University of Virginia Library

DOWNINGVILLE POLITICS.

Dear Major,—I am desperately put out to
hear you're going to be President—I should'nt
have tho't it of you; but there's no tellin
what one may be left to do.

I used to be well acquainted with your
folks when you was a youngster; and your
poor father, that's dead and gone, was dreadful
sober about you at times. Says he to me
one day, `Captain, you're an obsarving sort
of man, and seen a good deal of the world up
to Boston and thereabouts. I want your
opinion consarning our Jack, and what we'd
best put him to for a livelyhood: he ain't over
fond of work that's likely to take up much
time, but's always willing to do his shear at
a raising, or such like, and his fancy don't
lead him to larning or the like of that. What
think I'd best do with him?' `Wal,' says I,
`Deacon, if you really want my candid opinion

and advice, I'm ready to give it. I've all
along tho't Jack a pooty smartish sort of a
chap, and if you could get him into Lawyer
Josslin's office a while, he'd be equal to a most
any thing—and mark my words, Deacon,'
says I, `he'll rise in the world before he dies.'
`I believe you're half right, Captain,' says the
Deacon, your father, `but I'm pesky fraid
he'll rise a leetle sooner than he'd like to, for
that 'ere Josslin is a raal peeler in the way of
bringin folks up!' Twant six months arter
that, before I heard of your settin up law for
yourself, and havin a good deal of one thing
and another to do, which taint worth a while
to mention: and when they talked of makin
you Governor, down in Maine, your poor aunt
Nabby was wrathy enough—`Well, there,'
says she, `I never thought to live to see this
day! our family,' says she, `if it wan't so
dreadful rich, ollers bore a good character,
and could hold up their heads and show their
faces anywhere and to anybody, without their
being able to say one word against us—and
now to have one of us put up for a Governor
without ever having done any thing to be
ashamed of, is too bad! and it all comes of
your advice, Captain Jumper, for advising
my brother, the Deacon, to put him into
Lawyer Josslin's plaguy office. We never
know'd what it was to be ashamed of any of
our relations before.' `Miss Nabby,' says I,
`keep cool, and don't get yourself into such a
flurry, for it's more than an even chance,
they don't convict him of being a Governor,
and if he escapes this time, I'll smuggle him
out of the state in the two Pollies, and let
him try his luck on to Washington long with
Gineral Jackson, who knows me, and I'll
give him a recommend to the Gineral, and
who knows but he may yet come to something?'
That sort of pacified your aunt, and
accordingly I got you out of Maine on board
the two Pollies, as I was saying, and didn't
charge you nothing for your passage, and
let you have the privilege of stubshodding the
boards, and pumping besides, and never
charged a cent for that neither. All these
circumstances considered, I hope you won't
think hard of me if I do say, that arter
what's been done for you by night and by
day—its ongrateful in you to throw yourself
away by turning President. But it isn't too
late to repent. Tell them Mowchonk folks
you're not the man they take you for, if
they think to coax you into being President
as long as the Gineral's alive, and I hope he'll
live for ever.