Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-02-14

ION CORWIN tAUGHT.-Mr. COrwin, OF
Ohio, was an inveterate joker, and, in any
conflict of wit, was pretty sure to come off
with flying colors. But he once got fairly
caught. In his eagerness to get good
seat for long night ride in a stage, he took
the stage that had come in instead of the
one that was going out. Don Piatt tells the
story:-
These stages ran crowded, and there was
generally contest for seats. Gov. Thomas
Corwin was to leave Muddleburg at mid
night, for the State capital in a stage. To
secure the best seat this humoist sat up all
night At midnight, just as he heard the
stage rattle in, he seized his carpet-sack
and overcoat, and rushed out to find a
crowd around the stage. Without saying
word, but in great hurry he bolted in,
and ensconced himself in one corner, upon
the back seat. He fell asleep, congratulate
ing himself upon having been so fortunate,
and had dim, dreamy consciousness of
the stage rolling away.
When he again wax ened, the stage was
at astand-still the curtains were all down,
the windows up; but enough daylight got
in to satisfy him that the institution had
"done broke" some time since. He basti-
ly started up, and dropping one of the cur
tains, was perfectly amazed to find himself
in the wagon-yard of hotel. Two hogs
were getting their dinner out of a manure
heap, while melancholy COW stood chew
ing her cud, and working her tail, to keep
it in practice for fy-time.
A lazy hostler was entertaining himself
with a pitchfork. A further note of the
surroundings satisfied Gov. Corwin that he
was in the rear of the Muddleburg motel =,
and that he had been there from twelve
o'clock the night before. The Governor
was a man of genius, and it did not take
him long to discover the cause of this ex-
| traordinary result. He had got into stage
that had come in instead of going out. The
| people about this leathern conveyance,
when he ensconced himself, thought that he
| was passenger in search of an umbrella,
| or some other article left behind.
The Governor opened the door of the
stage very softly, and crept out. He could
not escape, however, the eyes of the host
Ter, who exclaimed, in some astonsh-
ment -
"Hollo, Governor, did they forget and
leave yer in de stage?"
| "There, there, my man." answered Cor
| win, giving him a silver dollar. "You
keep your fiy-trap shut"
"Ahsw exclaimed the hostler, as Cor
win walked away, "dat's most 'stronary
the Governor of Ohio done forgot in STAGE
coach"
| lrn1 10 tIo otnI tal
his carpet-sack and coat behind the first
door he encountered, and then sauntered
into the eakfast-room, trying to assume
the 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 hotel pri-
ces, friend on the other side of the table
looking up suddenly, exclaimed -
"Why, Governor, thought you left fol
the capital last night"
"well," exclaimed Corwin, with one o
the whimsical looks with which he wa,
wont to set the table in roar" "I was un,
der that impression myself"
"Got left. did your"
"Yes, believe was good deal left."
"How was that, Governor"
"See here, my friend" exclaimed Cor
win, carefully depositing his knife anC
fork on each side Of his plate as If the,
were articles of value; "if you will consen
not to press further investigation on thai
subject, I will present your wife with {
bonnet more like coal-scuttle than an,
now in market"
The story, however, was too good 70
Tom to keep to himself, and for years afle
in a stable yard.