The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-05-25
"CALL A MAN."
Any one who is disposed to try to

/ ANY OHS MAO QtSpOeC0 " "
laugh, will do well to read on.
John Jackson was a very industri-
Gus, harl working man of twenty
three years; being the eldest child
and the only SON, he had always re-
manned at home assisting his father
upon the farm. John was much re-
spected by everybody in the neigh
borhood, and many a bright-eyed
girl had thought she would like to
change her name to Mrs. John Jack
son. But John was no 8 lady's man.
The fact was, John was. very bashful
He would rather hoe potatoes all day
than undergo the ceremony Dian intro
ductiOn to young lady. Not that
John disliked The dear creatures-iaI
from it. We believe that he: in com
mon with all bashful, well meaning
men, entertained the very highest re-
spect and admiration for them. And
This, no doubt, was the principal cause
OF his bashiuiness. He Telt that they
were superior beings, and that he was
unworthy to associate with them up
on terms of equality. But we cannot
| stop to moralize.
Nancy Clark was the daughter of a
respectable farmer, whose lands ad-
1
| a pretty, saucy little wench. and she
liked John Jackson. When they were
children they attended h same
/ school. AS he was several years her
senior, he was usually her champion
in the childish disputes that arose,
and her champion i'll going and re-
turning. At last John became so
much ofa young man as to be kept from
school, as she had been in past years.
John discovered, too, that he had been
growing in stature, and it seemed as
if he had been growing out of shape.
His feet and legs appeared very awk-
ward he didn't know what to do
with his hands; his face panied him,
and, taken in all, he was inclined to
think he was not more than half put
| together.
Now the truth was, John jackson
was really fine looking young man,
and nothing but his admiration for
Nancy could. have suggested any fool
| ish thoughts about himself.
AS the novelist says, it was a love-
ly day in August. The heavens were
clear, serene and beautiful the trees
were laden with golden fruit, and the
beautiful birds twittered their sweet
songs of love in the branches. Earth
(there, we've slid down to earth once
more; such lofty flights make our
heads dizzy.) We were about to say
that earth had yielded her bounti-
tul harvest of years grass and clo-
yer, and honeysuckles, which the no.
BILE yeomanry of Chesterfield had gar
nered in their storehouses-but upon
second thought concluded to word it
thus: "The farmers of Chesterfield
were done haying."
John Jackson's sister had a quilting
that afternoon. His father had gone
to g ''Keith's Mill " to get some wheat
ground, and John was left to repair
some tools to be ready on the NOR
row to commence moving the mead
ow grass. Suddenly it occurred to
John that if he remained about the
house in the afternoon, he would be
called in at tea time and required to
do the honors of the table. To avoid
this, he quietly shouldered his scythe
and stole away to the meadow, half
mile distant, fully resolved that he
would not leave there until it was so
dark he could not see to NOW, and
thus avoid seeing the girls.
The meadow was surrounded on
all sides by a thick forest, which eff
fectually shut out what little breeze
there might be stirring. The sun
poured its rays as though the little
meadow was the focus point where
the heat was concentrated. John
moved and sweat-sweat and moved,
until he was obliged to sit down and
cool off. Then it occurred that if he
took off his pants he might be COM
Portable. There could be no imprO-
priety in it, for he was entirely con-
cealed from observation, and there
was not the slightest reason to sup
pose that he could be seen by any per-
son.
So John stripped off, and with no
cover save his linen-commonly call
ed shirt-he resumed his work. He
was Just congratulating himself upon
the good time he had haying, and the
lucky escape he mad made from meet
ing the girls, when he chanced to dis
turb a huge black snake, a genuine
water, with white ring around his
neck.
John was no coward, but he was
mortally afraid of snake. Self
preservation was the first "pass-
age" that flashed upon Johns mind,
and "legs take care of the body was |
the next. Dropping his scythe, and !
spinning round like a top, he was
ready to strike a 2 40 gait, when at
that moment the snake was near |
enough to hook his crooked teeth into |
Johns shirt just above the hem.-
With tremendous spring, he started |
at the speed of locomotive. His
first jump took the snake clear off the |
ground, and as John took a hasty
glance over his shoulders he was hor-
rified to find the reptile securely fas-
tened to the extremity of his gar
ment, while the speed with which he
rushed forward kept the serpent ex-
tended at an angle of ninety degrees
with his body.
Here was quanuary. If he stop
ped the snake would coil about his
body and squeeze him to death if he
continued the race he would soon fall
from sheer exhaustion. On he flew,
scarce daring to think how his dread
fulrace would end.
Instinctively he had taken the di-
rection of home, when feeling of Sc
curity came over him. Suddenly
flashed across his mind the true state
of affairs-his father gone-the quilt
worst of all, the girls! This
uGW AOIIOE ScHt lllo plOOu DdCk.
about his neck, and he came
TO dead halt. The next moment he
felt the cold, clammy monster in con-
tact with his bare legs, his tail creep
ing around them in a sort of oozing
way; as though his snakeship only t
meditated little fun, by way of tick
ing John upon the knees.
This was too much for human ell
1urance. With yell, such as man
never uttcrs save in mortal terror,
poor John again set forward at break F;
neck pace, and once more. had the {
pleasure of seeing the snake resume |
his horizontal position somewhat af-
er the manner of comet. [
On he flew. John forgot the quilt I
ng, forgot everything but the snake.
His active exercises Che paid partic- ]
llar attention to his running), togeth-
ar with thn ovonociuo ho1 :