San Andreas independent., 1856-11-22
w inn ing a widow with a
sSpring, Hat.''

ten o'clock at night, and as [ was bound
up the Mississippi, and did not want to
miss her, determined to wait at the wharf
office. Shortened the time by paying a
few visits to a cofee-house and billiard
room in the town. During one of these,
noticed the arrival of party of French
creoles, who talked and swore over dozen
"mallard ducks" loud enough to have
made you believe they'd been on the war
trail after Camanches, and brought in as
many scalps. At last walked over to the
wharf office, settled down and found COM
fort in cigar, and as much of newspa-
per as the rather misty light of bull-eyed
lantern would give me. The fire in the
stove roared bravely and sent out plenty of
warmth. | had dropped the paper and
only held on to the cigar, when suddenly
woke up on hearing the door open, and a
couple Of men enter. They found chairs,
and drawing up to the stove continued a
conversation, evidently just commenced as
they entered.
"And so Buffer is going to be married?'
oval he is. and good match he's
made of it. | tell you what she's rearer.
If he don't have to put kicking breech
on her afore he's married a week, you may
call me fool. She's got eyes like pan
ther; an if he only lets her get the bit
atween her teeth-just for once-she'll
carry him further nor he wants to go
What makes him want to marry her
then?"
"Niggers, mules, and as neat planta-
ton as thar is on the Bayou. Two humid
red and fifty hogsheads clean sugar last
crop, an if they only cut the cane air
lier, fifty more atop Of it. She had a new
steam ingine put up last season, and tho that
cussed bogasse burner sa rousing humbug,
yet / reckon it's all paid for; an all Buff
ter's got to do, is step in, hang up his hat,
an sot right down to live like a fighting
cock." F"
"Why didn't you go in there? The
last time came down the river I heard
you were bucking up to the widow? ?"
" Wal now, Jim, to be honest, [ did
think afore that Buffer stepped in, that |
just had it all my own way, and that l
was goin' to get her-sure! AS these
French say, 4 made eyes at her,
age! But, somehow or mother, she al
ways went dead agin old Massissip. A
man from our State had no kind Of show,
and though | put the tentions to her like
an uncle, it didn't seem to be no use tryin'
Bout one time she did kind O lean my way.
You see mare bout the end of grinding sea-
son old Farabole Civ dance down in his
sugar-house, and 'vited me and the wild
der, and raft more; an down we went,
and the widder kind felt her oats and
we reeled it off in the airly part of the
evening fit to kill; but by'm by that Buffer
he came on an just knocked me cold !
Ye see he'd been down to the city
(New Orleans, and only rived on the
Bayou that night, an hearin' thar was
COINS on down to old Farabole's sugar
house, down he cum. Wal, sir, he was
drest to death in the handsumest kind of
store-cloths, an the women war right up
on an end soon as he cum in.
| see the widder fxin' her panther
eyes on him, and | jest said to myself
Dick Tareout, you mout as well clear;
that ere Buffers too much for you in the
close line / felt it at oncet. Wal, sir,
in about minnit up comes Buffer, smiles
at the widder in fascinatin' manner, an
ensists on dancin' with her. Sez she,
Yes Mister Buffer, it will ford me the
gratest pleshure! Gratest pleshure! wal,
the way he squeezed her, when they
danced, | rather think it did. / kept an
eye on Buffer. Now, you see, he'd been
stayin' at the Saint Charzcses, an putin
1t through like forty, an he larnt all the
last agonies in the way of bowin' and scra-
PIN an sayin leetle nothin's; and, sir,
he carried has hat round IN has hand all
over the sugar-house, down among the
bllers, and up round back of the ingine-
whar the hcker was-eyery whar he toted
that ar hat.
"Now the widder didn't jist Exactly
know what to make of it-coz it was a new
Wrinkles twicet she said to him he'd
better let Big Jake, one of the house mig
gers, hold it for him; but 'twant no use,
he held on tot tight as a wrench; at last,
jest as they were in the middle of dance,
sez Buffer, with sech smile, sez he
Mrs. Noiryeux, for yure sake I'll do most
ennything! An he actilly held that ar
hat in one hand, an hit it lick with
t'other, and fetched top and rim right into
pancake; knocked it right down fiat.
q I tell you wot, when the widder see
him do that she was lest ready to drap-
she was so come over with his intentions.
Sacryfzing bran new hat, and all to
crafty her little whim [ see at oncet
how he was goin' it, an determined, sir,
to head him off. So | stepped up round
back Of the ingine--whar the Ticker was
an | took most a rousin' big horn of
old Farabole's rum, and huntin' round
found my hat. 1t was right new one
none OF your Kosshoot or wool hats. but