New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-02-21
Smoking in a Stage.


The late Mr.. Clay was a man of great reso-
luton and considerable daring He once told
the following anecdote to q friend Of ours
Travelling, in early manhood, in public con-
Veyance in o southeastern State, he found ham
self in company of three other persons, consist
ing of a young lady and gentleman, her hus-
band, and an. individual mufled in cloak
whose countenance was concealed, and who ap-
peared to be indulging in a tfte-a-tete with
Morpheus Suddenly a big, brawsy Kentuckian
got into the coach. smoking a cigar, and frown-
ed tiercely around, as much US to say, I'm half
horse, half alligator; the yaller flowers of the
forest, all birthstone but the head and ears, and
that's aquafortis. In fact, he looked as savage
as meat-axe, and puffed forth huge volumes of
smoke, without reference to the company within,
especially the lady, who manifested certain
timid symptoms of annoyance. Presently, after
some whispering, the gentleman with her, in the
politest accent, requested the stranger not to
smoke, as it annoyed his companion The fellow
answered, -" 1 reckon I've paid my place. Tll
smoke as much as l darn please, and all hell
shan't stop me, no how With that he looked
dangerous, and rolled his eyes round as fercely
as arattlesnake. It was evident he had no OBJ
lection to quarrel, and that if it occurred it
was likely to lead to deadly struggle. The
young man who had spoken to him shrunk back
and was silent.
Clay felt his gallantry aroused. He consider
eu lOr u nlOueut whether ne SnOulu interfere,
but experienced a natural reluctance to draw
upon himself the brutal violence of his gigantic
adversary. In that lawless country, he knew
his life might be sacrificed unavenged. He knew
himself physically unequal to the contest, and
he thought, after all, it was not his business,
quixoteally. to take up another mans quarrel.
Feeling pity for the insulted and disgust toward
the insulter, he determined to take no notice;
when very quietly, indeed the coaked figure in
| the corner assumed an upright position, and the
mantle was suffered to fall from it without effort
or excitement.
! The small but sinewy frame of a man, plainly
dressed in tightly -buttoned frock coat, with
nothing remarkable about his appearance, was
seen, and pair of bright gray eyes sought the
fierce optics of the feroeious Kentuckian. With
| out q word this clay figure passed his hand
under his collar at the back of his neck, and
slowly and deliberately pulled forth long-ex-
tremcly lonng-long and glittering knife from its
sheath in that singular place. 'Stranger," he
said, 'smy name is Colonel James Bowie, well
known in Arkansas and Louisiana. and if you
don't put that cigar out of the window in a
quarter of minute I'll put this knife through
your bowels, as sure as death"
Mr.. Clay said he never forgot in after life the
expression of the Colonels eyes at that moment
The predominant impression.made upon him was
the certainty of the threat being fulfilled, and
apparently the same conviction impressed itself
ere long upon the offender. During two or three
seconds his eyes met those of Bowie. He was
the weaker, and he quailed. With curse, he
tore the cigar from between his teeth, and flung
it, scowling, but downcast, out of the coach
window. Upon this, Colonel James Bowie as
deliberately replaced his long knife IN its &C.
centric hiding place, and, without saying g
word to any one else, or even vouchsating q
glance at any one, refolded his cloak arounG
him, and did not utter another syllable to thu
end of the journey. [Quarterly Review fol
January.