New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-26

/ drained and sent away. "Do you believe
/ in curses, Kentucky
"B'Iieve in cusses? Don't the Bible tell
| about cussin'2 Wasn't thar an old man in
/ the Bible-I disremember his name--that
| cussed one of his sons, and blessed tOther
one reckon l do b'lieve in cussin'."
His interlocutOr laughed softly at the
| statement and argument. did you ever
know anybody to be cursed in such a man
ner that it was plain he was under ban Of
underwriting vengeance ?"
EFF you mean did / ever know a man as
was cussed, ken say did, onct. He was
a powerful mean mana nigger-driver,
down in Tennessee. He was orfnl to swear
an crUel to the niggers and his wife be-
sides. Dne day she died, and left quite a
mite Of a baby; an he was so mad he
swore he wouldn't bury her; the neighbors
might bury her, and the brat too, # they
liked. As he was swearin' and a-terin with
all his might, and a-callin' on God to cuss
him OF he didn't do so an so, all of a sud
dent, just as his mouth opened with a oath,
he was struck speechless, an never has
spolzea a word till this dayi--leastways not
that / ever heard Ov."
"This is what l should call special ex-
ample of Divine wrath" said Gentleman
Bill, deity dealing the cards for new
game.
'What meant to ask, was, whether any
one, yourself especially, had ever known
one man to curse another man so as to
bring ruin upon him in spite of his will to
resist itl 4"
"Waal, I've heern tell of sech things;
can't say as know sech man, without it's
Bob Matheny. He says he's cussed, an l
reckon he is. Everybody in Wilson's Bar
has heern about that"
"NOt everybody, for am still ignorant Of
his story. Was that why Mr.. Davis OBJ
jected so strongly to his marriage2 l begin
to be interested Count me another game,
partner. l should like to hear about Mr..
Matheny."
"You may tell the story, Davis" said
Kentuck, magnanimously. 81 want ter
chaw terbacker fur while, an l can't talk
an chaw."
Tom Davis gladly took up the theme, as
it gave him an opportunity to display his
Oratorical and rhetorical abilities, of which
he was almost as proud as he was of his
skill in hiding cards in his sleeves, his hat,
his hair, his boots.
Gentlemen" he began, hesitating an in
stant--while, attention being being fixed
on what he was about to say, he stocked
the gentlemen, it's one of the Gurus
est things you ever heerd in yer life 1t
seems thar was a woman at the bottom of
til believe thar alters is at the bottom of
every thing. WAL, he stole another mans
sunfOwer-Iye heered Bob say so, hisself-
an the other Teller got mad-as mad as
thunder-an', when he found his gal had
vamosed with Bob, he cursed him; an his
curse was this: That as long as he lived, all
that he did should prosper fur little while,
an jest when he begun to emily it, a curse
should come onto it. Eff it wor business,
when he thought he was sure of a good
thing, it should fail. Eff it wor love, the
woman he loved should die. Eff it wOr
children they should grow up an turn
agin' him; or, if they stuck TO him, the
same curse should be on them; what they
undertook should fail; what they loved
should die"
"Did the woman he loved die? did his
children desert him z" asked the English
man, eagerly.
"His wife died seven years after he mar
ried her one Ov his boys was killed by his
horse fallin' on him the other got into bad
company down to Red Bluffs, an, arter
leadin' the old man devil of life for two
years or more, run Off an got taken by the
lynehers-sO folks said. b'lieve he has a
gal back in the States but his wife's folks
won't let her come to CalifOrny. They're
eddic8tin her quite grand grand, an she
writes powerful nice letter. The old man
showed me one last time he was up to the
Bar. Han'sOme as any schOOlmarm's ever
We saw. But Bob says he don't see what's
the use sometimes sure to happen her;
sOmethin' alters does happen to him an to
his Children"
"Is chat WHY he thinks he's cursed-be-
cause something always happens 2 asked
Gentleman Bill, indifferently.
"Sartn; an it's so, sure as yer born.
NOthin' never pans out long with Bob Ma
theny. His beginnin's is all good, an his
endin's all bad. reckon thar never was
man TO Wilson's Bar has bin cleaned eOut,
down to the bed rock, as often as Mathe
n.y."
els he a good man ?" asked the English
man, interested.
''Never had better man to Wilson's
Bar, responded Kentuck, decidedly, as he
cast his quid under the table. "He amt
lucky felleF, an he's mighty superstitious
an the like; but l make heap O. Bob
Matheny. His luck an his cuss don't hurt
him none fur me. It jest a notion, mebbe."
"NotiOn or no notion" said Davis with a
knowing Ieer, "he's not the man to marry
nice gal like that 'un he's got up to the Rest.
Better let her be for some lucky young fell
Ter ag could make her happy. Don't you
say sd, boys ~
While the laugh went round, the crowd
that had been gradually collecting and
listening to the story, began to move, and
then TO part, as the man so much talked of
forced his way toward the group of speak
ers.
"H0ld yer tongue, Tom Davis" said Ken
tuck. "HullOah, Bob take my hand, won't
ye9 I'll introduce We to my friends My
pardner is Huxly-a tip-tOp teller, as you'll
diskiyer fur yerself Davis pardner is
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Bill, we call him fur
short; he's so nice ant perlite. He's from
yer State, too, | reckon"
: s.Randolphs of Bonneville said Gentle
man Bill, rising and extending his hand.
Matheny, who was mild-loOking man of
about fifty, with hesitating manner and
rather care-wOrn countenance, half con-
cealed under a wide-brimmed, dusty black
hat, instead of meeting halfway the ex-
tended hand of his friends friend, thrust
his own into his pockets and gazed fxedly
at young Randolph. "Be We Boone Ran
dolph or be ye his sperrit ?" he asked,
hOaTsely.
''Neither, quite" said the young man,
smiling, yet little flushed. i am son of |
Boone Randolph, of Bonneville, if you know |
who ne was"
Matheny turned and hurried out of the |
crowd, followed by Kentuck, who wanted |
to have explained this singular conduct of |
Bob's toward his friend. As there was no |
witness Of their conversation, its meaning |
can only be guessed at by another which |
took place two hours later, after Matheny /
had turned in at the Travellers Rest 1t |
was late, even for him, when Kentuck |
started for his lodgings at the other end OF |
the long, denselV crowded STRAIGHTFORWARD |
not only with buildings of wood and canvas, |
but chozed up with mOnstrous freight |
wagons, and their numerous horse and |
mule teams, for which there was not stable |
room enough in all Wilson's Bar. Stun |
bling along the uneven sidewalk, often |
touching with his feet some unhOused Vaga- |
bond, Kentuck was about to mount the |
stairs which led to his bedroom, when |