Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-02-01
A LOST FRESHMAN.
Jimmy Buffers Account of His Ad-
venture With the Owl.

Twas in the summer of '46, Mr.
Editor, that | landed at Hamilton
fresh as new pratie, just dug from
the ould sod, aud wild a light hear
and a heavy bundle / sot off for the
township of Burdford, tiltin taste OIL
song, as merry young fellow al
liver took the road. Well, | trudged
on, and on, past many a plisint place,
pleasin mesilf wild the thought thai
some day | might have such a place
of me own. wild world of pigs and
chickens and ducks and childer about
the door; and along in the afternoon
of the second day | got to Burdford
village.
A cousin of me mothers, one Din
mis- O'Dowd, lived about siven miles
from there, an | wanted to make his
place that night, SO l inquired the
way at the tavern, and was lucky
enough to find man goin' part of the
way, and wud show me the way to
find Dinnls. Sure, and he was kind
lndade, and whin | got out of his
wagon he pointed through the wood,
and tould me to go straight south for
mile and half, and the first house
would be Dinnis'
And you've got no time to lose,
now, said he, for the sun is pretty
low, AN mind you don't get lost in the
woods.
Is it lost, now, said /, that I'd be
gittin', and me uncle as great navi.
gator as ever steered ship across
the thrackless say Not bit of it,
says |, though Pm obleeged to viz, for
yer kind advice, and thank viz for me
ride.
And wild that he draw on and left
me alone. | shouldercd me bundle
brayely, and whistlin' bit of tune
for company like, | pushed into the
bush, and, turnin' around among the
bush and trees, till began to think
| must be well nigh Dennis, But bad
success to it all of a suddnt I came
out of the wood at the very idintial
spot where | started in, which | knew
by an ould crotched tree that seemed
standin' on its head and kickin' up its
heels TO make divarsion of me.
By this time it was grown dark,
an there was no time to lose. | started
on a sicond time, determined to keep
straight south this time aud no mis-
take. | got on bravely for a while,
but och hone. it grew so dark could
not see the trees, and | bumped me
nose aud barked me shins while the
miska:ers bit me hands and face to a
blister, and after tumbhn' and STUN
blin' till | was fairly bamfoozled, | sat
down on a log, all of trimble, to
think THAT I was loot intirely, or that
may be hon or some UuiIcI Wild
thur would devour me before mornin'.
Just thin | heard somebody long
way off say:
Whip poor Will.
Bedad, siz l, Pm glad it isn't Jim
my that's got to take it, though its
more in sorrow than in anger they're
doing it, or why should they say poor
Will; and sure they can't be Injun,
or haythen nagur, for its plain Eng
hsh that they're afther speakin'. May
be they might help me out of this, so
| shouted at the top of me voice, A
man lost.
Thin | listened Prisintly an an
swer came:
Who, who, who !?
Jimmy Butler the waiver, siz |, as
loud as / could roar, and snatchin' up
me bundle and shtick, | started in the
direction of the voice. Whin thought
I'd be near the place, stopped and
shouted again:
A lost man.
Who, who, who?
Sure, thinks I, it's mighty quare
place for a man to be in this time of
night. May be it's some sitter scrap
in sugar off the sugar bush for the
childer's breakfast IN the mornin'.
But where is Will and the rist ofthem F.?
All this whit through me head in a
flash, and then | nately answered his
inquiry i,
Jimmy Butler the waiver, sur, and
if it wouldn't inconvenience yer honor
would We be kind enough to show me
the way to the house of Misther Din
mis- o Dowd.
Who, who, who?
Disnis O'Dowd, sir said /, civil
enough and dacint man he is and a
first cousin to me own mother.
Who, who, who?
Me mother, siz I, and as fine wo-
man she is as liver peeled billed pra-
tie wild her thumb nail; and her maid
en- name was Mollie McFiggin.
Who, who, who?
Mollie McFiggin, siz |, and her
fathers name was Paddy McFiggin.
Who, who, who ?
Paddy McFiggin, bad luck to yer
DATE old head. Paddy McFiggln, |
say, and do We hear that? And he
was the tallest man in all the country
of Tipperary lxcipt Jimmy Doyle the
blacksmith.
Who, who, who!
Jimmy Doyle the blacksmith, siz l.
You good for nothing black guard ma.
| CUR, and if viz don't come down and
show me the way this mint I'll clint
up and brake livery bone in viz Skin
We spalpane, so sure as me name il
Jimmy Butler.
Who, who, who, siz he impudent al
iyer
said niver word, but layin' dowl
me bundle and takin me shtick in M
teeth, l began to climb the tree
Whin l got among the branches
looked around till l saw pair OF biz
eyes jist forninst me.
l Whist, siz |, and ]. will let him hav'
taste of an Irish shtick, and Wiz
that let drive aud lost me balance
and came tumblin' to the ground
nearly breakin' me nick wild the tirrl
bic fall.
Whin | came to me sinsis | had
very sore head wild lump on it like
goose egg. and one half of me Sunda