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Scene— A Schoolroom.

President Burns (in the- chair),— This meetin’ will now come to
order. Jim Burke and the rest o’ them thar boys over thar will take
off their hats and .stop a crackin' litck’ry nuts. Mr. Secretary, call the
roll.
S ecretary Swip.kh (calls)— Felix Riddle, Samuel Slabside, Betsey
Scruggins, Polly Snipper, Solomon Sawhorse— (Sawhorse doesn't
answer to ids name. 'Samuel Slabside rises I)
S labside.— Mr. President, kin I tell you why Solomon Sawhorse
isn’t here.
Pkjcsjdent.— Mr. Slabside will tell this here mcetin' the cause of
Sawhorse's absence.
Si.aiwide.-~Wall, to commence at the fust place, you see Salomon
has got a rale lively colt. He bought him of Square Smith out to
•Ylap'c Holler. Joe Rankin says as how he paid a hundred and foriy-
iwo dollars for him, but Jake Slocum says ’taint so. He says the
colt ain’t wuth inor’n one hundred dollars of any mail’s money, and
tfiat Solomon Sawhorse is too cute a man to be tuck in in that kind
y1 style. I don’t know how this may be but I've heern tell that Sol
traded hiy bip; brindle steer and his red calf for the colt, and gin tweiity
dollars to boot.
Mr. President, I can’t say how true this may be. But I will leave
the colt and come to Solomon. Solomon he was a ridin' along the
road this mornin' on his new colt, when all at once the colt he
squatted, and Solomon he fell off inter the mud. You know Solomon
is ail awful feller to ride last. Wall, he was a ridin' fast this mornin7,
and the colt he squatted, and Solomon he fell off inter the mud. lie
was a sight to be scon ; his head was kivered with mud, and his hat
was kivered with mud, and he was hurt about the pulmonus regions.
If he had not been a ridin’ fast, I think he would not have fell off; but
you know Solomon will ride fast, and the colt he squatted, and Solo­
mon he fell off inter the mud.
I was a ridin’ along with Zekiel Shaw when it happened; we were