The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-10-12

pOSCu W lSb Aio SAAoaAA5 4ONA DA' I0
meet with such destiny. "NO, man.
N.Y." said he; "please JUS let ME keep
it. ain'tsgwine to lose it. sides dat
chist sists right up by de chimly;; an
eP Sanity might come down an open it,
an take his money out ag'in."
Let de chile hab de money, Phillis,"
said Uncle Henry; eff he loses it, faint
much, an it'll learn him to be keerful.
Let him keep it."
So Sam kept his money. Baron
Rothschild never felt as rich as he did.
He would sit about in corners, talking
to himself and looking at his " tour-bits."
If he went across the yard he would stop
every few steps to feel in his pocket, to
see if it was still there. Indeed, never
before did fifty cents seem so important
to any one since the time when
"David and Goliath went out fur to fight.
Fur muffin but silver half-a-dOllar-
David up wild a brick and hit Goliath such q LICK,
Dat de people over JOrden heerd him holler'"
Sam enjoyed his "awing," his apple,
his puckawns," and his candy; but the
charms of all these-and they had many
-paled before the brightness of the sill
yer. He was never tired Of examining
t. He wondered whether the bird on
one side was hawk, or a buZzard, or a
turkey. He tried to count the notches
on the rim, but, as he didn't know what
came after five, he was obliged to give
up the attempt in despair.
When dinner-time came, Aunt Phil
lis made Sam little cake, and she
pressed the coin down on the dough so
as to leave very deep impression. The
cake was baked, and although the mark
of the halfdollar became much distorted
in the cooking, still, if you looked very
hard, you could see what it had been.
Sam thought it a wonderful work of art.
He carried it off to the back gallery
steps, and sat down and ate it; begin
ming at the edges, and eating up to the
mark. until he had round piece just
the size of the coin, with the impression
on one side. Then he played with that
awhile, and finished by eating it, also.
Time now hung heavy on Sans
hands. He began to think, or study"
as he would have expressed it, about
what he would do next.
What he did next was to lay his
"four-bits" down on the ground near
the steps, and then walk off around the
corner of the house. Directly he came
back, walking slowly, and looking about
as if he had lost something. He kicked
among the grass with his feet, shaded
his eyes with his hands, and appeared to
he very anxious.
"Lemme see," said he, 81 come long
dis way yestiddy, an ! reckon I los dat
money somewhat bout dis place. l
mus done dropped it out my pocket.
Wonder if anybody picked it up?
Lawsy! l done found it. Right under
my eyes! Eff it had been a snake it
would ha' bit me. nebber seed de like
sence OF Hecky was a pup" So say,
ing, he picked up the money with great
demonstrations of joy. Then he laid it
down in another place, and marched off
as before.
This time, however, the play turned
out differently. There was a venerable
Shanghai rooster that strayed in the
yard that everybody called "Old Jack. !"
He was very old and very cross, and he
and Sam were deadly enemies. Many a
fight had they had, and, although Sam
generally got the best of it, Old Jack
used to give him a great deal of trouble.
Now, just as Sam went around one
corner of the house, Old Jack stalked
around the other, closely examining the
ground ,pin quest Of Ia beetle or a worm,
or some other agreeable delicacy of that
sort. The bright piece of silver attracted
his eye, and he advanced toward it. He
had not yet determined whether or not
it was good to eat, and was about to be-
gin closer examination, when back
came the owner. At sight of his foe,
Old Jack seized the coin and ran intend
ing to carry it off and inspect it at his
| leisure.
Sam set up a tremendous yell, and
gave chase. Old Jack ran first in one