The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-06-06
FOREST ADVENTURES.
BY COL. WALTER b. DUNLAP.
An AneedOte.-LeOpards.


We remained three days in the for
est with Ayatang and his people, and
during that time we captured seven
teen elephants, yielding us a load of
ivory that made Abner as happy as
man could be. He danced and sang,
and told funny stories enough to I'LL
a respectable volume. One of the lit
tie anecdotes lie related is worth re-
peating; and so We're many more of
them; but one in particular pleased
my fancy at the time. / cannot give
the capital imitation of character as
Abner gave it; but can reproduce his
words:
''In the times when the political
war between the Wings and the Dem.
Ocrats was hottest in New England.
and, in fact, through the whole Union
I lived up in the State of Maine.
Our town was at that time strongly
Whig, and the Democrats were forced
to vote in very small numbers. In
one of the back schoOl-districts lived
a man named HOyt PingfOrd. He
was q tall, lank, lOOse-jOinted fellow,
between nTJy and sixty years of age,
and as well known in that section for
his oddities as any joker can possibly
be known. The State election came
off in SEPTEMBER think on the
eecOnd Monday. The morning was
bright and fair, and HOyt started off
early, so as to be on hand, when the
polls IweTe opened. He lived some
five or six miles from the tOwn-hOuse,
and halfway between the two places
was a settlement called Swift's Cor
ners, where a Mr.. Swift kept store. In
those days there was no Maine Law,
and every country store furnished a
little of the ardent for its thirsty Gus
toners. 1t so happened that those
who we're cOngregated about the store
in question on that morning where
Democrats; and as HOyt went shuf-
fling by, Mr.. Swift hailed him:
"'HallO, HOyt,-what's your hur-
ry@
"'Goih' T. vote,-want r be ther'
an see all the fun
"'Of course, you'll vote the Demo-
cratic ticket this time said Swift.
"'NO, sir p replied the old chap,
Strengthening himself up in high
dudgeOn.
az guess you'd better pursued the
stOrekeeper.
"'I tell ye, no p thundered Hoyt.
Bother yer Dimmicrats. ] don't
want noth'n to do with ye. Yer "a
drunken, gOOd-fOr-nOth'n set
40, HOyt,-yOu don't mean that
"'Yaas do mean il, too. Yer "a
drunken set (; an that's all ther' is of
We. Go to thunder, the hull Doodle of
YEP
"tAnd with this HOyt shuffled off,
leaving the friends at the store to
enjoy hearty laugh.
"rhe election passed off; and, as
was expected, the Wings carried the
day by a large majority. Old Hoyt
PingfOrd was in his glory. He talked
politics and he drank something
stronger than water. Close by the.
town-hOuse was public inn, kept by
a man of the true faith, and thither
Hcyt went many times during the
day with cengenial spirits of the par
ty elect. The result was, that before
night the old fellow was pretty balmy,
and when he started for home he
reeled it off like a ship tacking out
through = narrow passage against q
head wind. AS he approached Swift's
store he was literally taking up both
sides { f the road. Mr.. Swift saw him
coming and stood ready to hail him (;
and the lOungers left their seats in the
store for the expected fun.
"tHallO!-HOytr
"PingfOrd stopped, and tried to
steady himself.
"'WhO spoke r-r' me? he said,
| trying to fix his swimming eyes on
some particular point
Z" Il did, replied Swift.
'Wal-what (hic) ye want?'
"'Won't We come in?i
| a" iNO-TO-O, siTp
{" Say, Hoyt,-it appears to me
/ that you've turned Democrat, eh?
"HOyt gave one more reel, and
then succeeded in fixing his eyes for
a moment upon his interlOcutOT.
"sBy thunder p he exclaimed, in all
seriousness, Il don't (hic) blame ye
for thinkin' (hic) so; for I must (hie)i
knowledge 'Gt Tee got tie symptoms
eussed strOngr
"a loud laugh followed this rejOin-
ner; and they tried to get HOyt to 20
in and take something on the strength
Of it but he was not 10 be eOaXed.
| He probably thought he had the dis
ease strong enough as it was so be
reeled away home, leaving the friends
at the store to repeat the story to all
who came along"