Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1866-02-17

THE CALIFORNIA LAP DOG.


Early in the year 1850, the writer
mined on the Yuba. at Cordua's Bar, hav.
ing for companion one Rawson S., a
Jolly fellow, and one Of those rare chaps |
that put on the gravity Of a parson while
telling yarn, that would take the breath
out OF you with laughter while listening to
it. Raws-as we abbreyiate him-Was
the life of our camp, and to him were all
hands indebted for many anamusing and
original scene. The foil SVingn between
Raws and raw IrishmaD, who worked
near by-one John Dolan, who will not
soon be forgotten by the boys who We're
with him at Cordua's.
John had been but a short time from
the Emerald Isle, and was, per conse-
auence, rather verdant in his knowledge
of things in general and varmints in par
ticular, and of that little party-colored
gentleman, yclept skunk, an animal OF
whose existance and nature he had not,
probably, the slightest knowledge.
One evening John requested me to keep
an eye on his tent the following morning,
as it was his intention to take his picks to
smiths shop to have them sharpened,
and would probably start at all hour
sufficiently early to enable him to return
in season for breakfast. 1promised. to do
! so, and then turned into my nest of pine
straw and one blanket. Twas the best
we had in those days.
Next morning, just as we were discuss
ing pork and slapjacks, John retured and
calling Raws to one side, while his eyes
glared like cats in strange garret, he
said to him re ther coufidentially:
"Say, Raws, do ye smill anything quare
about me p bid .s..,- .
Raws took sniff, aud recognised the
door peculiar to skunk, replied yes
John, you have been in bad company"
"Faith, an ye're right, Raws divilish
bad company, an to me sorrow l'say it,
"Why, John, l had better opinion of
you than to think that you had been try
ing to coax off one of Mother Cordua's
lap dogs"
Coax the divil an is it lap dog, ye
call em? Bedad but it's quare CON
cate the ould 'oman has to be sure In the
matter Nv having the likes o him for a
lap dog" "''" ""
-" If you did not want him to follow
you home, why didn't you drive him back.
"Dhrive 'im back is lit !-dhrive in
back did ye say Bedad, but smill of I'm
'ud dhrive an army back It's to me i'll
divers to take i'm that Pm OWN me pris
int unchristian-like smill. I'll tell ye
Raws-I met the little divil in the thral
beyant. l had me picks sharpened, ane
was coming back as fast as iver me legs
could carry me, when | seed jist afore
me mighty daicent lookin' little chap
!. wild purity white spots on i'm, an be ia
bers. sez I, list mind the brush he carrie!
wild him don't he hould it SO nate ane
thrim an jist thinks to meself, wouldn
,, that same be good thing to clane thu
sand out % me goold-dust wild. So walks
, up to i'm quite aisily like, expectin' he'e
be afther LAWN me but divil tut dlt
he stir, but samed quite contint that
should take his brush, so says me honey
I'll take that concate out of ye in a jiffy
Thin seized hould o me pick wild botl
:, me hands and aimed to sthrike i'm betwan
the eyes, but bad luck to that same plc'
Q handle for bein' two inches too short, TO
+ by that same token I'm OWN that divilis
sm1ll that's about me-" ..,.gf >..,a.
' "Did he runaway from you then, sbhn
+ inquired Raws, while his efforts to loo]
sober started tears into his eyes.
"Run, is it +! Faith an he didn't, tn
}, divil an inch but OWN to me conva
nience to I'm, he jist squared himsel
s about, an'-be the howly poker !! but
thought livery 'pothecary's shop in soul
r Ireland had been turned loose in me pool
u cts. Be jabers but he TUX me full in ti
Z. face an eyes wild his 6astely stuff: Mu
u der and turf but that same bates tt
u divil intire!y. Och,!, but didn't the po'
J. ers NV it make me fall fat upon me fae
l. to get clear Nv it /; an thin I rolled mese
81 down the hill the matther Nv twinty fa
IS or more, an be niver stopped at all, at q
s Thin comminced. havin' up, an me. hes
lit is that's narely. off wild the sthriyin
had to kape from turnin' meself insit ins
N out. Och! the dirty blackguard A
g: is it really lap dog, Raws, ye call i'm
off, eyes, John, that was q California Il
g dog - j., ~. ..,e 49, aaa,. ID; ., .
I mire the concate Nv yez in the matth
,u of lap dogs. It's the divil. Och! b