Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-05-27
THE DOWN-EASTER AND THE BULL
A TRUE STORY.

What lam going to relate hap
pened in Muscatine county, Iowa
midway between Iowa City, ther
the capital Of the State, and Musca
tine City, a hourishing town on the
Mississippi, in a section of thu
country called the Wapsinoenoc
settlement from a creek bearing the
name, which runs through the set.
tlement. -rrrr-
1t was in 80, (and that part Of
Iowa was then thinly settled, J that
l found myself one evening at the
Eagle Hotel, in West Liberty, q
village Of some five houses, about
one mile west Of Wapsinoenoc
creek, { Wapsi-white, and noe
creek-literally white earth creek,
and situated on a beautiful prairie
billow. @ at /.
Some half dozen travellers and
villagers were lounging in front OF
thG ample fireplace in the bar room
for, though the settlers had only
q few days since finished their har-
vest, the evenings were somewhat
ccol, and small fire was necessary
to the perfect comfort-talking of
their prospects, and whether there
was likely to be a large emigration
pass through to California in the
spring to buy their surplus food
and other produce, when a new
character burst upon the stage. AS
the door was flung open, all eyes
were fixed in stare of astonish-
ment and wonder upon the new
conner
The stranger was tall, raw
boned, lantern-ia -iawed individual,
with haxen locks struggling about
his shoulders. His long spindle
legs were encased in blue jeans,
and he wore a coat of the "steel
pen cut" and in color what he
would have denominated "but'n nut"
with an oil cloth cap drawn so tight
ly down upon his head that it had
the appearance ofhaving been "pas,
ted on"
Then what appeared most strange
and unaccountable was, that he
was wringing, dripping wet. His
whitish yellow earlocks were parted
down to his cheeks, and streaks of
dirt marked the divers miniature
water. courses down his forehead,
and his nose, while water dripped
from the claw hammer ia Is Of his
coat and from the wristbands of the
same. On his back he carried an
oil-cloth carpet bag, securely fas-
tened by stout leather straps which
crossed on his breast. Marching
into the middle Of the room with
an immense clatter Of his cow-hide
boots, he halted and cast an in
quiring glance around the circle
occupying the benches in front of
the fire Mr. Bagely, the landlord
of the Eagle" arose, nodded and
said:
Good even'n, sur"
"Heow dye dew2 Be yew the
landlord O. the house ?"
"Yes,r."
"Wan't tknow? Reckon yew
couldn t keep a Teller hur, nor give
him bite suthin' for supper, could
yer?'
"Yes-r."
aye mean to say ye ken--bed an
breakfast?"
eyes +.
"Gol darn glad to hear on't-an'
if yew kin just mix fcller q little
suthln' hot an strong, with a good |
deal O rum int, an but leetle wa
ter, it'll do me a mazin' sight o.
good"
"Yes-r."
"Strong, mind; good deal O
got rum ?"
"Ycs-r."
While the landlord was prepar-
ing his rum, the stranger stood in
front of the bar, with the pack still |
upon his back, evidently bent on
seeing that the correct thing was
done in the rum and mingling.-
Then having imbibed a Irregular
snorter," he asked the landlord to
assist in removing his pack. This
being done, he was about handing
his carpet baA over to the landlord
to put behind the bar, when he
caught sight of an immense rent in
it, and therefrom protruding the
corners of articles ofcrothing with
in it. The instant he made the
discovery, the carpet bag fell from
MS hands, his jaw dropped, and for
few seconds he stood the very i'm
lge of despair. At length he rous-
ID himself, and striking his clench
ID fists against his forehead, he
lowled, in a voice of heart-rending