New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-17
A Little Misunderstanding.

There was some horse racing over at the
Blank course one day last fall, aud Butter
wick attended to witness it. On mis- way
home in the Reading cars. in the afternoon,
he encountered the Rev. DR.. Potts. q cler-
gyman, who knew no moro about horse
racing than q Hindoo knows about seven
I'D. Butterwick, however, took for granted
in his usual way that the doctor was ia
miliar with the subject, and, taking seat
beside him, he remarked:
81 was out at the Blank course today to
see Longtellow."
"Indeed, Was he there! Where did you
say he vast"
why, over yer at the course. l saw him
and General Harvey, and lot more of EN-.
He run agin General Harvey. and it created
big excitement, too; but he beat the Gen
eral badly, and the way the crowd cheered
him was wonderful They say that good
deal of money changed hands. The fact is,
had q small bet on the General myself"
"You don't mean to say that Longfellow
actually beat General HarneyV
Eyes, do! Beat him the worst kind.
You'd hardly We thought it now, would you?
/ was never more surprised in my life.
What's queer about it is that he seemed
Just as fresh afterward as before he com
nenced. Didn't fazs bit. Why, instead
OF wanting to rest. he was jumping about
inst as lively, and when the crowd began to
push around him he kicked boy in the
stomach and doubled him up-nearly killed
him. Oh! he's wicked! l wouldn't trust
him as far as could see him"
"This is simply astonishing" said the
doctor. II wouldn't have believed it pos
sible. Are you sure it was Longfellow, Mr..
Butterwick"
"Why, certainly, of course; I've seen
while, he and Maggie Mitchell came out,
ard "a soon as they stepped off he put on
an extra squirt or two and led her by the
neck al around the place, and she came in
putting end blowing and nearly exhausted.
/ never took much stock in her, anyway"
Led her BIZ the neck? Why this is the
most scande lous conduct l ever heard of.
Mr.. Butterwick, you must certainly be jok-
ing"
II pledge you my word it's the solemn
truth. l saw it myself. And after that
Judge Fullerton and General Harvey they
took turn together, and that was the
pret.iest contest Of the day. First the
Judged beat the General, and then the
G:nerafd put in the big iicks and give it tc
the Judge, and the two'd be about even for
a while, and all of Sudden the General
would give kinder jerk or two and leave
the Judge nowheres, and by the time the
Gen raj passed the third quarter the Judge
keeled over against the fence and gave in.
They say he broke his leg; but l don't
know If that is 80 or not. Anyway he was
used up. IF he'd passed that quarter he
might have been ali right"
What was the matter with that quarter?
Wasn't it good?"
''Ob yes. But you see The Judge must
reckon when he tumbled it was something
like faint, you know"
Served him right for engaging in such
brutal contest
well, l dunno. Depends on how you
look at such things. And when that was
over, Longtellow entered with Matte Ev-
elyn. He kept shooting past her ali the
time, and this worried her SO that she ran
little to one side and somehow. dunno how
it happened. but his leg kinder trpped her,
and she rolled over on the ground, hurt
pretty bad l think, while Lon gfelloy had
his leg cut pretty near to the bore
Did any Of the shots strike herr"
II don't understand you"
"You said he kept shooting close to her.
and thought some of the bullets might
have struck her.
'Why, meant that be ran past her, of
course. How in thunder could he shoot
bu Ilets at herr"
II thought maybe he had gun. But
don't understand anything of it. 1t is the
most astounding thing ever heard Of at
any rate"
Now, my dear sir, want to ask you
how Longfellow could manage gun"
why. as any other man does. of course!"
Man! man! Why mercifnl Moses! You
didn't think was talking about human
beings all this time, did yous Why, Long
fellow is horse! They were racing, run
nlng races over at the course this afternoon,
and was trying to tell you about it,"
You don't say So" remarked the doctor,
Win sigh of relief "Well, declare l
thought you we're speaking Of the poet,
and hardly knew whether to believe y0u |
or not; it seemed 80 strange that he should |
behave in that manner" Il
Then Mr.. Butterwick went into the smok-
ing car to tell the joke to his friends, and |
Gus impudence of tho men Who named their
horses after respectable people.-PAiladel.
phia Bulletin.