New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-02

ing the lines under his arms was unavOld.
ably drawn, pillow and all, by the headstrong
| animal. 1t was not the worst. The oc-
ourrence disturbed peaceful colony Of
yellow jackets. The mule, turning rapidly,
entangled himself with NJ. Auguste, and this
combination troupe was well received with
chandereuses applaud,ssement, by an au-
dience of black people and yellow Jackets
The mule liberated himself with a couple
| of kicks, one of which was delivered in the
ribs of NJ. Auguste. The mule fled like the
wild ass of the desert, NJ Auguste
| was taken home on a stretcher improvised
of salt sack. An old negro woman had
been for many years the family leech. She
prepared lotions of herbs only known to
the jewellers IN the swamps and the brules.
Decidedly NJ. Auguste had not quilted his
tender home to commit himself to the med
ical care Of negro woman. Solomon Trout,
the head man, came to see the cOnvalescent.
He respectfully and kindly informed NJ.
| Auguste that he was trop leger-tOo light
| for dat mule. Joe Brown had trained it to
| such combats, but Joe Invariably subju-
gated it by blows with the fist and kicks
with the gunboat brogans which would also
have convinced rhinoceros.
M. Auguste renowned the role of Cincin-
natus His capacity was canvassed for sev-
eral branches of farm work-chopping
wood, cutting bitches and wedding cane.
Solomon Trout, with misgivings, assigned
| him to the hoe. 1t was the hoe of Joe
Brown. Joe was herculean fellow. In
breadth across the shoulders, length and
power of arms, for knockedness of knees
| and boxedness of ankle he was unequaled.
He ditfnsed pungent odor when at toll
that was equal in its protective effects to a
mosquito bar. 1t was the grOttO del cane,
the upas or simeon of the mosquito. APP
preaching him, they were asphyxiated
fatally. Joe Brown did not choose to make
so many blows at the weeds. He had select
ed hoe, and caused it to be jumped, and
strapped and boxed with steel. Such were
the terms employed near the Moravian to wn
in North Carolina where he had been
raised. The hoe weighed three pounds.
The handle was of domestic manufacture,
and though smooth to the horny hand of
Joe Brown, was as rough as shark skin to
the tender fingers of NJ. Auguste. The hoe
was burden. The spirit of NJ. Auguste
was unbroken and indeed irrefragible, but
his bone and muscle were not those of Joe
Brown. The fighting weight of NJ. Au.
guste was ll8 to 100 pounds. At the
close Of the day his condition was this:
Returning from work, step taltering and
slow; pulse wiry at ITO; complaining
of pain in the shoulders and lumbar
region. with intense thirst and pronounced
anxiety for whisky. Digitats and palms
swollen and blistered in aqueous pustules;
evident desire for rest; was put to bed;
prescription, common poultice of bread and
milk. Patient Slept soundly; was inspect
ed; reported unfit for duty by Solomon
Trout and locked days pay. This huml
liation was inevitable. Discipline demanded
obedience. His hands having been poul-
ticed NJ. Auguste was kindly fed by atten-
tive cousins. On consultation Solomon
Trout, cropping on shares, declined to
accept the 'little Boss" as full hand.
He consented that NJ. Auguste should take
the garden hoe of Nine. Aristarque and
fall in with the boys and women. This
was known as ''the drop shot gang" This
term having no known equivalent in the
French tongue, was Greek to NJ. Auguste.
Had he known the disparaging eplthet he
would have thrown up his small hoe in
well founded indignation.
There came question of compensation
M. Aristarque would willingly have given
his nephew the full wages of plowman,
Solomon Trout pointed out that Buck Rab.
bit, small colored boy, could "work all
around" NJ. Auguste, and that to give the
latter gentleman more than Buck Rab bit
would demoralize the whole pay roll. He
was then inscribed at IS month and "a
tions, NJ. Aristarque generously allowing
So more from his own share of the crops,
when realized in market.
1t is true that this did not fulfill the an
ticipations or assurances of M. Auguste in
his orations before the Blame -sans-aeoir
club.
To have been disrated and detached from
the mule cavalry and assigned service, with
almost literally, the infantry, rated and
paid among the half-hands-to be directed
and even controlled by a black man who
could do more work, better and more intel
ligently, in one day than NJ. Auguste could
in a week, was a new phase of the labor
question. He wrote a cheerful letter
b ome-this brave little NJ. Auguste. The
White League would be success Already
white was rapidly superseding black labor.
He alluded to the exchange of Joe Brown |
into the cord wood and public ration arm.
The letter was read at the club amid great |
applause. 1t said sothug of the yellow
jackets or of the classification OF laborers. |
M. Auguste was was spoken of as the |
blanc sans n0ir nominee as recorder Of |
births, deaths and marriages. He deter |
mined to remain at his post. The agricul- |
tural labors of NJ. Auguste became lighter. |
Little being expected Of him, he redeemed |
the expectation fully. He communi- |
Gated to the family the intended |
honors of the club. 1t was decided that |
one of his young cousins would fill clerk
ship. Solomon Trout, as the crop was
pretty well over, no longer expected to see
dat little French boss" at an early hour.
II. Auguste relapsed into Metropolitan
habits. He would occasionally 60 out with
his .f,sH deur canons, and every trip was
good for superlative gumbo. The nicotian
variety known as perique was grown in the
vicinity, and NJ. Auguste, devoting himself
to the sculpture of negro head on a briar-