The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1852-07-02
AN ARKANSAS STORY.

About the year 1880 politics ran verl
high IN Arkansas. Col. A. II. Sevie
was candidate for the office Of delegate
TO Congress and Ben Desha was his op-
ponent. rat'as 7s
Judge Andrew Scott was a warn
friend Of Desha, and utterly hostile tt
Sewer. He had a neighbor. living abou
fifteen miles from him, on the far side O
Gallery Creek, named Logan. commonly
called "Siuttsring Jim Logan" who wal
exactly "wice versy," in his politics; anc
so frequen, had been their encounters
that the two neighbors cordially ha,el
each other.
One pleasant morning in the spring
when the sun shone out warmly, and al
nature was grsen and fresh after heavy
rain Of two or three days duration, Lo
gan wen, down from his house. through
The little strip Of creek bottom, to the
bank Of the creek, and sat himself on o
slick log" musing, perhaps, as Colonel
Jack M'Car'y once said, on the "evane
,hen,he Of all tha,h thublunary."
The creek was about twenty yard,
wide. and the rain had raised il, SO ,ha
i. was swimming. covered with foam anc
running like milI.race with full heat
of water. Where the road crossed, or
the edge Of which Logan was sitting
vas the only opening in the forest, which
fringed the stream on each side. Above
and below the trees leaned over; ant
their branches hung over The water, ant
swung to and fro in the swift current.
Alter Logon had sat there a while
Judge Scott came down on the o,he
side, halted when he reached tho water,
edge, and looked across wi,hou, saying
ANYTHING, but looked as il he had thought
"Hang you. il it's swimming, why dom
you say so?" Logan,took out his jack
knife, spli, piece off from the lick Iol
and commenced whiting it, looking
towards Scott all the while.
Logan was large, stout, heavy.
looking nan; Scott small, wiry, and pass.
ionate, petulant and as brave as bulli
dog. 5 .
Alter waiting monient-afot each
hated the other too much TO speak
Scn,t tightened the reins and rode into
the water. His horse had not taken
more than six steps, before kercbug! he
plunged in over head and ears. In a
moment more Scott was washed from hi.
back, the rider went one way, the
horse the other, and the saddle.hags Q
third. The horse turned towards the
side which he went in, and got ashore
some little wsy below; the saddle bags
A ,ated down the stream, and Scot, man.
aged to reach Logan's SIDE Of the creek,
and eau III, hold Of the swinging limb Of
a sycamore.
aHelp, Logan; help cried Scott. I
shall be drowned! Help! ,
rs $ say you'll vote for Sewer! basled
Logan"
aHelp, Logan! Help! I shall be
drowned! Help"
S-s.s.say you'll v-v.v.so.e for Sewer
again bawled Logan, not rising from his
seat.
Just then ihe sycamore limb snapped,
and the same momen, Scott sung out:
"l'll see you id first, you internal
rascal !" and away he swept round the
tree and ou. Of sight.
Luckily, the current made a sweep
below oddyine round in the concavi,y at
tho upper edge of sand-bar upon which
Scott was flung and then scrambled out,
He walked up the bank towards Logan,
sput,ering with rage, and streaming with
water. Luckily he had no weapons but
pistol, and that Of course was unfit for
use; and Logan was too big man to
be whipped in fs, fight.
"D-n il" cried Scott, as he got pretty
near him, "do you stop to ask man
how he's going to vote before you save
him from drowning?"
Logan never stopped whiting, but
slowly said
"Every g-g-gentleman has a right 10
v.vo,e as he likes, and to d-d-drown
when he likes; and don't suppose any,
body's bound to dive into The creek to
fish out vote to kill his own."-Spirit
of the Tines.