The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-03-10
What an Echo Tells Ne.

GhaulOSA mnSIC ll6 our Three DOySs anu
go into the kitchen to prepare breakfast
Tor Aminidab. Why thus early?
Why, it is the long-looked-for 18th of
October-eleetion day in the common
wealth of Ohio. Must not AmInadab,
who works for Uncle Sam, do all he can
for him when he gets into pinch such
us this election was? To be sure he
must; and so Aminidab is in a hurry.
We talked that morning, as we had
many previous mornings, on the proba-
ble result of the election; about the
solored vote; about the speech of Gen
sral Noyes a night or two before, which
Il pious friend pronounced to be 'quite
rs good as a sermon"
Here let me say that, of all the polit-
zeal speeches ever made in our town,
there never was one that was more
highly praised than that of our Soldier
General, Ex-Governor Noyes. "Greek
or Jew" black, white, or Democrat had
no fault to find with it. Only an old
Methodist lady said: "The only OBJ
lection could find was them f1ashy,
gold sleeve-buttons, which he showed
every time he made gestur."
Aminadab finished his breakfast, and
I then remembered the shirt had
Ironed so beautifully for him the day
before, for the express purpose of his
wearing it on election day, and said to
him:
"Aminadab, my dear, you had better
put on that clean shirt. The one you
have on is too much soiled to wear in
the crowd to-day"
Now, my Aminadab, like ninety and
and nine out of a hundred, good soul
that he isl, dislikes very much to put on
clean shirt on cold morning. 1t re-
quires as much persuasion to get him to
do it as it would to get an Ohio Demo-
crat to vote against imitation, or to keep
a darkey away from the election alto
gether.
Speaking of darkeys reminds me of
some funny things that occurred here
on election day. There was only one of
the colored voters who had not made up
his mind just how he would vote. This
doubling Thomas was claimed by both
sides. His name was Emanuel. AT
length he was collared by a colored
brother, who drew him aside and talked
to him after this fashion:
"Now, Manuel, you and me is bredren
in de same church, and we has been, foI
years; and now, Manuel, if you vote
dat ticket, you votes square agin our
church. Now, Manuel, look here
Do you see dat poll ? Dat township
hall is de polls now. Manuel, you take
dis ticket and go straight up to de poll
and put it in. It's de right ticket.n
Emanuel was convinced; and the
laugh at his expense was loud and long.
There were always so many little in
cidents, ('side shows" so to speak J,
outside the "heavy business" of an
election. Some were funny, some sad,
some ridiculous, and many unexpected
and disappointing. The unexpected
and disappointing come afterwards, gen.
orally.
There was one little circumstance
that occurred here during the last cam
paign, which was very funny to many,
and very sad and disappointing to a
few. One of the few was a lady, the
wife of a prominent candidate, who eX-
pected to be sent by a large majority of
his "admiring constituents" to the Cap
itol of the State. "Admiring constitu-
ents" was his wife's favorite way OF
speaking of those who were to vote foI
her lord. | wish / had a dollar foI
every time she said it.
Now, my Lady Highfiyer did not
propose that her husband should have
the honor of a trip to Columbus all
alone. No, no! She was "going up'i
with him, (and so she did Ego up" with
him), to spend the winter, or at least
the gay season with him; and so my
Lady Highfalutin Highfiyer must needs
have new bonnet of the very latest
style likely to be worn by the fashiona.
bles at Columbus. "And l must have
it of the best, too, for intend associa.
ting with the very best society there
said my Lady.
Election day came; and on that very
day came, all the way from Columbus
my Lady's new bonnet; and it was dis
played to a select few of her friends
wives of the 'admiring constituents
Election day passed, and the returns
came in just after midnight. But my
Lady did not bother her head one bf
about the returns; and the next morn
ing, my Lord and Lady sat at break
fast, feeling in no wise in an uncom
Portable or uneasy frame of mind as t.
the results of the day before, but eacl
busy with their own thoughts, sayin.
nothing. Presently their hopeful
James Buchanan Highfiyer, came run
ming in, paper in hand, saying,
"Pa, you amt elected v'
Highfyer said not word. MADAM
said not word. But not one more bit,
did my Lord or Lady eat that morn
ing. She glanced at her bandboX
wherein lay all gorgeously resplenden
in Feathers, flowers and fuss" her Co
lumbus bonnet. Tenderly she took i
up, as if fearful that it might go t.
pieces, or vanish into thin air, as dit
her castle, and carried it up to the atti
where, in the farthest-off, darkes
corner of the cupboard, she placed it
"more in sorrow than in anger" AM
my Lady goes about her work (she is
good woman and nice house-keeper
chewing the cud of bitter fancies, am
saying to herself, sometimes:
The saddest are: 1t wasn't, but 1 wish
had a. ben."
AS we live in world of uncertainties
the moral to this little story is: 'Neve
feel sure of anything"
There was another funny thing whicl
/ must tell, and then must get back t
AminAdab's shirt At the electio
there was German who had just "go
his papers" in time to come and vote
He knew just as much as the pumpki
in the garden what it was all about
and he stood aside, watching what wa
going on. Presently another German
who knew little more than the pump
kin about "what was What,n too
possession of him, and undertook to ex
plain matters to him. At last he ha
decided to vote a certain ticket, wit
the exception OF one candidate, an
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