New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-09

"Well, sir, it was good bit afore Mr..
Edward cum back, for he'd been mortal
bad. poor young gen'lman; but the fusi
time as ever see him ater his return,
could see d'reckly as he knowed Of all tall
messes as I'd been gettin into, and all
about it. He never offered for to slang
me-that warnt his way; but he just
looked me in the face, very quietly and
sadly, with his poor thin face and sunken
eyes-and then passed on without word.
Then I got quite desp'rate, and made
AFTER him hot foot, and called out, Fer
charity sake, your honor, don't think too
hard Of me! you knows yourself how hard
it's for man to keep straight sometimes.
I don't ceare hang for bein' punished,
but can't stand bein' cold-shouldered by
you!"
| "He faced round upon me d'reckly, and
| / could see the tears a-standin' in his eyes;
| and then he lays his hand on my shout
| der, and says, in the same old kind voice
as ever, I've no right to judge you, my
lad, but do wish you'd be more careful!
"Well, for several weeks arter that, /
keeps steady as rock, for never forg OF
them words O. his'n; and. although he
didn't say much, knowed we'll enough
as he'd got his eye on me, and was pleased
to see me keepin' out O trouble. And
so, for goodish bit, everything went well
enough.
"But, one night Gus: as if old scrath
had planned it) two or three of our chaps
had got some arrack CHATS q kind Of
| strong stuff they make out of rice, you
know, and it's dirt cheap out there) from
black fellar in the bazaar; and so they
cot n IN hovo rooilor ;o1l;Goo<;or orI
they axed me to jine EN-.
o. thing now; I've been on the black list
often enough for one bout
cat that they ali stared, and seemed
quite took aback; but just then up come q
fellar O the name O Groves "a spiteful
chap he was, always lookin' out to do
somebody bad turn), and says he, with
q nasty sort Of laugh, Don't bother
him, says he; he daren't touch drop to
save his life, cause he knows he amt man
enough to pull up when he's once started!'
"By jingo! that was more'n I could
stand. I started up, and shook my fist in
his face, maxim him jump back as if he'd
trod on a sarpent.
"'That's lie = says I, and you knows
it, you dirty sneak! can take care of
myself as well as any of yer; and just to
show that I can, I will go and have q
drink with you. Come along!
cat that they all slapped me on the
back, and said was right good fellow,
and nobody should say 9 word agin me ;
and away we all went together. I've
often thought, since, that the whole thing
was got up o purpose to get me in row;
but couldn't never find out for sartain.
Anyhow, with all my brag about bein'
able to take care o myself, it warn't long
afore was as far gone as ever was in
my life; and the next thing recollect is
waking up as if out O dream, and find
in myself q marchin' off to the lookup
atwixt two sogers, with my jacket all in
taters, and q thunderin' pain in one side
of my head. just as we got to the door
O. the lookup, who should I see comm
along, not twenty yards of, but Mr.. Ed
ward hisself!
"That sight was enough to sober me at
once.
"sLads, says to the two men, for
the love of Heaven, stand afore me, and
don't let the lieutenant see who It's"
"They knowed d'reckly what l meant,
and did their best to keep me out o. sight :;
but 'twarn't not o bit o use. My trying
to shirk him that way was enough of it.
self to tell him who was, and I seed in
a moment that he'd made me out; but all
of youv Not another word but that; but
tell you, sir, that it was harder to bear,
by deal, nor all what cum srter.
''They showed me into the lookup, and
made fast the door; and there l was. It
was pretty late by this time, and the
whole place was pitch dark; but l made
shift to grope out one of the store-sacks in
the corner and roll it into the middle O.
the floor: and then lay down and put
my head on it, and tried to sleep.
'But might just as we'll ha' tried to
fly up to the moon. 1t was murderin'
hot, the door bein' shut tight, and no
winder 'cept little bit O. an air-hole
bout q foot square; and one thought KEEP
CROWN into my head arter another, each
worse than the last-how the colonel
would chuckle at catchin' me trippin'
again, and how that sneakin' rip of q
Groves would snap his fingers over me,
and how Mr.. Edward would think me
downright bad lot, and never trust me or
speak kindly to me- agin-and how it was
all the fault O my own COMPOUNDED
folly-till I felt fit to knock my head agin
the wall. Ugh don't think was ever
so miserable in all my life; but just then
somethin' happened as put everthin else
clean out of my head.
''The sacks were all in q great heap in
one corner, pretty close to where I lay;
and all at once I heered q noise among
'em, as if one was a-slidin' down over the
rest. I thought nothin' out at first; but
the next minute there cum q rustlin'
along the floor as if somebody was a.
DRAWN rope over it-and then came
the feel O. somethin' cold and Shiny Slip
pin over my bare feet. knowed d'reckly
it must be snake!
"Pon my word, don't like to think of
that minute even now! I'd always had a
great horror of snakes-as we'll I might,
considerin' how many men die by EN- in
Ingy every year; but to find myself locked
up with one all alone, and in the dark,
tough! I only wonder I didn't go
mad outright! But mayhap twas just as
we'll for me as I was so frightened, for it
KEEP me from screamin' just the fust mo-
ment; and then it flashed upon me, Just
as if somebody had whispered it in my
ear, 'Mayhap if lie stock still, and don't
sing out, Tue DeaSI WON lurG me 90 1
lay still as q log, while the great brute
(for could feel as it was huge big 'un)
came slippin' and slidin' up, fust over my
legs, then over my body, and at last right
on to my face!
"Plain enough, it was a-tryin' to make out
if was anythin' dangerous; for, dye see,
snakes is always mighty suspicious, and
if they thinks as you means mischief,
they are bounded to have fust blow at