Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-06-20

Take you to t-e house Of Never.
On your eyes he presses peoples. on your will he
puts o break
Just to keep you sootned and idle, any trouble he
will take:
When he trains you to his harnesg-oh, miscaiev-
Gus and sly -
Then you'll dose away tho Present in dream of By
Though he tell you not to do it,
Nina him not, or you will rue 1t.
For his words so smooth and clever
Take you to the house OF Never,
John Flins,s Dream.
One cold evening in December, John
Flint Was returning home with his don
key and cart from the Town of OIdbury,
where 10 had been all day hawking fire.
wood; and according to his custom, he
cropped in at the Fox and Hounds TO
drink and gossip, leaving his donkey out
side the door. There was d keen east
wind blowing right against the front of
the house; aud scud of rain dashed
now and then upon the rough pavement,
fret z,ng as it fell, and covering every
thing that it touched with a transparent
coat If ice. The poor animal had been
in harness for eight Aouts, and bad not
eaten a morsel OF food since the moru-
ing, 50 he moved anxiousl? from side to
side IN search Of something to satisfy
his hunger; bnt, fudlrg nothing, lie
turned his tail to the wind, dropped his
ears almost to level with his eyes, ard
began to groan and ehiver.
"Your donkey's got the ague, John,"
said an acquaintance OF bis, who entered
the house Just as John was ordering his
second pint of beer; "his very bones
we're rafting and shaking as l passed
him justnow, and the poor brute groaned
as if he'd got some heavy trouble on his
mind"
cells bruises on his body, instead Of
trouble on his mind that makes him
groan," replied John, with a savage
grin. Look at that singer" and be
held up thick ashen stick, tipped with
sharp iron point. Hes had touch
or two to day that he won't forget, the
lazy brute!"
Thereupon John drained his mug, re
filled his pipe, and left the house.
Presently heavy blows from the afore-
said "stinger were heard above the
noise of the wheels, as John drive off
from tie door of fhe Fox and Hounds,
belaboring his jadel beast at every
step. Then there was silence suddenly,
and the donkey stood still IN the roav'.
John had fallen as he was attempting to
take his seat in the cart, AMI fractured
his leg; SO it was now his turn to gro2n.
Whether the donkey kicked him GOWN
in return for an application of the
.: st'nger," or whether the slippery con-
dition Of the road was the cause OF his
fall, or whether, as he himself afterwards
asserted, blow from an unseen hand
smote him to the ground, no one Can
tell. Any how, he Was found lying in
the road about hundred yards from
the public house, grooming in chorus
with the donkey, the one temoaning his
bruises aud the other bis broken leg.
He was lifted into his cart, aud ,nyeyed
as quickly as possibleto Ii, own co: tage,
where surgeon WIS soon in attend uce
upon HIM. After is leg had been set
he fell asleep, and dreame the follow
ing dream:
He was on his way to Oidbury with Il
heavy load of firewool, and in the act OF
smiling his donkey because he stopped
to take breath halfway up a steep bill,
when the animal raisei his nose to ward,
the sky and brayed three times. There.
upon two hideous gorillas, one red aid
the other black, stood before him. John
was terror stricken at tte strange appa-
ritions; for he saw ~ their looks that
they meant mischief, and that flight or
resistance would be impossible; so he
began to shout Murder !" with all Lis
might. Regardless of bis cries, loaev-
er, the black gorilla tnatched the stick
from his hand, and gave his back bit
ter taste of the 'tstir GER" whilst the red
monster Embarrassed the donkey. Then
tying one end of the halter round John q
neck, and holding the other in his hand,
he set off in a swinging trot. The black
gorilla followed close behind, nov and
then quickening Johns pace by prod
with the point Of the ';stinger;" and be
hind all came the donkey, cape1ing with
deli ght, and now and then, at the sight
of his masters contortions, giving a
wbinuy which sounded very like tit
ter. The road which they took led them
into a forest, which grew thicker and
darker as they advanced; but they held
on straight course through it, regard
less of all distractions, and, whenever
John relaxed his pace in dasbing through
swamp or q thicket, tho black gorilla
used the ''stinger" with a wonderfully
stimulating effect:
After a run of four hours they reached
q wide river, and without moments
hesitation plunged headlong into it.
Poor John, who had never in his life at.
tempted 10 swim, thought his end was
now certainly come, and howled with
fright; but the leader kept firm hold of
the halter, and dragged him safely across
to the opposite bank. A number of
horses, dogs, and donkeys galloped. up
to meet them; and, to Johns consterna-
ton, he found they were all gifted with
the faculty of speech. whilst he himself
had become DUMB. Even his own don
key; once 60 patient, and silent could
talk as glibly as the rest; and the topic
of his discourse was ANYTHING but pleas.
ant to John, for he dcscribed how, from
the time he was q little helpless foa|, he
had had nothing but excessive work,
scanty food, kicks, and curses; and,
moreover, he called attention to the iron
pointed stick which had been the in
strument Of his daily torture, and to the
scars which covered his body. This pro.
duced such q sensation among the as
sembled animals that the pathetic nara
tive was stopped by murmur of indig-
nation. So great was the rage of the
dogs, that they made q rush towards
John and would have torn him to pieces
if the gorillas had not interfered.
When his companions had sufficiently
rested and refreshed themselves, the
rapid march was resumed; and the
crowd Of animals accompanied them,-
some to show their sympathy for the in
jured donkey, and. others to exult a.
the pitiable sight Of his contemplate
master. From the remarks which John
overheard, he fancied he was being led
to the gallows, and that his donkey was
To be- the axecutioner Il was great