The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-09-16
How Our Young Man From Natchez
was Treated.
lVicksburg Herald. !

He came up stairs at exactly twelve
o'clock noon, when all the staff, with one
exception, were at dinner. The excep-
ton was young man living in Natchez,
here on trial as a reporter, and he was
paving over the exchanges and making
himself at home in the editorial room,
and waiting to gather his thoughts and
write up thrilling account of a bloody
dog fight in the "bottoms."
The "he" who came up stairs was an
old chap just the length of a six-foot
tape line. He had on fur cap, his red
wooden shirt was open enough to show a
breast all covered with ridges and scars,
and the sweat was rolling down his
cheeks in rivulets. The young man
looked up with sweet smile, and he
recognized the visitor as gentleman re-
siding on the edge of cane-brake down
the river, a gentleman who thinks moth
ing of swimming into bayou and catch
ing two ofthe biggest alligators il it and
tying their tails in hard not-a gentle
man who eats soup with a bowie knife,
and wipes his mouth with the1nuzzle ola
deringer.
cts fine day." remarked the new
reporter as asickly smile flckered around
his ears.
The visitor felt in his pocket, pulled
out a Daily Herald, and placing one of
his big fingers on marked article on the
fourth page, he solemnly and earnestly
inquired; .,,
Yes-ah-less see," unused the young
man from Natchez, as he whirled the
paper around.
1t was one of his first articles it was a
funny article, and the young man offered
to bet that it would go the rounds like a
prairie fire running cross lots. 1t was an
article about "a cross-eyed old moss
back and his freckled-nosed wife," from
down the r,ver, sucking lemons on the
courthouse steps and wandering around
town in search of three-legged door
plate. The young man was even then
looking over the exchanges to see if it
had been republshed yet.
EYES," he said as he looked up at the
stranger
"You writ her, did ye?" asked the
mossback.
at wasn't you, of course" gasped
the young man-"it was a pale-f faced
man with white hair and one eye gone"
"Peel!" sighed the stranger, as he I'M
buttoned his shirt collar.
81 beg your pardon, sir, but this
article doesn't refer to you at all. You
are gentleman, while the other was
regular snipe, and his wife looked like a
steamboat explosion!"
"Shuck of ~ murmured the man from
the cane-brake, as he rolled up his
sleeves.
81 can't fight you about this" replied
the young man in husky tones-"it
doesn't reflect on you in the least, and
I'll take my solemn oath to that effect"
Me an the old woman was thar
come out here % continued the stranger
moving the chairs back against the
wall.
My dear sir, let me again assure you
that you are not the party referred to.
the dog wouldn't bite, while you are
cultivated gentleman. His wife didn't
know enough to cut pork, while your
lady has every grace and ac-
which liberal education
md refined surroundings can give"
ga squar' fight and no gougin'p
the stranger, as he spit on
MS hands.
"My dear sir, am consumptive;
,an't-p
But themoss back fastened to his coat.
collar, lifted him over the table, and
what followed no man knows.
When the rest of the staff returned
rom dinner, one of the young mans
boots was on the walk, his suspenders
we're on the lower landing, and the air
was full of hair, buttons, paper collars,
pieces of poetry and mutilated postal cur
'ency. The young man was lying on a
able, tied up in double-bow knot,
,asping for breath, and the walls were
ull ofdents and the ceiling was bruised
md defaced almost beyond repair.