The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-07-09
A SLIGHT MISTAKE.

y IItgIO III Adlt-et' NY
Pete Mayberry called Hannibal
Caesar for short-with his son, Hen
rv Clav. went to the woods one day
last week to look after some rabbit
traps they had set. While at work
the fierce barking Of their dog caused
Henry Clay to cast his eyes heaven
ward and he Immediately sung out
"'possum dar." Closer inspection
showed pair Of glittering eyes glar-
inc down from the tree, which was
prima-facie evidence Of the existence
Of the negro's delight. Henry Clay
at once stationed himself at the foot,
axe in hand, ready to fix the enemy
while Hannibal Caesar retired a short
distance and took careful aim with
an old blunderbuss. Presently down
came the hammer, and shortly after
the gun went off. So, likewise, did
Hannibal Caesar, who for a few min
utes gave as fine specimens Of ground
and lofty tumbling as could be ex-
pected with a shoulder out Of joint.
Meanwhile the varmint came down
from the tree with a yell and proved
to be wildcat, landing with a lunge
plump on the top of Henry Clay's
devoted head.
In less than a minute the place
where the wool ought to grow was
as bare as the cliffs eof Dover and
Henry Clay, with his heart full Of
agony and his mouth full of fur,
struck right and left with legs and
arms like q hurricane. The mongrel
dog now joined in and the battle
became general all along the line.
Mistaking Henry Clay's revolving
pedal eXtremities as the primal cause
of all the yells and commotion he
grabbed at a heel that waved over
the scene of the conflict like the black
flag in a sea fight and proceeded to
chew and tussle and pull with zeal
that in a short time promised to
swallow Henry Clay bodily.
Hannibal Caesar, in the meantime,
having got through with his circus
performance, seeing he had barked
up the wrong tree, started off with
the rapidity Of a railroad train and
the noise of a steamboat whistle.
This started the wildcat and he left
the scene kissing, splitting and career
ing over the ground like a runaway
Babcock Fire EXtinguisher. When
Hannibal Caesar returned he found
Henry Clay seated on a log mending
his scalp and splitting fur out Of his
mouth, with some shreds of cloth
hanging on him looking as if they
had Just come out of threshing
machine. He toted him home with
the advice: II tell We, chile, dey's
de sassiest varmint dere is to get
hold on. n."-LadjanapoliS Sentinal.
An old farmer says, that after while
all you will have to do will be to plant
your potatoes on Monday and dig new
ones on Saturday, as each new variety
is from two to ten days earlier than all
others.
. : A neighbOrins editor is on the alert
with this information: The season for
farmers to slide off hay-mows on to
pitchforks has nearly come.
Some moUsing Democrat lately found
out that Secretary Robson was rich;
ergo, argued the Democratic newspa-
pers, he must have got rich by stealing
money from the National Treasury.
But it having been shown that he was
rich before he was appointed Secretary
of the Navy, so much the worse, argue |
the same papers, because in that event
he must have bought his place in the |
Navy Department. The trouble with |
these Democratic editors is that they !
tcjU measure other peoples corn in their
own Democratic bushels = PWSb,rgh |
Commercial.
This question threatens to disinte-
CRATE society at Lawrence, Kansas:
should a young man leave his music
lesson to split wood when his mother
is at home and perfectly well?"
The following sentence of thirty-four
letters contains all the letters Of the al
phabet; John quickly extemporized .
five tow bags"
A BOstOnian who asked his boy one I
day what he hadIearned at school was
told that his lesson had been, Johnny
shut your jaws and can't run" He
went to school the next day. and heard
the teacher tell the boys to repeat, "A
comma is just pause to count one, -
and then heard the class all shout in
unison, johnny shut yer jaws and
can't run" Explanations followed and /