The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1872-09-04
A Slow Coach.

nel the fatcnt screw ana AuSur
line of railway from Porkopolis ter
minated at Muddlcburgh, O.,-it has
since come to be a great national
thoroughfare-the unhappy passen-
gers 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 for seats.
Governor Thomas Corwin was to leave
Muddleburgh at midnight for the
State capital in a stage To secure
the best seat this humorist sat up all
night He was not alone, for he had
bottle of choice old whiskey, to keep
him company. He tried his whiskey,
he said, plain. He then had it made
into a mint julep, after which he dis
cussed it in the shape of smash
about eleven O'Clock he thought a
cocktail would add variety to this
spice of life. This he washed down
with hot punch, and then, at mid
night, just as he heard the stage rat
tie in, he took all that was left
straight"
Selling his carpet sack an overcoat,
he rushed QUITO find crowd around
the stage, and without saying word,
but in a great hurry, bolted in and
ensconced himself in corner upon
a back seat He fell asleep congrat-
ulating himself on having been so for
tunate, and had dim, dreamy con-
sciousness of the stage rolling away
When he again wakened, the stage
was at standstill; the curtains were
all down, the windows up; but enough
daylight got in to satisfy him that
that institution had "done broke"
sometime since. He hastily started
up, and dropping one of the windows
was perfectly amazed to find himself
in the wagon yard of hotel. Two
hogs were getting their breakfast out
of manure heap, while melancholy
cow stood chewing her cud while
working her tail to keep it in practice
for fytime. A lazy hostler was en-
tertaining himself with pitchfork,
a further note of the surroundings sat
isfed Governor Corwin that he was
in the rear of Muddleburgh hotel, and
that he had been there from twelve
O'Clock of the night before. COrwin
was man of genius, and it did not
take him long to discover the cause
of this extraordinary result He had
got into a stage that had come in, in
stead of one going out. The people
about this leathern conveyance, when
he ensconced himself, thought, as he
learned afterwards, 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. He crept out
trying to feel so small that, as he
said subsequently, his skin hung loose
ON him. He could not escape, how
ever, the eyes of the hostler, who ex-
claimed in some astOnishment: Hello,
Governor, did dey forgit and leave
you in de stage?"
"There, there, my man." answered /
Corwin, giving him silver dollar
You keep your fly trap shut, or
there'll be sudden death in your fam !
ily."
Fore God" exclaimed the hostler,
as Corwin walked away, "dat's most
'stronary; the Governor Of Ohio done
forgot in stage coach"
Corwin walked into the hotel, de-
posted his carpet sack and coat be-
hind the first door he encountered,
and then sauntered into the breakfast
room, trying to assume an air of a
man who had not slept in wagon
yard all night. While discussing the
oiled sole-leather and muddy coffee,
for which the American people oay
hotel prices, friend on the other side
of the table looking up suddenly, cx-
claimed: "Why, Governor, ! thought
you left for the capital last night"
"Wcll, exclaimed Corwin, with one
)f the whimsical looks with which he
was wont to set the table in roar,
Il was under that impression myself"
"Got left, did your"
Eyes, l believe l was a good deal
eft"
''HOw was that, Governor?
'See here, my friend" exclaimed
corwin, carefully depositing his knife
md fork on each side of his plate as
{ they were articles ofvalue. "If you
will consent not to press further in
Testigation upon that subject, l will
present your wife with bonnet more
ike coal scuttle than any now in
If you don't consent" he
with wild energy, seizing
MS fork, "I'll murder you"
The story, however, was too good
or Tom to keep to himself, and for
years after he was in the habit of tel
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