The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-06-11


until you get 70 Austin, but be sure not 70
arrive there during the dull season; u you
do, and meet with the unprecedented sue
cess which has attended my Efforts, you viii
be ant 70 walk home, unless You can beat
nine conductors and the clerk Of a steamer
out Of a ride. Do not conc here in the
summer. for I have often been told that II
Is tic dull season; 1 have no doubt Of the
truth Of il, for / have been told 50 many
times Austin is, by far, the prettiest and
healthiest town in the State, and it is ac-
tually pleasure to breathe the pure and in
vigorating AR Of this ioveliest Of lands:
me only drawback is ''the dull season.
have listened to that phrase until it is in
delibiy impressed upon my memory; have
heard those words until they seem to be
written on my brain in characters OF living
hre; that tlresome expression has been
dinned in my cars till it seems like pass
ing away To be written on the sky"
Never in all my life have l heard the same
words used so often by such number Of peO-
Pile; when ] converse with a citizen of Aus
tin now, / await the utteTance of these words
with trembling anxiety; am in a speech
less agony until they are spoken, for l am
certain that not single individual in the
town has ever held them in and lived after
they are uttered a calm serenity takes pos
session Of my mind again, for only few
have ever inflicted them on me twice, and
even these assured me it was through mad
vertence and forgetfulness. When came
back here from my country trip in the
blistering Texas sun, / followed the reddest
nose up and down Congress Avenue that had
ever been seen there, suppose. This and
''the dull season" kept me out OF situation
for long time went to every house on
one of the principal business streets of the
city. "Nobndy wanted; the dull sea-"
When they got thus far would make
rush for the door, for / wished to have mg
spasm in the open air. On several occa-
sions / was pursued, the proprietor thinking
me grab thief but l would finally succeed
in convincing him that was only trying to
escape from ''the dull season. Finally l
went to a sample room which had patron
lied extensively in more prosperous days:
the bartender appeared to be overjoyed 10
see me; asked him to employ me as en- as
sistant; that l had discovered a peculiar
method of mixing the meanest kind of ben
zine till it could not be told from the nee
tar Of the gods; ''young man. said he,
fare you aware that the dull season has COM
menced2p told him had only heard so
about forty-five thousand times and did not
know whether to believe it or not. Eyes,
it has commenced, and if you had not re-
turned / would be left desolate indeed. /
sincerely hope you may get good situation
conveniently near, but for me to take you
would be the most absurd thing l could
possibly do. If keep you outside may,
perhaps, worry through the dull season. |
TIED to get employment from the sexton of
the city cemetery, couldn't afford it as the
:. L., ho1 ~ n1 =, I
ing" / strolled into BARRIERS shop; while
being scraped, heard an assistant ask the
gentleman in the next chair if he would
have his hair trimmed. 'tNo,n he replied,
ssthe dull season has" 'sGag him with
your strap; daub suds in his mouth; cut
his throat with the razor; don't let him say
it till get out of here, I shouted wildly
to the barber When he finished getting
off what little skin the sun had left, 1
handed him quarter To my great sur
prise he gave me back a dime. s'How is
this" l inquired; ''you have reduced your
rates" Yes, sir; 1t is on account of the
dull" 1 caught up his largest razor
''Say it, if you dare, l shrieked in agony,
land, by Heaven, I'll be the death of you.
know it has commenced; it began with
that implement of torture which you have
Just used, and has spread like the whisky
crusade. Tell me Of place where the lice
IN season has commenced, and will spare
your worthless life." He whispered in my
ear the word ''frontier." L went imme-
diately to the captain of a frontier company
who happened to be in town. I fell
upon his neck. Let me, Iimplored, ''join
your command and lend my feeble as
ssistance towards keeping back the copper
colOred friends from the sacred soil of this,
ny adopted States" (forty dollars a month";,
sLet me add my mite to help save our from
tier citizens from the horrors of the. scalp
ing-knife;n land rations). "Allow me to
devote my services towards saving our
women and children from fate worse than
death;" (arms and equipments furnished).
'sLet me strike a stroke under the Lone
Star flag, for am literally full and running
over with martial ardor;n (pay TO be drawn
quarterly. His company was full he told me
and left me in despair. looked after him
and yearned a yearn, for / envied this
''rangier" with an envy surprising that OF
women; happy SOUL thrice blessed scalp
hunter he at least was going where there
was no dull season.
At last / got situation in a printing
Office; here will make my fortune thought
I; after years Of toll, may get to be local
editor and If I puff as well as some, will
have lots of whisky, cigars and things
showered upon me without money and
without price, get invitations to balls, free
tickets to theaters, dead-head the rail
roads and enjoy life to. the fullest ex-
tent. The first step towards this shi-
ming goal was cleaning up a huge
cylinder press, with moro machinery about
| it than is contained in the hull of the Great
Eastern. After man reclines on his back,
reaches upwards and scours a printing ma
chine for four hours with a rag saturated
with kerosene oil, he does not sport quite
as delightful an Odor about his person as il
he had bathed in night blooming eereus.
had to be soaked in the tank for four hours
before the c0mpositors would allow me to
come up stairs.
Then / was given some cards to print
did them quickly, aud stood proudly before
the lob compositOr to hear the words OF
commendation fall from his lips, but did
not hear them. nor have l heard them yet
ibid you do this Job gn ssYes, sir, -
promptly responded. s'Well, take them
down and put them in the furnace and bring
up the form; there may be one or two o.
the type not mashed out Of all shape.n
finished this, my first lesson, by washing
the form with soap and a rag, and the
job compositor was in despair. A few
days afterwards l overheard him tell hi
assistant that I reminded him strong
! " Of the King of Terrors, for soonel
OF later, got my griipper on every FORM
he assured me that as sob presser'
would never attain any very great present.
hence, but thought from the happy faculty
had for MASKING things, that I would sue
coed as cotton pFesssr beyond my most san
guine anticipations.
One day found local, the end Of
alnas,ir.l. ear lad l,n.l- srlaslnl In r,llisinh