New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-12-05

Wines, Liquors-W. E. LsvEareH Co., "a Old
/. rs srwELr T. TAYLOR, Is Royal street. = ~ -
r. w. CoELEa. Common street, opposite the ST.
Charles Hotel.
From the Philadelphia Sunday Mercury.
THE PREACHER AND THE GAMBLER;
PUTTING THE SADDLE on THE WRONG HORSE
Ss-l zJr BY HARRI NUTMEG.
Persons Of very antagonistic portions Of So
ciety are frequently thrown into intimate asso-
citation with each other, as 6 Debris Data = very
Justly observes while travelling on the steamers
Of the Southern and Western waters Not long
since number Of gamblers and two or three
clergymen happened to be passengers on board
the General Pike steamer, bound on o trip from
Cincinnati to New0rleaps. The company Of the
cabin, from whatever cause, extra morality or
othe rwise, did not seem inclined to participate
in the pastime of gaming, as is quite usual on
majority of these river craft.
Several days accordingly passed and not
served. At length gambler--seemingly an
unsophistic ated greenhorn in the ways OF fash
ionable OF polite society. although wild, reek-
less, daredevil sort Of hard customer of q
baekwoodsman, began to grow weary OF the
| tedium Of the passage, and became impatient to
realize his travelling expenses, by victlmizing
some of the 'syerdant" ones OF the motley
crowd. -ga
4 Tapping one Of the preachers alluded to on
the back, in familiar sort Of o way, he thus
accosted him: ,
! ssI saw, stranger, dull music here aboard
Suppose we take drink, and get little life
1 'mongst us ~ .l.ss ...=4
"Excuse me, my friend, never indulge in
that way"
Well, let's have q hand at cards, then"
"There again Pm at fault. l do not know
one card from another"
ss By the ramping old sarpint, that's quare
But come, my young hearty, andPll show you
all about 'em."
.sPd rather not, sir, if you please"
4 ssFire and birthstone! Can't We get up some
deyiltry or 'nother' I'm sick ont, pokin round
this ERE way Wonder if there aint some 6 old
lhoss" aboard that'n give preach That
sly old coon over there looks like one on EN-
| pe,spel- shep critters. Spose we Ak him TO GIN
us a sarmint' I'd like almighty bad to hear q
parson snort, or listen to reg'la Fourth q
July oration by some reg lar ring tailed roarer
| by the living jngo, / would r -.
That gentleman over there, who looks like
| I, sly coon,' as you sly, is Methodist preacher
and think it quite likely he will feel dispose
Ito accommodate you with sermon, If youe
\ like to hear one. -,
g In course would. You know him, don
avou. Well, then, just git him to gin the Who'll
tsugar- billing on us a blathergastering blow-on'
will yer? I'll hold his hat and take up tn
4 ,ollection, dod rot me if | DON'T
erll speak with the clergyman, and try an
vail on him to give us short lecture for ou
pre-. alton"
editic accordingly passed over to his friend
He g crayat, who sat in the ladies' saiool
the Wh1a with some ladies, and stated :,
eonyersn! egalabler. Returning however ;1i
amos tb t naba to- preaoh
ouinsy sore tn, cat, anu AeAs '''sss.N :
lecture at that t. no sy? The ID
saoh, h---ll, g, Vi the quin. triae Of spo
has Well, I'm bot "a q to have " split all !
somehow or mother. don't L. ill. But
into big chunks of fene>s railing, ] " ou're u
say, my young buckeye saplng, y. 1--WE
bashful, are you' S'pose you try and
smart sprinkling Of your own ja.bberjaw?
look kinder college larned, any how, nv you
hickory nut with the bark on
'sMy good friend, should I attempt to preach,
Iwould endeavor to make you feel little un-
easy in your boots, and might offend you, sir :"
"You would. chi Not as you knows on,
reckon I'm not a l-dog of that breed, sir
1 Devil q bit on't--no stree, old hoss! You are
| iist the chap for my money, you are! Here,
get up on this whisky barrel, and gin us @ big
streak o.s hell furious birthstone Stir up these
| old ironsi,les; make q reg'lar quaking among
I Che dry boz ses; put in the tommy hawk licks,
and come the negro camp-meeting touch over
'em, will yer! This 'ere old revolutionary cock
has got psalny book, knows for J. seed him
reading somethl ng about s. title clear % in it
spell ago. can sing myself like young jack
ass in q corn crib, if you'll only give the lines
out By golly, m great on sucking sugar
eggs, anyhow AMI mind you, neighbor, make
an almighty scream ing prayer. Blow hard,
and strike out your wind as loud as you can,
and make 'em believe pack of hungry young
prairie wolves are comin.y, with big chunk OF
thunder and lightning, and tall billing of a
tearing earthquake. By tise gracious Moses on
Mount Sinah, we'll have rambunctious sport,
shan't we, my Julius-C Cicero Cornelius Grippa-
Joe Smith the Mormon Robin Hood, and all
them ere fellows chawed up into one big to-
bacco quid2"
The gambler assisted the preacher to arrange
for the sermon, borrowed the hymn book, and
sat down to listen to the young speaker with an
expression of mock seriousness on hissrubicund
Z countenance.
n By this time many of the passengers had col
lected in the dining saloon, wondering what
would be the upshot of the strange proceedings
The preacher smoothed his face with his ban
danna, selected hymn, and lifted up his voice
in prayer. Waxing warmer and warmer in his
supplications, he feryentiy prayed God to send
an arrow Of conviction to the gamblers soul
that would be the means of his salvation from
eternal hell. The prayer was followed by al
eloquent and searching sermon, and such wa.
the pungency and power of the speakers Ian
4 guage under the deep responsibilities of hi
divine mission, that every word seemed burn
ing shaft to the gamblers heart and conscience
/ He was soon seen to twist and squirm under th
i gospel truths, and finally to sneak away through
a state room to the upper deck of the boat
'' without waiting to participate in the CLOSING
hyran, and Sc hand around the hat" as he ha,
{promiasd.
After all was over, however, the gamble
sought again the young preacher, and thu
ddresseo him:
aI say, my friend. you're reg'lar preacher
ain + yer?"
6 Yes, sir, have the honor to be called a
UNIV ,orthy embassador Of Christ, and trust
may be the means Of bringing back many wan
derin and perishing souls to God"
4 aNVeI, / mought hA' knowed as much, an
how. Blow me, if you didn't knock the an,
1 hills from under my rattii iiesnake trampers,