"Good day, governor; you must excuse us, but our business admits of no delay."
"Can't help it, can't help you—see how it blazes, see how it burns!" cried the abstracted or mentally and physically absorbed governor.
"But, governor, the man may be hanged, if—"
"Let him be hanged—hurra! See how it burns; call in the neighbors; let them see my black rock fire. I knew I'd surprise them!"
"But, governor, will you please delay this—"
"Delay? No, not for the President of the United States. I've been trying this experiment for eight years. I've now succeeded—see, see how it burns! Run, Isaac, over to Dr. ——'s, tell him to come, stop in at Mr. S——'s, tell Mr. H—— to come, come everybody—I've got the black rocks in a blaze!" And clapping on his hat, out ran the governor through the storm, down to the village, like a madman, leaving the strangers and part of his household as spectators of his fiery experiments. Just as the governor cleared his own door, a pedler wagon "drove up," and the pedler, seeing the governor starting out in such double quick time, hailed him.
"Hel-lo! Sa-a-a-y, yeou heold on—yeou the guv'ner?"
"Clear out!" roared the chief magistrate.
"Shain't deu nothin' of the sort, no how!" says the pedler, dismounting from his wagon, and making his appearance at the front door, where he encountered the two rather astonished strangers—legal gentlemen of some eminence, from Harrisburg, with a petition for the respite of execution.
"Halloo! which o' yeou be the guv'ner?" says the pedler.