The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer., 1862-08-16
maxim jest about the neetest bow that ever

maxim jest about the neetest bow that ever
was.
After we had seen all the troops an
made all the inquiries We wanted to, we
cum away. The seceshers did not trub-
bel us comm down the river, an we soon
once more were sailin up the Potomack.
Comm up the river the day was warm, an
we all felt fust rate that Mcclellan was as
well off as he was; the Kernel csed he
felt jest as if he'd like to have swim. All
hands agreed it would be capital chance,
an so Linkin, and Blair, and Stantin's
chief clark, undressed for splurgein the
water. The Kernel asked me to 20 in
too, but telled him that hot as it was,
my rumatiz would not allow it. Wen
they got about reddy, now, ses I, "Ker-
mel, look out and don't go where the wa
ter is too deep, for if you get tuckered
out or have the cramp, you may not get
back to the bote." He sed "there warn't
eny danger-that he he'd swum in the
Mississippi river nigh about all over wen
he was boy, an that he guessed he could
stand the Potomack." So off they went.
Linkin could outswim the hull party, and
Blair and the other feller with him look
ed like sun6sh along side sturgeon.
thought likely Linkin mite overdo him.
self, or got the cramp or sumthin, SO I
jest went to my valese and TUX out my
patent guilty perchy life preserver. 1
ment to have it reddy if enything hap
pened. Wal, [ hadent more than got
back to the side Of the -bote, wen l seed
the Kernel foundering and kickin, and
blowin, as eff be was chokin.
Blair and Stantin's chief clark were
tryin to help him, but it was like the
blind ledin the blind, an sech anuther
muss in the water you never did see. ]
saw that it was time for my life preserver.
So I jest blowed it up and hollered out to
Linkin to ketch hold of it, an told Blair
an the other feller to let him alone, that
that would save him. Wen Linkin got
hold of it. he jest raised himself rite up,
an looked as happy as boy with new
hat. He foated rite along towards the
bote, an soon cum aboard. Ses he, "Ma-
ljer, owe you debt of etarnal gratitude.
You've saved my life." Ses he, "Majer,
this life preserver Of yours is the greatest
article ever invented. Wen get dressed
| want to examine it. So, purity soon, he
cum in, an ses he, "let's take a good look
at it. So showed it to him. The first
thing he saw on one side of it was the fol-
lowing words: "1Re Constitution as 1t
IS and the Union as 1t pas" Ses he,
"Majer, what have you got that motto on
a life preserver for?" "Wal," ses I,
"Kernel, | put that there because of the
similarity between the two things. Now,
that preserver saved your life, didn't it ~
eyes, ses he, "Majer, it did" aWal,
| the sentiment IN those soords Is the life pre-
server of the country. You can't eny
more save the country without stickin to
them than you could have saved your life
without holdin on to the life preserver.--
You must stick to the Constitution as il
is and not as Sumner and Greeley want
it." The Kernel began to look kinder
struck up wen he see how had him, an
SO seein my advantage, I kept on. Ses /,
l"Kernel, the truth is, you are jest now in
swimmin with Greeley, an Sumner, an
Wilson, an Loyejoy, On Thad. Stevens,
an it is no wonder the country is like you
was jest now, chokin, and gaspin, an jest
reddy to sink. You must git out of sech
kumpany, an the only way to do it is to
lay hold of the "Constitution as IL i" an
ef you do that, you'll save the country
jest as easy as / saved you with that life
j preserver.'' Ses he, "Majer, hold up,
4 you're drivin your hoss rite into my sta
4 bic, an you don't give me chance to say
whoa Ses ], "Kernel, ego ahed, an ef
you kin refute what I've sed, Ed like to
see you. Ses he, ssMsjer do you know
why mans face is like the eend Of an
\ old fashioned house 7" Sss I, tsNo, Ker-
mel, can't say I do" 1WaLV ses be,
"because it's his gable ecnd." aWal,"
ses ], sthat may be good joke, but after
i all, Kernel, it don't answer my argu-
ments., But I couldn't git another
4 word on politics out Of Linkin that day.
He seemed to keep up more Of q thinkin
than I'd ever seen him before. We an
got home to the White House safe that
mite, an, on the hull, the trip had not only
bin pleasant, but profitable, for Il will
lead to some CRATE changes in few days.
Yours, till deth,
MAJER JACK DOWNING.