The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-04-26
Brave Lying.

s'That thunder shower was one of the
worst things of its kind l ever took a
nand in.
sIVould you replenish your glass and
cell us the details?' asked the heavy
man, politely.
'It was in the winter of '40,'' said the
stranger, stirring his glass refectively.
I'D heerd there was q good deal o
walnut timber in them sections, and l
was keen to get it. So me and my son
look a steamer and went up on the
Northern Coast, where no white man
had ever been before. As soon as we
landed we knowed we had struck it rich.
Gentlemen. there was millions of acres,
all cut and ready for the market.
.'Might | enquire who cut it?" inter-
roGated the heavy man, sOlemnly.
"You say no white man had ever been
there"
The polar bears had gnawed it off
,earching for honey!' replied the
stranger calmly.
$50 on with your thunder shower" "
'"Well. as | was telling you, we
started right in, and in three weeks we
! were richer than any eight men in the
states There was no end to the luck!
Everything went our way from the start.
! We had all the logs down on the dock
and were only waiting for the boat to
| come and take us Off. when | seen
clouds making to north ard and know
! ed it was going to settle in for thick
weather. I told my son to look out,
and in less than half an hour there
/ broke the doggondest storm [ ever seed.
! Rain! Why, gentlemen, it rained so
/ ,,,l ;,,t,> 10 of hIr
! busted the derned thing at the breech!
Yes, sir! And the water began to rise
on us, too Talk about your floods
down south! Why, gentlemen, the water
rose so rapidly in cur house that it
flowed up the chimney and streamed
300 feet up in the air! We got it both
ways that trip, up and DOWN.
'FDo we understand that you are re-
lating facts within the scope of your
own experience" demanded the heavy
man. with his mouth wide open.
Partially mine and partially my
sons" answered the unabashed strang-
er. ''He watched it 90 up, and Watch
ed it come down! But you can get
some idea of how it rained when l tell
you that we put out a barrel without
any heads into it, and it rained into the
bunghole of that barrel faster than it
could run out at both ends!''
(Which of you saw thatP' inquired
a listener.
1--WE each watched an end, my son
and me-" returned the stranger. 'Tm
telling you about storm now, gentle
men. But the worst of all was the
lightning. 1t wasn't in streaks, it just
stood still in one flash, and when it got
through. you should have taken look
at that timber! That timber was chop
ped into the finest saw-dust you evel
got your eye on! Fine as snuff! Wasn't
stick left half an inch long! You never
saw anything like it! There was ovel
S12, 900, ,O0O.O 900 gone! We thought WE
might save the saw-dust to mix pain
with and save q couple o million ou
of the wreck, but while we was think
inc that over, the wind sprang up, anC
then there was music! I've seen some
wind in my time, but no such wind a
that ever blowed before OF anywhere
else! Well you can get an .imperfec
notion of how that wind blew, when
tell you that it blowed that saw-dus
, right back into its former shape, AM
when that storm passed off. there stoo'
, them trees just where they stood befor
the bees got after them!'