The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-04-16

Piled.
Do you know how much the,
charge down there ?"
"Wel]," replied Bill, "I believ,
they charge twenty-five dollars admis
sion, and then ten dollars O month fo
board and tuition for whatever time i
takes"
"Bill, how much would it cost fol
you to take Jerry down there and pu
, him to school and come back; make
up the figures, and if it amt too much
I'll have you go down and put him tt
school,"
Bill figured up the amount and came
to the conclusion that about seventy.
five dollars would defray the necessary
expenses, and SO apprized his father.
"Well now Bill, the Usage is coming
down the river this afternoon you get
ready and take Jerry down there, and
put him to school, if you~~fnd the
school all right; if not, you bring him
home. wouldn't sell him for thou
sand dollars, and if any dog can learn
to talk, Jerry is the dog"
The grass did not grow under Bill g
feet in getting ready, and at five in the
afternoon he got on board the steamer
Usage, which was bound down the river
to Mobile.
Bill was not long on board before be
had the whisky he so much longed for &;
and by 8 o'clock in the evening he was
as drunk as lord, and had already got
into a fight. Poor Jerry, seeing his
master rather roughly handled, took a
share in it, aud biting one of the parties
engaged was quickly set upon and
knocked over the side of the boat, and
falling just in front of the paddle
wheel was struck by it, and instantly
K lied.
Bill did not discover the loss of the
dog until the steamer had arrived at
Mobile; and it was to that place that
he had originally determined to go.
| His astonishment and sorrow at the
loss of his fathers favorite dog were
very great, and it moreover necessitated
all the strategy Bill was possessed of to
bring his original plans to anything
like successful ending.
He had originally intended to take
the dog with him to Mobile, and on
returning to his home to declare to his
father that he had been misinformed,
tEat the school was humbug and the
pretended teachers knaves and he well
knew that so great was his fathers dis
like for anything Yankee that he would
escape without any very severe cross
examination. The killing of the dog
had upset all Bills reckoning, and he
was compelled to frame a new story,
which, as the sequel will show, he sue
cessfully did.
After remaining for about week at
Mobile and having pretty nearly ex-
hausted his cash in hand, Bill started
for home. His father met him at the
landing and asked him many questions
concerning Jerry's chances of learning
to talk. Bill declared that there was
no doubt of his ability to learn, that he
had seen many dogs not half as know
ing as Jerry who could talk quite we'll;
and the result was that the old gentle
man was much elated with the idea of
possessing such wonderful being as
dog that could talk.
Before the end of the two months,
which Bill had declared would be suf-
ficient to give Jerry decent education,
Mr.. Thompson had become quite i'm
patient to hear concerning Jerry's pro-
gress, and Bill had written several let
ters by his fathers orders to ascertain
how the dog was Fgetting along, but
strange as it seemed, no reply was re-
ceived to a7y of them and at last Bill
was ordered to get ready and go down
and see about Jerry, and bring him
home, if only for visit.
Bill again went down the river on the
same steamer by which he went on his
previous trip, and with very much the
same results SO far as his own conduct
was concerned, until he returned home.
This time his father did not meet him
at the landing, to Bills great relief, but
sobarly waited for him at the house,
The old gentleman's disappointment
can better be imagined than described,
when Bill came into the house alone:
for he had not the slightest doubt that
his favorite dog, fully informed on sub
iects in general, would soon delight his
ears with hearty 'sgood evening" in
place of his accustomed familiar bark.
"Bill," said his father, where's
Jerry?"
Bill made no reply.
/ say, Bill, where's Jerry?
"Jerry's dead, father"
'.Deadp'
Yes, dead"
" How did he die?"
" / killed him, coolly replied Bill.
"You killed him You killed
Jerry?"
'sYes, father, / killed him"
g You rascal n
"Hear nae, father" interrupted Bill.
: Let me tell my story, and then if you
think I did wrong you can abuse me
and do and say what yen like"
81 went down to the school" con-
tinued Bill, land I was there all
through the examination. Jerry could
talk as well as I can | They said he
was the smartest dog they ever saw
We came down aboard the steamer, and
jerry sat up in a chair, and as the
ladies whom he had seen before came
one by one into the cabin Jerry would |
say good morning. Mrs. Smith, or
good morning, Mrs. Jones', and he |
looked as stately as judge.
t Well, father, at last we got started |
away from the lending. Perhaps we
had got half mile away, and the ladies |
were looking out of the windows. and |
Jerry was still sitting in his chair, when
all of sudden he turns round to me
and says Bill, how are you, my boy?"
! says, I'm all right.
" How's the old man r says he.
"sAll right, replied
How's the old woman7' says Jerry.
. Now, father, didn't like to hear
him speak as he did about you, and
when he f.allad vn1a The old man I |