JEWED. 337 



carry him through a process of gouging and punching 

 that reminded me greatly of an excited female do- 

 mestic kneading dough. The appalling yells of the 

 miserable peddler at length excited commiseration in 

 the breast of some of the bystanders, who, by an ex- 

 ertion of main strength, rent the Colonel from his 

 victim. 



A short time afterwards, on joining a crowd which 

 was rapidly gathering about a common center, I found 

 Col. Pierch had mounted a stump, and was proceeding 

 to address the assemblage. The speaker was fond of 

 the art, and never let any suitable opportunity escape 

 improvement. He began : "Feller citizens, I have 

 arize before you on this egsitin occashun, called forth, 

 I mout say, by circumstances which no man could 

 have calkalated on. We've bin (at least those backin' 

 Rolette) powerfully exercised in feelins by the con- 

 duct ov a worthless critter as ought never been al- 

 lowed on the ground, which it'll be a lesson, I hope, 

 to every man here, that whenever he sees sich 

 varmints a-sneakin' about, to give 'em a warping 

 that'll put 'em in notion of huntin' some other market, 

 and that pretty fast, too. I've come to the conclusion, 

 feller citizens, ov raisin' no squabble about the matter, 

 but to give up the stakes. It weren't Keeno's fault, 

 who's a good feller, and wouldn't fur a minit uphold 

 the peddler in sich doin's as has been gwine through ; 

 but though he won by accident, yet he won the race. 

 Ef we were in his place, I expect we would most prob- 

 ably be for keepin' the money, too. The fair, even 

 thing, is the real clever thing. It's the mottow I've 

 stood by all my life to have a karecter. And I've 

 often, when ridin' home from a muster or horse race, 



