The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-07-08

Glang g'lang !" drawIed the dri
yer, as he looked over his shoulder will
curious mingIing of pity, contemp
and wonder on his dusty face. More
and more spitefuIIy snapped the swing
ing whip as the slow-paced oxen toilet
mile after mile under the heat of a Sep
tember sun. And there, in the road
tru9ged Armstrong behind the wagon
slowly, YEARLY, thOughtfully, but not
silently. He was a man who ALWAYS
spoke his thoughts.
This serves you right, Armstrong
Any man who will fool his money away
at three card monte deserves to walk il
the dust" "It will spoil these clothes, ,
Well, don't You deserve it?" "Tht
lust fills. my eyes" eyes, any man
who CANDLES alt his 'dust away al
three-oard monte deserves to have dust
III his eyes-and aIkali dust at that.
The dust chokes me-" "AlI right
any man who will buck at monte de
serves to be choked. Keep the road,
sir-the middle Of theroad-close up tc
the wagon, Do you think you will ever
buck at monte again, Armstrong ?"
And so the poor culprit, self-arrested,
selfcondemned, coughed, and sneezed,
and choked, and walked, and talked,
mile after mile, hour after hour while
the great wagon groaned and creaked,
the driver bawled and swung his whip,
the patient oxen gave the;r shoulders to
the yoke, and the golden sun of Sep
tember sunk wearily toward the west.
The shadows Of, evening were, begin
ming to fall when the wagon halted at
the place called Packers Roost, on the
Yuba.
Here we rest, ," sighed Armstrong,
just above his breath, as he looked at
the stream. "No, you don't" answered
the head of the firm. "You buck your
money away at monte, and talk about
resting Now, Armstrong, go right
down the bank, sir, into that river. ="
As the command was peremptory, and
a spirit of obedience was thought the
safest, Armstrong obeyed without par
ley; and down he went, over head and
ears, store-clothes and all, into the cold
stream. 1t was a long time
that he remained in the water, and IN
der the water. He would como to the
surface every little while to talk, you
It was impossible for
Armstrong to forbear talking. 80,
yes, he would say, as he came up and
snuffed the water from his nose. you'll
buck your money away ut thre9-card
monte, will yoT? How do you like
water cure ?" His words were, of
course, duly punctuated by irregular
plungings and catching of the breath.
It 50 happened that the man who
kept the shanty hotel at the Packers
Roost, had woman for a wife. She, be-
ing kind-hearted creature, besouglt
her lord to go down and "help the
poor crazy man ont of the water.
Pshaw!" said the px-driyer, che
mint a crazy man he's q fool. He
walked behind my wagon and talked to
himself all the way from Scrabble
town." sF 81
gThereupoD rose a lengthy discussion
about the difference between a crazy
man and fool. But, after awhile, the
landlord and the ox-driver vent down
to the bank and agreed to 60 Arm
5trong's security against bucking at
monte in the future, if he would come
out of the water. So he came, out and
went mp to house ,. .....
Will you have a cup of tea or cof-
fee ?" said the woman kindly.
eyes, madam" said Armstrong, g
will take both. ,. ..-... u.~
"He is crazy, sure as can be, said
the woman. But she brought the two
cups as ordered. "Milk and sugar p
she inquired kindly, as before.
:" No, madam, mustard and red pep
per-" answered Armstrong. r-
81 do believe he is fool,2' said the
as she went for the pepper and
mustard.
Ar strong, with deliberate GOODNESS,
sut a spoonful of red pepper into the
Tea and spoonful of mustard into the .
coffee. Then he poured the two to-
yether into large tin cup. Then the
old conflict ragged again, and, high above
jhe din of rattling tin cups and pewter
spoons, sounded the stern command,
'' Armstrong, drink it, sir--drink it
down" A momentary hesitation and
lew desperate guIps, and it was down.
g On, yes" said our hero, as hia throat
burned and the tears ran from his eyes,
i' you buck your money away at three
card monte, do you p
Now, the Thomsonian dose above de-
,cribed very nearly ended the battle
with poor Armstrong. He was silent
or quite a time, and everybody else
vas silent. After while the landlord
7entured to suggest that bed could be
if it was desired. "No," said
Armstrong, "TIls sleep on the floor.
You see, stranger said he, cycling the
with n peculiar expression, ]
i' this fool has been squanderfng gold
lust at monte-three-card monte-and
loes not deserve to sleep in a bed"
so Armstrong ended the days battle
ov going to bed on the floor. Then
came the. dreams. He first dreamed
hat he was sleeping with his feet on
he North Pole and his head in the
tropics, while all tue miners of Yuba
we're ground sluicing in his stomach
Next, he dreamed that he had swallow
ID Mount Shasta for supper, and that
he old mountain had suddenly become
IN active volcano, and was vomiting
scres and acres of hot lava. ~ at
Then the scenes shifted, and he
seemed to have found his final abode in
place of vile smells and fierce flames,
ooetically called the antipodes of heav-
-. And while he writhed and groaned
n sleepless agony, fork-tailed tiend,
With his thumb at bis nose, was saying
o him in a mo6king voice: F'You
puck your money away at three card !
monte, do you-hey ?" But even this
roubled sleep had an end at last, and
Armstrong arose. When he looked at
,imself in the broken looking glass that
lung on the wall, he thought his face
bore traces of wisdom that had never
,een there before. Sohe said: ''Ithink !
You have learned q lesson, Armstrong.
You can go back TO your mining now,
ir, and leave monte alone" Time
ihowei that he was right. His lesson
vas ven learned. The miners looked
! little. curious when ho reappeared at
he camp, and still called him crazy. ]
But he had learned q lesson. many Of
hem never learned, poor fellows. They
their old ways, making money
asst and spending it foolishlv-even |
irving it to monte dealers. But the