The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-03-23

1 in the plank, larfed and hollered out
$50 it, country
siJest that minute there came man
runnin', putin and blowin, trying to
/ get onto the boat afore it left. He
was in such pucker that he bout
Knocked me over. He didn't see dad
/ they both sprung at the same time
/ the man for the boat, and dad for the
{ land. Plump they struck right agin
each other, and right down into the
briny deep thay went. Dad said af-
terwards that the water tasted about
as much like fish or pork brine as
! anything he knowed on.
The folks Oh the boat, which was
going way off by this time, cheered
/ just like Fourth of July celebration
and the people on shore hollered and
larfed. L was so mad that / could
have slapped them right in the face
and says dad-sputtering, kicking and
/ splattering-
'Iaugh at q fellows misGortunes! y
"Butthere were some real kind men
/ they took some long poles with things
kinder shaped like tish-hooks on the
! ends-they called them boat hooks.
| The strange man could swim, and he
swum and scrambled up onto the
shore, but them men they hitched
them ere hooks right into the slack OF
dads trousers and drawed him out of
the wafer. Warn't he sight! he
looked just like cat that had been
ducked in nlill-pond.
"'Let's go'n take somethin',' said
the stranger, smilin' but dad looked
as blue as an indigo bag; he didn't
know what else to say, SO says he:
"'Don't care if do
"Thc strange man went ahead, and
we and dad followed him. Bimeby
we came to place where the lower
panes of the window were white, so
you couldn't sec through 'em. Thinks
[ that must be a great thing, that must.
What's glass good for if you can't look
through it? Dad told us to wait out
side, and he and tine stranger went in.
Angeline and | stood up on tip-toe
and peeked through the upper panes
Of the window. Dad was drinking
something poured out of q tumbler !;
they seemed to be on first-rate terms
a tftttsfff4 and iaugt11r-. tse gafs got
eenanlost tired to death Eaitin' out
there. Dad and the stranger kept
drinkin' and dainkin' more than a doz-
en- times, and then dad came to the
door, and says he:
'''Come in, gals, and get some clam
soup.'
$50 we went in, and dad called on
the man that tended to fetch on his
clam soup for eight, and plenty of
broth. Then the strange man got
some sassaparilla for us gals, and some
of that other drink for him and dad.
By the time we got the sassaparllla
swallow Wed-'twas beautiful to drink,
but as cold as ifit had come out of the
North Pole-the soup was ready and
all smoking hot; but while we'd been
goblin our drink down like chickens
swallowing dough, dad and the stran-
ger had drinked two or three times.
"Well, we sat down to a table, and
the way we shoveled in the soup was
caution. After we'd finished, dad
told the man to fill 'em up again, then
he and the stranger took another drink,
well, after we got through, dad shook
hands withthe stranger, and we start
ed to go back to the park, where we
had left the old mare hitched.
"Dad hadn't any more than got out
of the door than he fell full length
right down into the dirt, which stuck
all over his wet clothes. He got up
then down he went again. Angeline
and l raised him, for we were Altered
that he might have hurt him. Ify0u'd
believe it, the very first step he went
down head first; that kinder MAIDEN
ed me, and says L:
'.sHain't you big enough to walk 2"
- .ol-
and laugh, and says dad, tryin' to
raise up, kinder stutterin':
"'Larf at a fellers misfortin'i'
"sWhat's the matter, dad p says |,
kinder takin' pity on him, for thought
the poor critter might be sick. He
didn't say anything, but kept a hic-
cuping.
ats wind on his stummick,' said
"tClams,' said dad, kinder mourn
fully.
"Now I'd always heard tell that
CLAIMS were mighty unhealthy in the
summer season. [ never knew the
symptoms of colleray afore-it's kind
er curious how it will throw folks
down. 1 thought the best thing we
could,do was to streak it back to the
pdtI II oSHu SC1 HOilIo Will ualI just iS
soon as we could, for was afeered-l
though L didn't say anything to the
gals about it, that some of us would
be took. [ believe should myself if
hadn't been so anxious bout dad
and the rest on 'em.
"Angeline and | just pulled him up
md took him by the arm and walked |
along. Twas a dreadful tedious job, |
tell ye, pullin' haulin' and luggin'
him along, and we got completely |
uckered out by the time we got to |
park.
lit at other folks misfortunes, but ev-
erybody that we passed grinned and |
aughed like monkeys; well, they say
It's human natur.'
"When we got to the park dad |
seemed to feel considerable better.
We sot him down on the grass and |
ct him lean back against tree, and !
hen | went and bought pint bottle I
'ull of good old cherry brandy, for /
it would be good for him.
took o swallow or so myself, and /
made the gals drink too. The rest /
hat was left poured down dads
hroat ii
''Then we onhitched the old -masa
md got ready to go home: told An
seline to drive and 1 would have dad
et on the seat with me. The gals all
rot in but Angeline and me we hist
I'd dad up into fhe wogon, and then
We got in.
"'Just put the old mare over the
'oad,' said 1.
''Angeline hit her whacking clip
With the end of the lines. She'd been
tandlng there so long, and got so
'estless and uneasy, that she give an
lwful jump and sent dad clean out of
he wagon, and almost jerked my neck
IF from my shoulders. Angeline
topped the mare as soon as she could
md we piled out. Just then a man
With blue coat all covered over with
'rass buttons, just like military Off
er, come UP. He had big star guilt
ust like his buttons.
"EWhat's the matter? p he axed.
"'Why, he fell into the ocean off the