The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1876-03-16
PBIMUs and HEBoD.

VIC always knew WNeA EEli0U8 ana
King Herod we're comingdownthe street.
The boys from the levees found no better
fun than to teass them, while the old
slave and the dog, who prided themselves
on their aristOcracy, both treated the
"wharErats" with fine scorn.
Bring dat rubbish to de Sunday
schoOl!' said Primus to the sUperinten-
dent. Gus thing you know, sab, dey'H
BE tryin' to get into heaben! Dey've got
juss dat much brass"
Primus looked upon heaven a. a re-
treat reserved for certain good Virgin
va fambIys," with their house servants.
For himself ne scorned cOIOred churches,
and was the most prominent member of
the little Sunday and King HerOd
the only dog allowed to cross its TIRES
hold. The old fellow sat just under the
stained window, with the hound at his
feet, in a class Of little boys, spelling
over his thumbed, dOg-eared bible. Be
sides his lesson, he had taken on himself
to stir the fire and help carry round the
books, and to keep a sharp eye on the
boys outside, When service began
HerOd took a nap in the vestibuIe, while
Primus devoutly joined in the hymns
and slept through the sermon. In short,
we children looked upon him as sOstrOng
a pillar of the church that, when the
Sunday-schOOI had contributed enough
money to choose life member of the
missionary society, Primus was at once
elected. A few weeks after, a gorgeous
paTchmententitling him to this dignity,
engrOssed in German text, and with coll
Ored seals affixed, arrived, and was franz
ed and hung up in his shanty; and
should like to have heard anybody ques'
ton his right of way into "heaben" after
that!
His little cabin stood on the sunny
side of the hill just out of town; thewalls
were literally half windows, as Primus,
who was a tOlerabIe carpenter, had a
habit of begging odd sashes out of torn
down houses, and of cutting place for
them in his own. Ills eOt-bed was in
front of a square window, the table be-
side a triangular one, and the dogs
carpet under a round one from the old
church.
Over the mantel-shelf hung the mis-
sionary parchment, and beneath stood a
row of tOmatO-Cans with the red labels
turned out; in the little shed outside
we're heaps of wood, coal, a corner cup
board of provisions, and the barrels Of
vinegar which Primus called his "man.
ufactOry, to be sold Only, however, to
certain " famblys."
The children of these ''famblys" were
always making journeys up the hill to
see chow eomFble me and Herod keeps
house togedder." If we were chores, -
and ''nuisances," and 'slittle pitchers
elsewhere, in Primus' shanty we were
guests worthy of high honor. The old
mans eyes began to twinkle as he saw US
coming through the paw-paw bushes,
and King HerOd dashed wildly to and
fro (if ever a dog laughed, ne laughed
then); the fire was piled up, johnny
cake put on the ashes, and delicious
sauzages set on to sizzIe in the pan,
while Primus was cOaxed out of some
of his hunting stories, in which Herod's
father and uncles bore a thrilling part.
4" Old Mars Cha'les he kept none but
de best blood of dogs; look at de muzzle
now OBJ dis pups, and de ears, fine a.
any lady's. Hi! you He-rOd You
laughin' at dat2 You's muffin to COM
par wild yer fader," winking aside to US,
and whispering, Mus take he's spirit
down. Hes awful vain pup"
The pup was elder than any of US, ex-
cept Primus, who might have been born
with Methuselah, for all we knew. His
woolly hair was white, and hung about
his neck; his leather-eOlored skin GRIN
kied in countless wrinkles, and the half,
worn clothes which we carried TO him, a.
soon as he put them on, suddenly took
on look Of immeasurable age. Primus,
coming like the shadow down the sunny
street, knock.kReed and gray, with his
big demiiOhns Of vinegar, one in each
hand, always seemed to US children to
have just walked out Of that tar-away