The Shasta courier., 1869-02-20
SH ASIA COURIER.
From the Petaluma Journal and Argus.
A Blackthorn Argument.

A short time since | gave you sketch
of my friend Mr.. Marshall, which you
thought worthy of spreading before the
natives Now, / have another friend and
he is-as the story hath it-"yes, dearer
by far than the aforesaid Marshall and
l think it would not be doing justice to
my more esteemed friend, to let the whole
world know Mr.. Marshall, and to allow the
other to sink ignobly into oblivion; pro-
viding | have the power to avert such a
calamity His name is O'Phelan-James
OPhelan; or, as generally addressed, Mr..
O'Phelan--and, like myself, is an emigrant
from the emerald Jim of the Say" He
is the possessor of many virtues and various
accomplishments is not at all aristocratic,
(thoug Oh descended from the kings, ETC., J
and is egotisical in only one matter, and
that is his ability to manipulate sthick. D
Many and many are the combats in which
he has proved his proves, and many also
are they who have gone down before his
good right arm (and big blackthorn).
Now, Mr.. Editor, you known that in
days gone by, it was customary for Don
Quixote and his brother knights to go slosh-
ing rouud the world, each endeavoring to
force all competitors to acknowledge his
Dulcinea the fairest but my knight took
entirely opposite course, and woe be unto
the unlucky wight who complimented has
Dulcinea.
Some time since l happened to hear that
Mr.. O'Phelan had yanuuished an apponent
in scrimmage in Petaluma; and succeed
ed, after some difficulty, in getting the
particulars from him. Now, this is not
such an easy task as it may seem, ard un
less accompanied with little strategy, Of
ten impossible. Happening to meet him
one morning, | went after the story thus
"Good morning, Mr.. O'Phelan."
Good morning, sill"
"Mr. O'Phelan, what is this have been
hearing about you? was told you were
arrested in Petaluma and put in Jail"
Mr.. O'P (snappish) y" Who tould yez
that'?"
Never mind who told me; but is it so p
Mr.. OP. Scratching his head and
seeming puzzled)- y" Weel, faith, | might
as well tell ye the truth, and say yis."
"But, of course, Mr.. OPbelan, it was
a mistake, undoubtedly you were not to
blame"
"Oh, no, sir; it was the Paler, bad
luck to i'm. Begorra, sure Paler is a
Paler, all the wurruld over; (sotto ooce)
may the divil shlack lime in the lug O the
mans grandmother that fusht invinted
them"
"But Mr. O'Phelan, what pretext did
the Peeler bave for arresting you 2"
"Well, sure, might ez well tell ye the
whole sthory at wanst, and be done with
it. 1t was this way -
" Ye see, myself and Tim Rooney, and
some more gentlemen, was sittin around
the sthove in wan of thin sheebcens in
Petaluma, and the discoorse happened to
turn on the subjict av sthick. Wan was
sayin how so and so could shwing kip
keen, and another how so and so could do,
whin Mickey Clancy Eye knows Mickey
who was the other side ay the room, says
he:
I" Yez can talk of Pat Doolan and Dinny
Mulrooney, and who yez plaze, but there
sits man fornint me now, who'll sthand
wild sthick aiore any man in the country"
l said nothin; when who shonld opin
his CAB but big blagard mkt to me, who
l niver clapped me two eyes on afore that
night
"Would !" yez be obligin enough to inform
me That's yer name, sir?" says he
"Mr O'Phelan," says 1.
"Well, then, Mr.. O'Phelan, says he,
" may be yez couldn't bate mesilf"
"May be l couldn't" says |, " and may
be | could"
"May be, Mr. O'Phe1an," says he " it
might not be displasin till yez to thry a
few whacks wild mesilf"
"That same, says |, " wouldn't go agin
me constitution J" and out we goes in the
yard and aich av us choose sthick from
the wood pile, and in we comes wild it.
Now all this time kept me temper, but
now me mad was ris agin the Aumadhaun,
and says to him, may be" says /,
I" "yez'd have the condiscinshun to inform
me fhare yez kim frum?"
From Kildare, aV Its plalsln to tell yez,
says he.
Thin" says I, i" be the rock av Cash.
ep'-and that's hard OATH can bate
any Kildare man as iver wore two legs
shguare yoursilf, Nc Carly"
With that both sthrikes his guard and
be the powers, whin | sees him shquare
himsilf, / know'd had him; SO / shoves
out me sthick, as though was goin to Civ
him poke in the mouth, and he lifted his
gard to throw it of, when | hits i'm pol
thong across the lug, that amost sin't in
over, and thin, fur fare he'd fall, | hut i'm
another on the other side, to straiten hin
up wild.
Faix, that war enough for him. HI
dropped his kippeen and clapped botf
arrums on top of his head and yelled ou
that he war kilt, and that | war murderir
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