The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-10-03
NUMBER 40.
FaygOr's Boy.
- p
DOWN THE WELL.
[From the New York World

|
the best part of ten summers and nine
winters, for he stands ON his two naked
feet amid the briars and rocks Of Penn |
| sylyanla nigh unto five feet high. And
rather old for his age is Tayl0r's boy,
Tor he knows how to unhang gates, fas-
ten tin kettles to dogs tails and suck
eggs better, more securely and more ex-
| pedltiOusly than any boy i'll this-the
stump-speakers' land. Taylor's
boys figure is ke unto a long stick split
at one end and thrust into short pair of
| trousers. Taylor's boys father says the
cotton factories running on short time
can't make cloth fast enough to keen his
boy in trousers. The truth Of which as
sertion is plainly apparent to any one
from even cursory inspection of Tay-
lors boys trousers, which, on week days,
REACH just below his knees; and if he
hath Sunday trousers OF al longer pattern,
| 1aylOrs boy never wears them. Tay-
Or's boys entire wardrobe seems to con
slst OF one pair of trousers, one pair of
leather suspenders and one straw hat.
Taylor's boy wears the crown of his
straw hat on the back Of his head; the
front part of the brim, which is detached
from the rest of his hat, usually rerts on
! Taylor's boys nose. Taylor's boy takes
his observations through the opening be-
| NNSSAA UAAC O"4G UfEN1 JIIC U14AAs Ny
lOr's boys head is shaped like the heads
Of the Aztec children, who used to ex-
hibit in the side shows of the moral cir
Gus, 1t runs rather cOnspicuOusly in the
rear. Pete JOhnsing, as his mother calls
him, is collored boy. Pete is rather
small for his age, which is all the way
from one year to five, just as Mrs. John
sing happens to rec0llectit it. Pete is Just
about the size of hand-organ monkey.
Pete is rather young for his years, TN
sophisticated, and innocent like. Pete
spends most OF bis time catching at the
hind part of wagons, playing in sand
puddles in the road, and IN climbing
sp0uts. The agility with which Pete
me think OF Darwin. Like TaylOrs boy,
Pete runs great deal to trousers; but
Pete's trousers are as much too large as
IaylOr's boys trousers are too small.
The average of trousers between them
is all right, but the individual fit is awful.
Petes trousers reach up to his neck, and
trail ten or twelve inches in the rear.
Pete's mother is economical in hat;
Pete has no hat excepting his hair. A
few days since, while | was drowning
out dyspepsia with the sweat of my brow
inmy fathers garden, TaylOr's boy loped
: over the wall Like q young giraffe, and
/ NlSA1Vu W hLlON IL l. NOulQ dAIQN uklt W
prick some of the raspberIies. As Tay-
lor'a boy looked as if raspberries would
T help him some, | consented. Soon af-
ter, Pete JOhnslng came over and made
} the same request; and as am not the
man to make any invidiouB distinctions
| on account OF color as to another mans
raspberries, consented to Pete's pick
ing. In my fathers garden there is a
large cistern, used to catch rain-water
- for carriage washing and vegetable in
:, vigorati0n. Near the opening in the top
E OF the clstern, said aperture being about
L L four feet square, o box is usually kept,
!, Ostenslbly to cover the opening, butreal-
> ly to enable any night trespasser to trip
Z Z over the same, with a lively chance of
pitching into the cistern; and there have
been for two years past lying near the
!, cistern the relics of q pump, one of those
:. = patent pumps which won't pump and
I never would, such as lunatfcs invent
/ and disingenuous pump -peddlers be.
guile honest folk with. When they
had eaten their fill Of raspberries, Tay,
lor's boy suggested that they have cir.
Gus. And without consulting me, Tay.
: lOr's boy selected the top of the cistern
= near the box and patent pump, as q suit.
# able place for his gymnastic performan
e ces. 1t is proper Tor me to state in this
0 connection that knowing something Of
d Taylor's boys idiosyncrasy for getting
It kittens and c0lored boys into trouble
r. / should have selected some other place
q had been consulted. But as | have
1T remarked, was not consulted. No
is had any idea there was circus exhib
is iting in the neighborhood until wa
st startled by the loud shouting of Taylor
e boy, "Nigger in the well; nigger in th,
le well" TaylOr's boys presence of mine
did not desert him. Feeling that fel
10y creatures life was in danger, first
J. Taylor's boy threw into the cistern
Is piece Of plank, and then q pickaxe, an,
y he was tugging away at the patent pum1
y as it to throw that in, when accosteo
y him. what are you about there, Tay
y lor's boy?" E
70 "Nigger in the well, mister nigge
y y in the well; I'm giving him somethin
u ! to keep him up.n
L Keep him up!' I remarked. 'tHo,
10 long do you suppose % pickaxe will kee
v the boy afoat?n @fa ,A
4 Tay1or's boy made no reply, but vocii
ol Grated vehemently, "Nigger in th
= well niger in the we'll ~
~ Taylor's boys slloutings brought Mr.
49, Johnsing to the door, Mrs. Johnsing bt
- ing engaged just then ut our family WasE
Is, dS tub Mrs Johnsing took in the situs
ef u ton at once and started for the cisterl
o1 Just as she reached it her foot caught
a1 some of the gearing of thepatent Dtiml
u, na she triped, and went headlong into TT
III cistern.
e. er "Two niggers in the well ~ erie
-. | Taylor's boy.
" fThe we'll is full of niggers - An
|Io u, up the street he started, shooting at Il
~, no top of his voice: ''The well is full
Ite niggers The well is full of niggers
l1S AS you may well suppose, things we
o. rather lively in that neighborhood for
Is few minutes. Taylor's boys statemel
tn SG4dl of the condition of the well alarmed a
s1gG the neighbors, who rushing into ii
ea streets and hearing Mrs. Johnsing's M
lie Pete's screams for. help, and not beil
able to locate these, ran madly to ar
M fro against each other, in quest Of tt
ch immersed colored folks. At length Y
lie, fished them out. Mrs. JOhnsing, as sot
or as she reached dry land, getting her II
OH and heir into the proper position, O.
or ministered to his person heavy dose
ice shoe; and Pete, released from the m
en, ternal embrace, observed to Tay1oi
en- boy, who had assembled again: as
gh yere, Jim Taylor Did YOU frow n
lds mother into dat weller
.au .n THE FoRr ST. PHM1T CANAI.--T.
eSe tSo Memphis Appeal has dispatch of the Is
,,tg ,,g from New York to this effect:
-, IN A Washington special says that 1
# Congressman of the Mississippi al