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“Go away, women; what do you know about mineralogy, igniting anthracite? Go way; close the doors; I’ve got the rocks on fire–I’ll make them laugh t’other side of their mouths, at my black rock fires!”

In the midst of the excitement, as the governor was perspiring and exulting over his fiery operation, a carriage drove up, and two gentlemen alighted, and desired an immediate audience with Gov. Mifflin; but so deeply engaged was the governor, that he refused the strangers an audience, and while directing Isaac to tell the strangers that they must “come to-morrow,” and while he continued to pile on more black rocks, brought in by Isaac, in rushed the strangers.

“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.

“Neither of us,” replied the gentlemen; “that was the governor you spoke to as you drove up.”

“Yeou dun’t say so! Wall, he was pesky mad about som’-thin’. What on airth ails the ole feller?”

“Can’t say,” was the response; “but here he comes again.”

“Now, now come in, come in and see for yourselves,” cried the excited Governor of the great Key Stone State; “there’s a roaring fire of burning, blazing, black rock, anthracite coal!”

But, alas! the cross sticks having given away in the interim, and the coal being thrown down upon the ashes and stone hearth,– was all out!

“Wall,” says our migratory Yankee, who followed the crowd into the house, “I guess I know what yeou be at, guv’ner, but I’ll tell yeou naow, yeou can’t begin to keep that darn’d hard stuff burning, ‘less yeou fix it up in a grate, like, gin it air, and an almighty draught; yeou see, guv’ner, I’ve been making experiments a darn’d long while with it!”

The laugh of the governor’s friends subsided as the pedler went into a practical theory on burning stone coal; the respite was signed–hospitalities of the mansion extended to all present, and in course of a few days, our Yankee and the governor rigged up a grate, and soon settled the question–will our black rocks burn?