The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-05-18
Uncle Ben's Camp Meeting.

youngsters, who were gathered around Uncle
Ben, as he was seated in the town of Clinton.
Tone evening near sunset. 1t was of course
answered in the negative, with request that
be should tell them of it.
"Wall, yer see | and Billy and jim Lindsey
l'cluded we would go over to Rock spring camp
smeetin', three years ago Jim and Billy were
:young fellers, and both were crazy on the sub
|ject of gals. AS for myself, I went thar in a
religious pint of view. Arter we got thar. we
stopped at the tent of one of our friends, and
arter supper we concluded we would go down
TO the stand, and hear the sarmnt. Billy got
hold of little gal, and off he went; Jim hitched
Sone as weighed nigh onto hundred and sew
senty, and foIered arter them, and l, notwith
sstandin' had come thar in religious pint of
view, thought it wouldn't be hurtin' ANYBODY
to sorter mix the thing; so TUX hold of young.
0ouncin' bloomin' widder.--boys, that widder
was about the puttiest pece--but never mind
about that now and away we went, arter the
rest
"Wall, the preachin' went on and closed
without anything happenin' ,'orful and sublime,
las Stubbs says, cept Jim's jinin' the church
and me goin' to sleep and comm back without
the wilder. Boys, fore God Iclear forgot her.
[ war sorry for it, but it war no use talkin';
couldn't toch her with ten-foot pole She
war as mad as hornet. Billy said must pol
IogiSe; mought done if he hadn't told me to
He's nice thing to teach me perliteness, ain t
lhe? He amt got sense enough to keep his
mouth shet bout nothin', specially where I
am consarned.
''Well, | and Jim went to bed, and Billy got
Ia bed in the next room. Jim soon went to
sleep, and war lynn thinkin' bout the widder.
when all at once the gals (the next room was
Hull of 'em) commenced er lar6n and giggIin'
lin the next room at a terrible rate, know d
they war up to mischief for thar war three or
four in thar as wild as turkeys, with that little
sgal that Billy went out to the stand with to
head em, and she war all Sorts | wanted to
know what they war up TO; so | reaches over
land shakes jim. But then | know'd as Jim
wouldn't do cause he had just jined the church
land furthermore he was the most shamefaced
man ever seen. He and Billy were down on
the creek, long time ago. and they cum upon
whole pile of gals in err swimmin, and jim
Hike fool got shamed and bid behind stump.
BILLY looked, ,--durn him keep him from lookin' !?
he done wus, too"
~ nal QIu ne 40! asked some one
He tied up their fxin's and split, but the
lschoolmaster found it out, and the way he
wolloped Billy Fields war caution to young
men as walks on the creek when thar is gals
Jim the country as have a motion to larn how to
swim
"Wall ,arer thinkin over these circumstances
Il concluded that jim war not the man wanted.
$50 let him loose, and let him go to sleep
again; and then went into the room whar Billy
Twas, and woke him up and explained to him
how matters stood in the next room. We de-
!termned to see what was gwine on; but how to
do it war the question. Thar was no cracks
Ito peep through, and thar was no foot-hold to
peep over;-ye all know how tents are fixed.
WAL, arter studyn' whDe. Billy hit on plan
SIt was this: One of us was to stand on the
ssnuuIuersUI the otner one and peep over This
war pretty good plan, but wanted the tirsr
peep, and | miStruSed that Billy couldn't hold
.me up--he being such little feller, and l such
Ian old gourd. Billy didn't Ike to make the
trial, but greed to on the consideration that
war not to stay up long. war willin' cause
Il Jess wanted TO see ef could cotch sight of
the widder anyhow Well | mounted, and jess
Icoched sight of the little creeterS, spread out
i'm IA row on the beds en- the floor, when Billy
wind guv out and down cum on Jim's paunch
and he fetched shout and holIered glory i
THE durn fool thought that judgment day had
come. This sorter stopped the gas for while;
but we lay as still as squirrels. that is, 'cepl
Jim, who kept groanin and twistin' some. We
sent word out to the old folks that he had the
Icolicky Bimeby the gals copnmenced thar
frocks agin that is, 'cept that big fat gal, that
war cryin' cause Jim war sick.
Billy said it war his turn now, and SO ii
wos; but fallin' down had like to er broke my
leg. Blu | thought it would never do to cut
the fellow out of his fun; so up Billy got and
commenced lookin'. got mighty tired. but |
lknow'd it woudn't do to say nothin', cause the
gals would hear me and thar would be rum
pus. But then my old leg commenced hurtin !;
so | reached up and sorter pinched Billy, as a
sign for him to get down. But he never moved
Ia peg; thar he Stood stretchin' his neck and
gain over at them gals. A thought jess then
Struck me- SEE | to myself, didn't Billy let
me fall on purpose jess now? By jingo b'lieve
he did' think l. I'll pay you back with inter
lest old feller' So | reached up and got good
hold, of him, and when he stretched little
further over Isent him whirlin' right amongst
them gals. Did you ever sperience yearth-
quake? Did you ever dream of kingdom come?
Y our orter been thar when Billy lit! Sich a
lSquallin'-sich a crawlin' under beds-sich a
'hidin under straw, you never did see! When
IStubbs gets drunk he talks about young fellow
las was named Don Juan, crawlin' under some
bed -fxin's at an old Spaniard's house; but his
fix war nothin' to Billy Fields scrape. The
old folks all run up, one old brother commenced
prayn' loud enough to be heard from Dan to
IBershe ba.-and the way them folks did give ii
to that young man!
"'Clar cut from here, yer nasty ravlshn'
scoundreI!' said an old lady as had daughter
lin that room.
1--WE will prosecute h. m? said little jack
leg lawyer, as never has prosecuted anybody
yet, nor never WILL as long as people have as
much sense as they have got now.
"'How could you do So Mr.. Fields?' said
the little gal, as has been 'luded to.
"'Thar they stood, all round him. givin' it
to him and not lettin' him say word. I ber-
gun to git sorry for Billy, and l know'd he
didn't have sense enough to git outof the scrape
so | walks up to whar they were staRdin'; but
never let on for a while, but stood and list
ened without they seein' me. Bimeby one old
lady spied me out, and sez she,
g INF If pr shame Mr. Johnson9 int If pr