes the Jack, and its mne-you might
have trumped with it and saved it long ago; now
this Jack with low and game puts me out
At this moment the gentleman from MequangO
county turned round, pretended for the first mo-
ment to notice the brother deacon who had en-
tered, looked confused, dropped the cards and
vanished.
OF course the deacon was caught playing cards
on Sunday. He cited to appear before the
church for his back sliding and as the evidence
was complete, would have been convicted and Sc
verely punished, in spite of his protcstations of
Ignorance, had not our acquaintance Of the town
of Gilmore made his appearance in the nick of
time, as a witness in favor of the deacon, told
round unvarnished tale, and procured for him an
acquittal
1t is said to this day the deacon has an iucreas-
ing horror of cards, and though he feels convic-
ton that the Queen will take the Jack" and the
Jack can take the deacon, yet he has an utter
aversion to giving his ''high low Jack"
Hoe CHOLERA.--On the Goth of January last
we announced the appearance of hog cholera in
this county, and its ravages have been since more
general and sweeping than we had until recently
supposed. We learn from well informed persons
that not less than one thousand hogs big and lit
tie, have died of the disease As an evidence of
its malgnaEcy and that the above figures are not
oyerestimate, state that planter lost, out
of hundred and thirty or SO, one hundred head,
and another forty out of sixty. The disease is
now only stayed for the want of aliment to feed
upon.
This loss falls heavy and very discouraging upon
our planters at this time, many of them for a
year two past have been raising their own stock
thereby endeavorng to be independent of the
West for pork HadesbOro' Arqus
TRAPPING \ TIGER.-An ingenious mode of
tigerkilling is that which is employed by the ma
tives of Dude. They gather number of the
broad leaves of the prauSs tree, which much re-
sembles the sycamore, and having we'll besmeared
them with a kind Of bird-lime, they strew them
in the ANIMALS way, taking care to lay them with
the prepared side uppermost. Let tiger but put
his paw on one of these innoccnt-l looking leaves
and his fate is settled Finding the leaf stick to
his paw, he shakes it, in order to rid himself of
the nuisance, and finding that plan unsuccessful, he
endeavors to attain his object by rubbing it against
his face, thereby smearing the ropy bird-ime over
his nose and eyes, and gluing his eyelids together
BY this time he has probably trodden upon seve-
raj more of the treacherous leaves, and is Devil
dered with the novel Inconvenience; then he rolls
on the ground, and rubs his head aud face on the
earth, in his efforts to get free; by doing he only
adds fresh bird lime to his head, body and limbs;
agglutinates his sleek fur together in unsghtly
tufts; and finishes by hood-winking himself so tho
roughly with leaves and bird -lime that he lies
founderng on the ground, tearing up the earth
with his claws, uttering bowls of rage and dismav
and exhausted by the impotent struggles in which
he had been so long engaged. These cries are a
signal to the authors of his misery, who run to the
spot, armed with guns, bows and spears, and find
no difficulty in despatching their blind and wearied
toe.-Rutlcge's Illustrated Natural History
Husband not ResponsiJie.-In New Orleans,
few days since, Mr. Brown, who has a salary of
$500 per annum, was sued for S645 the amount
of bill of dress goods sold to his wife within
ten days, in November last The articles were
not necessary, under the most liberal use of that
term, and it appeared in evidence that the husband
had forbidden the plaintiff to trust his wife The
court decided that the plaintiff could not recover
lady who had been subpenaed as witness on
trial, asked her husband, in great trepidation,
what she would say if the lawyers inquired her age
"Say!" he replied; "why, tell them you hayn't /
yet reached the years of discretion"