St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-12-24
DECEMBER a. 1885,
DECEITFUL CIDER BRANDY.

DECEITFUL CIDER BRANDY.
A Few DPsughts Of the Insidieua
Liquid Multiplied . Connecticsk
Mayors Single Horse.
Cider brandy distilleries are by No
means scarce in Connecticut. The in
ternal revenue officials of this district
have quite list of stills that con-
tribute toward the support of Uncle
Sam, but there is reason to think that
the list is far from complete.
One Of these stills is located in a
shady nook in the hills about five miles
from the business center of neigh
boring city, and its product has quite
a reputation among sportsmen who
hunt and fish in the vicinity. II game
is scarce, the sportsmen go there for
consolation; if the bags and creels are
full, they go there to celebrate.
One day, not SO very long ago. the
mayor of the city referred to hitched
his old bay mare 10 a two-seated
wagon and invited three members OF
the board of aldermen to accompany
him on a visit of inspection to the lake
from which the city gets its water sup
ply. The inspection completed. one OF
the aldermen suggested that they drive
up the road way and call On an old
friend of his who was likely to have
something besides vegetables in his
cellar, and the suggestion was adopt
ed. All three of the aldermen had been
there before, but the mayor did not
know this friend of the aldermen
either by name or reputation.
| They soon arrived at one of the
neatest little stills in the county, and
the proprietor was on hand. A wood
fire blazed mcrrily under the kettle.
and a tiny stream of what looked like
maj pie sap flowed from the worm, rude,
" made Of coil of condemned copped
tubing. As son as the mayor had been
introduced and vouched for as man
who could keep his mouth shut if the
Occasion demanded it, the host filled
a tumbler about half full of the inno-
cent looking fluid, and in picturesque
but expressive language invited the
mayor TO put it on legs" His honor
drank it, smacked his lips, said it was
the smoothest stuff he had gargled his
throat with in many day. and called
for more. He drank again. and, after
his companions had each taken about
tablespoonful. he called for just one
more drink, and got it. The aldermen
winked at each other, and. when the
rarty started to drive home, it was
noticed that the big, strong alderman
was on the front seat with the mayor.
The aldermen evidently had a sus-
picion that something was likely to
happen before very long.
They had gone about half mile.
when the mayor turned to his COM
panion ON the front seat and said it
was funny, but he could have taken his
oath that he had driven up to the lake
behind one horse, but he must have
been mistaken, because he was now
driving n pair. The alderman on the
front seat nudged his fellow conspira-
tors ON the rear seat and remarked
that the two horses drove together re-
lnarkably well.
| About a mile further down the road
the mayor tried to hit something just
in front of the horse with his whip and
complained that his lash was too short.
"Confound it ALL" lie said, apparently
to himself, II told my hostler always
to put a long whip in the socket when
lad this spike team hooked up.
can reach the wheelers all right with
this one, but that horse in the lead is
out of danger"
! The three aldermen exchanged
clances. but said nothing. About Il
minutes later the mayor spoke again.
Ibid you ever in your life" he said.
"see four horses that drove together
any better than these four do? They
look exactly alike, move in perfect
unison. and are as easy to manage as
that OLD bay mare of mine. BY George.
bows, it would take money and lots OF
|: Il to buy those four beauties"
The three aldermen smiled again and
the one on the front seat put his arm
around the mayor. The action indi-
Gated either affection or desire to
Keep the mayor from falling out of the
Wagon. Ten minutes later his honor
spoke again.
| lit isn't Often" he said, "that You see
six better looking horses than this
sextet I'm driving. Watch the style
of those two in the lead! Ii Fred
Bronson or Fatty Weeks or any of
those famous whips should see me now.
they would die Of envy"
One of the aldermen on the reaI
sect whispered to his companion that
when the mayor got to seeing double
three times over, the end could not
be very far off. and he was right. A
quarter of a mile further on his honor
put the whip in the socket, dropped
tne lines on the dashboard and slid
from the seat to the bottom OF the
wagon, where he went to sleep in less
than a minute. 1t was getting dark
BY this time, and the aldermen man.
aged to get their chief home without
attracting attention to his condition.
The mayor was not visible to the pub
lie until three days later. when he
came forth breathing vengeance on
the devoted heads of the aldermen
who Lad introduced him to the pro-
prietor of the cider brandy still.
One of his friends asked him one day
lust how the cider brandy affected
him. 81 was all right at first" re-
piled the mayor, but soon after We
started for home that dreadful day
found was driving two horses in
stead of one. Then the number sud-
denly increased to three, then to four,
lafterward to six, and the last re-
member / was driving IS or 20 Of the
best-matcned horses that ever trod
this footstool."-N. Z. SUN.
wrangllng Again.
"When a mans upper lip is SO feeble. !"
snorted Rivers, ''that be has to- wea1 hin
mustache in sling" 8
"Who has had to 10 that?" hotly de-
maudod Rr0Oks-