24 THE HISTOET OE 



The committee saw him, and they instantly lighted on 

 him for a speech ; but he declined. 



" Only a few words !" prayed one of them. 



" One word, one word ! " insisted the chairman. 



" I can't ! " said Daniel. 



But they were importunate and unyielding, that enthu- 

 siastic committee. 



" Gentlemen ! " said the honorable senator, at laSt, amid 

 the din. "Ladies and gentlemen ! " he continued, as a 

 monster upon feathered stilts, at his elbow, shrieked out an 

 une'artWy crow, that drowned the sound of his voice in- 

 stanter, — " Ladies and gentlemen, really — I — would — 

 but the noise and confusion is so great, that I cannot be 

 heard ! " — and a roar followed this capital hit, that 

 drowned, for the moment, at least, even the rattling, crash- 

 ing, bellowing, squeaking music of the feathered bipeds 

 around him. 



The exhibition lasted three days; Fnheard-of prices were 

 asked, and readily paid, for all sorts of fowls ; most of those 

 sold being mongrels, however. As high as thirteen dollars 

 was paid by one man (who soon afterwards became an in- 

 mate of a lunatic asylum) for a smgle pair of domestic 

 fowls. It was monstrous, ridiculous, outrageous, exclaimed 

 every one, when this fact — the absolute paying down of 

 thirteen round dollars, then the price of two barrels of good 



