New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-18
A SLOW COACH.
BY DON PIATT.

/
When the Patent Screw and Aug11r line
! of railway from PorkOpolis Terminated at
Muddleburg OhiO-it hae since come to be
| a great national thOroughfare-tb unhaDDv
| passengers were carried to all parts of the
| civilized world, as well as to New Jersey.
| by. the Old-fashiOned stages. These stages
ran crowded, and there was generally a
contest tor seats Governor Thomas Cor
WIN was to leave Muddleburg at midnirht
for the State capital in a stage. To secure
| the best seat this humOrist sat up all night.
lie was not alone, for he had a bottle of
Ghoice old whisky to keep him company.
lie tried the whisky, he said, plain. He
then mad 1t made into mint .julep, after he
nad discussed it in the shape of a smash
AoOuT eIeyen oclack he thought a cocktail
would add variety to this spice of life This
ne washed down with a hot punch. and
tueh' at midnight, just as he heard the
stage rattle IN, he took all that was left
straight"
SEEING his carpet sack and oyercOat. he
rushed out to find a crowd around the
stage, and without saving a word hut in a
greaC hurry, bolted in and ensc0unced him.
self in one corner upon the back seat. He
tell asleep cOngratulating himself upou
having been so fortunate, and had a dim
dreamy consciousness OF the stage rolling
away.
When he again awakened the stage was
at a stand-still; the curtains were all dewn.
the windows up; but enough DAYLIGHT cot
in to satisfy him that the institution had
done broke some time since. He hastily
started up, and dropping one of the win
doWs, was perfectly amazed to find him
self IN the wagon yard of a hotel Two :.
hCgs were getting their dinner out of Z
manure heap, while a melancholy g
stood chewing her cud, while worSS
her tail to keep it i'll practice for fly 80
a law hngtlaV. =
with pitchfOrk. A further note Of the
IOundings satisfied Governor COrwin til
he was in the rear of Muddleburg Hotel.
and that heshad been there from twelve
O'Clock the night before. Corwin was a
man OF genius, and it did not take linn long
to discover the cause of this extraordinary
result. He had got into a stage that had
come in instead of going out. The peOple
about this leathern convenience, when he
enscOnced himself, thought, as he learned
atterWard, that he was a passenger in
search OF an umbrella or some other article,
left behind,
The Governor opened the door of the
stage very softly. He crept out, trying to
feel that, as he said subsequently, his skin
hung loose on him. He could not escape,
however, the eyes of the hostler, who ex.
claimed, IN some establishment:
Hello, Governor, did they fOrgit and
leave yer in de stage ~
There, there, my man." answered Cor
win, giving him a silver dollar, ''you keep
your ty-trap shut, or there'll be a sudden
death in your family"
Fore God" exclaimed the hostler, az
COrwin walked away, "dat's most 'stronary;
the Governor Of Ohio done forgot in a stage
coach"
COrwin walked to the hotel, deposited his
carpetsack and coat behind the first door
ne encountered, and then sauntered into
the breaktastrOOm, trying to assume an
air OF man who had not slept in wagon
yard all night While discussing the oiled
sole leather and muddy coffee, for which
the American people pay hotel prices,
Trend on the other side of the table look
ing up suddenly, exclaimed:
-, Why, Governor, 1 thought you left for
the capital last night"
We'll exclaimed COrwin, with one of
the whimsical looks with which he was
wont to set the the table in a roar, Il was
under that impression myself"
Got left, did you ?"
Yes, believe l was a good deal left"
How was that, Governor"
"See here, my friend, " exclaimed COrwin,
carefully depositing his knife and fork on
each side of his plate as if they were articles
Of value, IF you will consent not to press a
further investigation on that subject, will
present your wife with a bonnet more like
a COal-scuttle than any now in market. If
you don't consent" he continued with wild
energy, Selling his fork. "Tll murder YOU"
he story, however, was too good for Tom
10 Keep to himself, and for years after he
was IN the habit of telling how he slept in a
itabIeyard, and attributed it all to some
very bad whisky that the Hon Salmon p.
Chase had given him.