The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1872-07-27
A Slow Coach.
BY DoNN PIArr.

When the Patent Screw aud Augur
Line Of railway from Porkopolis termi.
mated at Middleburg, O.--it has since
come to be a great national thoroughfare
the unhappy passengers were carried
to all parts of the civilized world as we'll
as to New Jersey by the old fashioned
stages. These stages ran crowded, aud
there was generally a contest for seats.
Governor Thomas CorWin was to leave
Middleburg at midnight for the State
capital in a stage. To secure the best
seat this humorist sat up ell night. He
was not alone, for he had a bottle Of
choice old whisky to keep him company.
He tried the whisky, he said, plain. He
then had it made into mint julep after
be discussed il in the shape of a smash.
bout ii O'CLOCK be thought a cocktail
would add variety to this spice Of life.
This he washed down with a hot punch,
and then, at midnight, just as he heard
the stage rattle in be took all that was
left straight"
Seizing bis carpet sack and overcoat.
be rushed out to fnd a crowd around the
stage, aud without saying a word, but IN
a great hurry, bolted in and esconced
himself in one corner upon the back seat.
!. He fell sleep congratulating himself upon
having been 80 fortunate, aud had din,
dreamy consciousness Of the stage roll
ing away.
When he agaiu wakeued. the stage
was at 4 stand still the curtins we're all
down, the windows up (; but enough day
| light got in TO satisfy him that the instI-
tuition had "done broke" some time since.
He hastily started up, aud dropping one
of the windows was perfectly amazed to
find himself in the wagon-yard Of a ho-
tel. Two hogs we're getting their break
fast out of a manure heap. while a mel
aDcholy COW stood chewing her cud,
while working her tail 10 keep il in prac-
tice for fy-time. A lazy hostlcr was
entertaining himself with pitchfork. A
further note of the esurrouDdings satisfied
Gov. Corwin that he was in the rear Of
the Middleburg hotel, aud that he had
J been there from twelve o'clock of the
| night before. Corwin was a man of &c.
MUS, and it did not take him long to
discover the cause of this extraordinary
result. He had got Into a stage that
had cope 10, instead Of going out. The
people about this leathern convenience,
/ when he esconced himself, thought, as
be learned afterward, that he was pas
senger in search Of an umbrella, or some
other article, left behind.
The Governor opened the door of the
stage very softly. lie 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 exclaimed in some astonishment:
"Hello, Governor, did dey forgit and
leave yer in de stage p
There, there, nv man." answered
Corwin, giving him silver dollar. You
keep your fly trap shut or tbere'll be a
sudden death in your family"
"'Fore God" exclaimed the hostler,
as Corwin walked away, "dat's most
stronary the Governor Of Ohio done
forgot in a stage coach"
Corwin walked to the hotel, deposited
his carpet sack and coat behind the first
door he encountered, and then sauntered
into the breakfast-room, trying to assume
= an air of man who had not slept in q
wagon yard all night. While discussing
the oiled sole leather and muddy coffee
for which the American people pay hote
prices, friend on the other side Of the
table, looking up suddenly exclaimed
"Why, Governor | thought you left
for the capital last night"
"Well, exclaimed Corwin, with one
Of the whimsical looks with which he
was wont to set the table IN a roar, 81
was under that impression myself"
"Got left, did you ?"
"Yes, / believe | was a good deal
left"
"How was that Governor?"
nSee here. my friend, exclaimed Cor
win, carefully depositing his knife aud
fork on each side of his plate as if they
were articles of value, "if you will con-
sent not to press a further investigation
upon that subject, will present your
wife With bonnet more like coal scut-
tie than any now in market. If you
don't consent" he continued with wild
energy, seiziug his fork, iii murder
you"
The story, however, was too good for
Tom to keep to himself. and for years
after, he was 10 the habit Of telling how
he slept in a stable yard, and attributed
it all to some very bad whisky that the
Hon. Salmon p Chase had given him.
THE OLDEST LADY IN KENTUCKY
Mrs. Mary Gray, Of Greenup county, ID
the oldest lady in Kentucky. She has
entered her one hundred and fourteenth
year, and is still in apparent vigorous
health.
A.. e. Vel