Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-05-11
HUMOROUS.
For the Spirit of the Age.
BILL SNIFFLES & co.

In one OF the extreme eastern counties
| of North Carolina, some time in the course q
| of human events, it matters not where, 9
there lived a pair of jolly companions, who
might be seen from early dawn till late at U
evening during the herring season, with !
paddle and net, moving slowly and lazily
up and down a small creek that extended !
a short distance from the river. At other {
seasons, except gumberry and whortleber
ry time, their locum tenens was the broad
bosom Of the beautiful river of -, near
the banks of which they had their " local
habitation." During "gumberry time,"
their regular business was raccoon hunt
ing, and for " recrashin," as Bill would say,
they would try their hand" on a bear.
These two jolly souls-Bill Snifies and
Dick Scovy-were always together and al
ways ready to help each other out Of, or
into a difficulty and Notwithstanding the
latter often happened, yet they were al
ways strong friends and dubbed themselves
" Bill Snif1es & Co" de nomine.
have often thought that " Snif1es" was
a nick name some wag had fixed on Bill,
because it was SO very suggestive. His
nose very much resembled the big end of
a young hooking bird, and presented the
various hues of the snout and comb of the
turkey gobbler, as he is very warm or cold,
according to the temperature of Bills mind
or body, and was the source of a " stream
of mercy never ceasing."
Bill seemed " naturally" adapted to the
art of fishing, for his eyes scorned to look
upon the anne object at the same time, but
xunul1 Lab I.rao+1rv ,,roo 4v1 1I.1A- -
opposite directions thus he could sit in
the centre of his boat and watch his
corks" on both sides, and hence could catch
tOo fish while any one else was catching
one. This contempt for each other, might
have arisenfrom the fact that one was near
ly twice the size of the other, and each
disdained to claim relationship with his
brother.
Dick Scovy, Bills quondam friend,,might
be thought to present a little better exter-
nal show, and Bill always acknowledged
that he was more "cute" than himself
Dicks feet disdained association and turn
ed from each other with so much contempt
that it was, sometimes, difficult to tell, from
his tracks, which way he was going. You
may imagine with what dread he was re
garded by the flax and wheat growers
Each strand of his hair-the color of which
would shame the reddest hog he ever me
and make him run off to hide himself
had, in Infancy, declared independence {
}. its fnitimi. Hence, unless very short, pre-
cluded the unnecessary appendage of moo
ern apparel hat.
Take them all in all and together, the
uara No opaon oroei4u Ill ,u1-ll l..
rendered Barnum a very good service. An
it was worth a quarter of any mans MOI
ey, to hear and see Bill, when strait on
on one of his yarns. 1t is utterly impo
sible to copy them unless we could cor
Bill himself, with his eyes, nose and antic
SO that the reader might see him. But
will attempt a relation, as near as l CT
copy his language, of one or two of his e
PLOTS as related by himself:
"Blll, can you tell us of the crook,
cypress on the creek !"
"One mornin' laas spring l cluded !
take my tacklins an 90 down to Their ere
an ketch me a bait Nv purch-an in gui
on / thought I'd drap in and see if Di
wouldn't go. So when | gifts to Dicks
= draps in and axed Dick--I SEE, Die
don't you wonter goodwin an try Their pur
this morninY He SEE, Wal, | don't kt
eff doc, jes what a mint twell | kin
'quipped' Freshly he SEE, Bill, it's sor
!. cole this mornin an Ibleve I'll takea chu
nv fer long, So away we goes thout sa,
a nuther word, an when we reaches
place Dick bulls up a leetle fer near a
cypress where hangs over ther worter
oovara1 NTH paorca frrno I1~ - Iok41
thick as wool on a sleeps back.
We then went out an fished twell
foun we had no luck that mornin,
bout ten, we cluded we'd hang up an
home. All this time the sun was a br
down on that ar morse on ther cypress
it wus as dry as lighterd, so when we
to shore Dick axed me, he SEE, Bill,
bet you ther biggest coon skin | koch
winter, you can't cline that ar cypress
See | it's a bet | off wi my shoes an {
an went up it like a squirt, not 'spe
NARY time what Dick was arter.
when l was guine up Dick wus gittin
a chunk Nv fer, an by the time / wa
Their top / heerd the biggest VOC, VOC
to be shore-like you had turned on,
dozen beehives! An my blessed! VIII
cum to no, shore nuff, that Teller had t
ed fer to ther morse where wus on
tree an fore you Good say Jack Rober
it wus all over me. An | tell you |
down that ar tree Their shortes way, W
wus kersouse inter Their creek. VIII
got out-my eye brows an hair wa
burnt off. | looked fur Dick he W,
thar; an | didn't see him no mourn
d. huckleberry time, when he cum to me
lin in the swamp one mornin. You
had met ole gruffy eatin some nice hu
,pe. berries which | wanted myself, and
l tried to run him away he wouldn't
" so we hitched rite in ther swamp. /
he was ther bess man, and when | gc
! with chance | slipped hind a tree and VIII
reched round to grab me / cotch his
d. Dick wern't fur off an when he cum,
aayeo, ed him, | seq, { Dick, 90 out an git a
cum an kill him; I'll hole him TIVE
blsst cum back So when he got hon
IN may stopped an got his breakfast and sta
long | gan to study fur him. At Il
hit it. When he cum back, / sea,
nso' I've hilt him SO long, let me now ha,
pleasure NV KILN the %critter; and
is rest. spectin', cum and tuck holt bat / g
hAnn fl L.. -