Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-16
EV ENING STAR.
WINNING A AwIDOw-WITHA A Spring
HATD

| at nj ght, and as / was bound up the Missis
| sippi, and did not want to miss her, deter
mined to wait in the wharf Office. Shortened
| the time by paying a few visits to q coffee
house and billiard room in the town. During
| one Of these noticed the arrival Of party OF
| French creoles, who talked and swore over q
| dozen mallard ducks" loud enough to have
| made you believe you d been on war trail
| after Camanches, and brought in as many
scalps. At last walked over to the wharf Of
fee, settled down, and at last found comfort
| In segar, and as much Of a newspaper as the
| rather misty light of a 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
segar, when L 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 1''
" wal he is and good match he's made
| of it. l tell you what, she's rOarer If he
don't have to put a kicking breech on her
| afOre she's married a week you may call me
fool She's got eyes like a panther; and if
he only lets her get the bit between her teeth,
just for once, she'll carry him further nor he
| wants to go 90
What makes him want to marry her
then ?''
"Niggers, mules, and as neat a plantation
as thar is on the Bayo. Two hundred and
htty hogsheads clean sugar last crop, an if
they'd only cut the cane airlier fifty more
atop of it. She had new steam ingine put
up last season, and tho that cussed 6agnaS,e
burners rousing humbug, yet L reckon its
all paid for, and all Buffers got to do, is step
In, hang up his hat an sot down TO live like
fighting cock"
"Why didn't you go in there, The last
time came down the river L heard you were
bucking up to the widow"
Wal, now, Jim, to be honest, did think
until Buffer stepped in, that just had it all
my own way, and that was goin' to get her;
sure As these here French say, made
eyes at her'-sayage! But, somehow or mo-
ther, she always went dead agin old Massis-
sip. man from our State had no kind of
show, and though 1 put the tentions to her
like an uncle, it didn't seem to be no use try
in. Bout one time she kind o. lean my way
You see mare about the end of grinding sea-
son, ole FarabOle CIV a dance down in his
sugar house, and 'vited me and the widder,
and raft more; an down We went, and the
wdder kind a felt her oats, and We reeled it
of in the airly part of the evening fit to kill,
but b IN by that Buffer he came on an 1ust
knocked me cold
"You see he'd been down to the city, New
Orleans,) and only rived on the Bayou that
night, an hearn' that there was COINS on
down to ole Farabole's sugar house, down he
cum. Wal, sir, he was drest to death in the
handsumeSt kind Of stOre-clOthes, an the wo-
men were right up on eend soon as he came in
q see the widder ixin' her panther eyes
on him, and just said to myself Dick Tare-
out, you mOut as well clear; that are Buffers
too much for you in the close line !" L felt it
at once. Wat, sir, in about mint up comes
Buffer, smiles at the widder in a fashinatin'
Sf- To-, .,,,1 ~ L.
she, 'Yes. Mr.. Buffer, it will ford me the
gratest pleshure Gratest pleshure wal,
tho way he squeezed her, when they danced,
l rather think it did. kept an eye on Buff
fer. Now, you see, he'd been stayin' at the
Saint Charleses, an putin it through like
forty, an he'd larnt all the last agonies in the
way of bOwin' and scrapin leetle nOthing's;
and, sir, he carried his hat rOund tn his
hand all over the sugar house, down among
the bilers, and up round back to the ingine-
whar the liker was-every whar he toted that
ar hat.
Now the widder didn't jist exactly know
what to make of it-cOZ it was a new wrinkle
so twict she said to him he d better let Big
Jake, one of the house niggers, hold it for
him; but 'twant no use, he held on to 1T tight
a wrench: at last, just as they war in the
middle Of dance, sez Buffer, with such a
smile, sez he Mrs. Noiryeux, for yure sake
that ar hat in one hand, an hit it lick with
tO'ther, and fetched top and rim right into
pancake knocked it right down fat
81 tell you wOt, when the widder see him
do that, she was jest ready to drap-she was
so come over with his intentions. Sacrafzing
a bran new hat, and all to crafty her whim
L see at once how he was gOin' it, an 1 deter
mined, sir, to head him off So L stepped up
round back Of the ingine-whar the Ticker
Was-an' | tnOk a q rnmSin' hip bnrp 20
Old Farabole's rum, and huntin' round found
my hat. 1t was right new one-none of
yeur kOOshoOt or wool hats, but reg lar bea-
yer, stiff as a stOve-p pipe, and shone like pair
Of new blacked boots so / lays hold of that
are hat, an goes round back Of the ingine an
takes another swinging big pull at the rum
an then L felt jist ready for action. The
dance was through, and as cheers was scarce,
the women were all seated on few seats in
front Of tho bilers, an Buffer was a pilin' on
the soft things, an the widder was a lookin'
tickled to pieces-when l made my appear
ance on the stage
-" works up to rds the widder, and when
| d got atween her and Buffer, sez |, "A low
Inc the pleasure of your hand for the next
set,'
"Ob, seq she, with leete sigh, am SO
come over that hardly feel a6ul to dance
again :"
"' Now, seq to myself, old feller, spread
yourself or die - and L jest swings my hat
round forward, and jest as L said You had
better say " Yes!' you IL get over it dane
ing" held that ar hat in one hand, ljsst as
Buffer did his,) and with t'other hand druy
the crown down with sech another lick, that
the lining jumped right through, and bust the
eend clean out
g. Raaly,' said she, you skeered me " an
think L mout have done it. Thar was my
hat all knocked into Internal pieces no bigger
than bits, the rim ell hanging loose, the sides
smashed in, the lining running out, and the
top off. Bout that time turned my eye, and
thar stood Buffer hoIdin' his hat-jest as
good as new, and all in shape sir! L looked
at it twicet-no mistake, it was aohOLe.
"Sez he, You ought t get Spring HAT
a ShappOh Mechanic, as the French call EN-
L We one here' An then he ups and shows
the whole insides of it, an how 1t works, al
the hull lot of women looked at him, like If
he d had a stoye-pipe chock full Of dimoLds;
the widder specially patternized him tuck him
under her wing, an Civ me the cold sholder-
straight Buffers got her, L m tired of La
Fooshe, an am goin' back to the hills, whar