Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-02-20


| the pride of his affections should
not be traduced in his presence :;
the fair fame of Telegraph must be
upheld; and squirting up to them
furiously, he shouted;
Il tell you, sir, it tain't true, nary
time, sir! not q word Of it true -
Telegraph ran so far ahead Of them
T the first half-miIe, that I had to
come back for them she did thar!"
"Ah, but Cap, how was it at the
outcome? didn't they keep close to
her!n
; Well, what eff they did?-what
Of they didz ! never said that she
was four-,nile nag! I said she
couldn't be beat a thousand yards
and [ say it yit! Them oxen, nor
nothing you've got, or ever seed
could do itr'
There being no reply, Cap, like
a skillful general, seeing the enemy
talter, charged from the defensive
to an attack.' Confound your poor
skins, there you set on your horses
running down the black MARI, when
she has saved at least fifty thousand
dollars for the company tonight.
And what have you done, since
you arc SO smart-and what have
you done 2"
The boys saw that it wouldn't do
to press the joke any farther then +
if they did, they must fight; and
there being no occasion for this,
parried the attack by saying
"Well, we'll, We are not disposed
to run your mare down, you have
done that yourself: She is a splen-
did animal, and runs thousand |
yards like a streak OF lightning no
doubt; but let's ride up and see
how the steers are, they seem to
be quiet.'' "Quiet!" responded
Cap, still in high key; Il reckon
they are quiet. 1on'd be quiet,
too, if You had run as far as they
have" "We ell, come on,' said one
of the young men; "come on, let's
see how they look" The party
rode up in the direction of the
stump Cap in the rear. When
they got up within about fifty
yards of it, Cap called out, "Hold |
on boys, don't skeer 'ern, they
might run agin, and 'tworld kill
Telegraph to run that heat over
agin, sartIn. She amt no repeat
in nag
Never fear, Cap, they won't run
agin; if they do, we'll stop them"
And riding up within twenty feet,
they waited for the next flash of
lightning to show Cap bis error
"Now, let's all of us look right
close as soon as it lightens, to see
whether they are laying down, or
running, or getting ready to run, or
what"
But a moment elapsed, when a
vivid flash Lit up the surrounding
prairie as bright as midday, reveal
ing every root and fibre OF the old
stump in unmistakable clearness-|
painfully distinct. The truth flash
ed upon Cap, with whitening sever
ity. All his hard earned honors of
the night crushed at tone fell l.,
swoop."' His feelings of chagrin
nd modification were overpower- ;
ing; his head and shoulders aroop-
ed, and he shrunk in his saddle !
like leaf Of the sensitive plant t
when touched by the finger; bis t
naughty pride had collapsed, bis Z
martial bearing wilted; and bis
''vaulting spirit" for the first time
in his life, perhaps, could think of !
nothing but augur holes, and how ]
to get in them. For several min 6
utes there was perfect silence. At
last, Cap, in tone of the deepest 6
dejection-and so low, that it was /
audible-uttered to him /
SELF ''Stnmp-by Godp' Again J
there was silence for time. A t
Of one Of the men reused .
Cap from his stupor; he looked 8
around with a nervous shudder, c
like one just awakened from fear s
ful dream, and in q low, husky
whisper asked, e. Whar's the cat
tie" 'sDown by the camp, Cap,
perfectly quiet, and have been so c