The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1861-03-27

Why Diggsse Thou. ii
The following amusing caricature ~aA
written for on eastern paper by physiciaf'
who wandered away to the Pixies Peak
country and turned miner. Il is pretty
COED, ft@ a@- ~@ts@sH
"wAY wItr You bIos" Son Of man
for the light of whose presence my spirit
yearneth and my bowels grumbleth, dost
thou ask me whyf It is not written that
fortune smiles upon foolsl And fot tbs
sake Of all these smiles hath not thy ser.
vant been making fool, yea, and an ass
| Of himself, in vainf For five months and
ten days he has sojourned in this place.
he has divcd into watcr--he has torn anci.
ent rocks from their resting places, and re.
moved them afar off--he has likewise torn
his breeches in parts not to be spoAs'sa Of
he has rooted into the mud like Unto .
swine. His beard has grown long-the
skin upon his hands and face hath changes
its color until he is now like unto wild
beast, and his garments are red and soiled,
SO that "sack cloth and ashes" would be as
fine linen and purple to him. He who in
time past was wont to fare sumptuously
and to grumble over great delicacies which
were then piled upon the table Of Dives.
now snuffs with gladness the fragments Of
pork and beans, and gnashes his teeth if:f
patiently over flying slspjack. He bolt
eth raw onion with unspcakable avidity.-
Potatoe skins fear his presence, beef vanish-
es from before him, and dogs look in vain
for the bones. In his sleep, nevertheless,
the good angel Of the past dcigns to visit
him, and delightful visions are opened to
his recollcctions, for delicious bill Of fare
floats before the mind of the dreamer, and
he orders oysters and tarrapin for six, only
to wake up to get his Internal slap-jacxs and
lnolasscs.
All this truth hath thy servant endured.
Is he not then fool, an abomination in the
very sight Of wisdom? Imust secrete my
self in fortunes path, and seize her una.
wares. But she gldeth of, As though had
caught hog by his creased tail. Sic tran
sit, | exclai,n, as with sick heart revilc
poverty and curse fortune.
Surely he hath not sinned as other rner'
sinneth. He had not coveted his ncighbor's
OK nor his ass, nor his an-servant, nor his
maid servant, for be it known unto thee,
that there are no maid servants here. He
hath abided by the Law and the Prophets,
and the profits have not a6ided with him.
Now, therefore, rcnounce these diggina
II absquatulate these premises-I va,nose
the ranche-I depart without scrip or prov.
ender, taking no care for the morrow, for
the morrow takes no care Of me. Ere fivc
days shall have passed, the shirt tail Of thy
servant will be waving in the breezes OF the
Grcgory's Diggins.
A remnant Of it will be nailed upon the
highest mountain that he crosses, as IN em-
blem Of the extremity to which man may
be reduced in the land Of Ophir. Yet think
not, oh, Elisha! that would rend my gar
ments for this alone. Verify say unto
thee, an evil genius hath long pursued me.
She hath followed so close upon my foot
steps that every thread and fibre of my old
shirt are familiar to her eye. And il, in her
pursuit Of me, she could gaze upon all this
relic in the solitary fastness Of the high
mountain, she will at one recognise it, and
believing me to have been torn and destroy
cd by wild beasts, she win retrace her steps
and thus will I escape her.