The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-17

STOP DoWI OF mix into the muSh-pOt,
and allow us to go for the scrapin's ?"
We were constrained to acknowledge
our ignorance of the term. With a
smile of benignant pity for Cur sim
plicity, our narrator proceeded
"a In our settlement it was the pride
of good housekeepin' to keep the mush-
pot always hot and never empty, and
what with film and refillin' you might
reckon it would get pretty well gummed
up. It was cooled off and scraped
mostly of Saturday evening. Now,
gentlemen, them scrapin's, all SO crisp
and crusty, had a flavor that was
mighty enticin' to boys and bars, and /
can't help feelin' sorry for Teller whose
boyhoOd hain't been enriched with the
recollections thereof. But to foller the
text. Although it mought be supposed
human wit would have given me some
advantage over a brute beast, yet, to tell
the truth, Rough's muscle was gettin'
little too much for my strength and sci
ence together, as appeared one day
when whole coach-load of our lawyer
and politician relatives came to make
sociable visit to daddy and nanny. l
believe the whole notion of it was to be-
fool him and her into s1gnin' some pa
per, that they mought cheat him outen
his land. But the bar and me knowed
nothin' of that, bein' sent together in
the kitchen whGn the company landed,
nanny bein' ashamed to show us with
the pretty children all dressed in store
clothes and ribbons. But this put
Rough and me both in a bad humor
so we fell a-quarrelin' between our
selves, and presently we had a row, and
he slapped me into the slop-tub head
foremost, where mought have drowned
If, at the same time, he hadn't upset
the tub in his awkwardness. Now our
visitors had just laid off their cloaks
and bonnets, and was a-slicken' up their
children's curls, and a braggin' of their
smartness, when in straddled, drippin'
out of the slops, and bawlin' like bull
calf. Now nanny was one of those
hard-hearted women that sets no value
on calico and store knick- knacks for her
self, but to see her brag child cuttin'
SIGH figure in company was little too
much, and she fared up like an armful
of brush.
Husband said she, 'either that
boy or that bar has got 10 leave this
house. The brute has outgrown the
child, it has, and they can't get along
agreeable no more, and on account of
its onmannerliness it's impossible to
keep Rowzey dressed decent, it is
"Well, what's to be done about the
boys ediication?' says dad.
Nanny suggested that was git
tin big enough to go to school. Dad
had hearn say it was more aristocratic
and safer for the children's morals to
have private tutor, SO he swore we
should hold on to the bar.
"This went on as usual for a while,
when the family dispute was settled by
a unforeseen circumstance. One day
was roastfn' of a later in the ashes,
when I observed Rough a-settin' off by
the door a-watchin' me out of the cor
ner of his eye. 1 mistrusted his inten-
tons, and as I knowed 1 was no longer
match for him in a scramble, iist
kivered my later a little deeper, and
slyly put the poker to heat iu the Goals.
When it was done, took up the poker
and poked out my tater on the hearth.
No sooner was it clear of the hot ashes
than Rough's paw covered it, and slap
went the red poker atop of his paw.
There was yell you mought have heard
a mile off, and the whole cabin smelt of
burnt har. / was scared myself SO,
droppin' the poker and hustlin' up my
roast, started for the stable loft, but
at the room-door I met daddy comin' in
all in flame.
"'Rowsey,' said he, what have you
been dom TO that poor brute beast p
Nothin',' says I, feelin' mighty
mean. He grabbed my later, and 1
licked him, that's all. And it was fair
fight
"But what do you think the cussed
brute done? Why, he list held up
his burnt paw to show daddy, and then
went nosin' and whinin' around the hot
poker, tellin' the whole story in fewer
words than any human could have done.
Well, dad jist divided his judgments
by givin' Rough the tater and givin' me
fits, which was sweetened by my SEEM
the brute eat it, all the while maxim
impudent faces at me, while stood
sniVelin' In corner. We never had
any more friendship or confidence in
each other after that. All the art
fulness of my mater was reused by the
wish to git square with the brute unbe-
known to daddy; and Rough never see
me pick up anything after that, even
a chip, that he didn't run and hide
hisself.
Nanny took advantage of the cool
ness, and poor Rough, like Ishmael,
was sent back into the wilderness. At
ter he was gone it come back to me that
had acted mighty mean part toward
my old companion, and for many a day
/ felt lonesome and pinin' whenever
thought of him. Then l was sent to
school a while, where / was licked
through from q G6 to Constantinople
in less than two years, fit the boy,
kissed the girls, and picked up an
amount of book larnin' and high die.
that has been an advantage to me ever
since, as you gentlemen can plainly see.
But as soon as I had grown big enough
to handle a rife dad took me home
agin. to shine up my professional edu-
cation under hisself. Touchin' lightly
on the vulgar business of plowin' and
plantin' corn, he larnt me to track a
deer and line wild bee to SIGH a GER
tainty that we never was scarce of meat
nor honey in ouI house, though we did
sometimes have to trade for corn meal.
One eVenin', as I was a-comin' home
from watchin' deer lick, I meets bar
right in the path. I was so took by
surprise that I fred my gun in the air,
then quickly dropped it, and drawed
my butcher knife; hut the varmint
wasn't so much scared, and sot on his
hind-legs, shadin' his eyes with his
paw, as if he was tryin' to make out
who I was. That paw noticed had a
streak of white har across it, and the
next minute we were Rugged in each
others arms for you may we'll believe
old Rough and me was mighty pleased
to see each other.
"Now, gentleman, dog can always
express his feelin's, or git our goodwill,
by 'movin' tail, bat bar is not like
wise gifted, benz limited to wry faces
and awkward paws, and to have seen
old Rough tryin' to say his say would
have made you bust a-laughin' !; but,
gentlemen, it was plain to see the Gre
tur's heart was in The right place. He
bore me no grudge for the past, and |
tried to hide that scarifed paw for fear
/ mought feel bad about it. Seem that |
my old friend wasn't nigh so sleek and |
glossy as he used to be, conceited he
was leadin' a tolerable hard life, and |
tried to persuade him 10 foller me |
home, explainin' to him that we wasted |
enough at the cabin to keep him fat to |
the eend of his days. But no; his |
mind was Fixed his only answer was
I'll Il