The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-08-02
ucK JOOST'S ADVENTURE.
o.. Made the Devil Play Second
bsH Fiddle.

~ ~
hr Granite bowlder lies almost on
linz linz which once separated the old
VIII and Bergen farms in Brooklyn. /
nnl ~ and exposed sides have been
) ~ ~ smooth by wind and rain, but its
% ,sta,n face is still rough and covered
!. Shlchens and moss. In all the helds
r ~ pana there are no stones of any thing
/. an eoual size, and how this one rock
'moeued to4be in its present place it is
Tto determine, unless it. was left be-
q I n ~ some glacier thousands of years
- - neep IN the rock a clearly defined
+ sMsFint IS set. The cast of a well
i ai.aaaeloyen hoof has been taken by
n I'M hard granite as if it were plastic
! m Many years ago, in the good old
# a slOuy days, when Brooklyn was a quiet
d 4Sle Village, with only one church and
+ h sandals, Nicholas Joost lived with
y I, Wife in a.cobble-stone house on the
d Isok Of the river. Nicholas was a fid-
I'm bv profession, if he was any thing,
Hrbe never did any work except with
As, 6ddle-bow, if he could possibly avoid
! & but hewas always ready to clap his
J M dae under his chin and play the whole
y ght and day whenever he was asked.
:, never learned to play by note, but he
: : Tud catch any tune after once hearing
y and repeat it ON his fiddle with varia-
laas and improvisations of his own,
: I'M the r.ost threadbare melody grew
ssly betwitching. The older mynheers
II nd the grave Dutch DANES eyed him
Il sther donbtfully, but his ready fiddle
!, y gon him unbounded favor with the
: !, pung people Of the village. He was
made Welcome at every gathering or
: Hnarynaking for miles around. He
could playye sweetly, and plaintive-
II h, too, when he happened to be in tho
mood. The sober matrons, too, would
4 brget, as they listened to his dulcet fd-
de, that Nick was lazy fellow and all
Il 100 fond of 4. kill-devil,' and would
NJ bing him out cup of cider, and for
= a 70 frown when his muddy shoes left
i heir tracks on the spotless floor Nick
Nergrew tired of dancing and fiddling,
aough it fatigued him so much;to split
n ID an armful of wood for his wife that
Hhwould often fall asleep on the wood
eh Pile, leaving the ak stuck in some tough
:. ine-knot. ..-
ne One Of the Van der Veers of Flatbush
d had been having wedding at his house,
rs one Saturday night in the early fall, and
"a shemdspensable Nick had been invited,
n i course. The party had q grand time
vita feaSting, dancing and g kill-devil''
I'll Il O'Clock in,the evening, and then
aaecordance with time-honored Dutch
aston the guests departed.
81 Nick strolled. along with his fiddle
( through the fields, when he was sudden
ID gssized with an irresistible longing to
Vi Rdown beside a big rock that he saw
ID sd0re him. So he lay down, with his
e soyed fiddle under one arm. For, a
ID le he Lay quietly on his back, when all
da aonee 1t seemed to him that star just
wei ms nose was making faces at him.
b ne snook his bow menacingly at the Of
il tender, but could not quite reach the inn
y nasnt face. Suddenly happy Thought
Il S1ck him. Why not set those fellows
Idlaheng, and give that puppy good
q waxing up? Quick as the thought he
j uvpped hls Jug and seized his bow. A
d slq spirit filled him, and he set off at
saeslnto . the hottest of galops. His
i alan was on fire with mingled fun and
1 SSsenlef, and he swept his bow across
Estnngs as never before, till the tight
!, Ssrsut ialrly shrieked, and every thing
q Ivy nun began to whirl. The fences,
mss ~ sio1es 9 and the trees went galoplhg
4 ny Uuaa, out the stars still hesitated. Theyy
mmoled in their courses and lifted
1 Y. Z One M loot after tie other, but nobod vas
4 Inn las Wiling to- open the ball. The
i, my ,adisf On the ground played away faster
III sa liassef, q III Ms own head wentround
,a,1sl ssl .ae passionate, ,whirl, and the con-
Isaas su4uohs s,c could restrain. themselves no
ssl III When bent the court party has : set
aDs nasfalon ns the other stars went off with
I Az Az naeh laa,i ceremony. 9 All up and down
- Milky Way myriads deliehtedly
srss~sspsTaslpatting rsspT in all the fancy steps,
I sss., saasss of frequent collisions. The
,aS ai sha osar went off with the slow glide,
VIII II ss r. L,ttle Bear pranced up and down
4 Sss u,e boston Dip The restless plan.
AZ ua1led .d a lhithert II and .thither, threading
rssSs' sT way 'I through the maze of the bali,
Z ,mss.s Ina, wnile the Fixed stars looked on,
49,. h ooon the whole heavens,were
,uesa wnlfi saa and flashing lines swept
An An , sae skyaw emo 8s; hys.l..
vii ~ fs (, goost on, the ground beheld
I'M aei utmost glee, and he fiddled
Il 4 : y \ s!r sfor dear life, utterly regard
st;s !. .ae flight Of time and deaf Is t6a
nilas nSlas Of the famous Wonter Van
islowllvs isl .a,9e elSek in the village church as
atS s.y 1olied 70. out twelve. The Sab
air r - usg dgbegunsb but Nick thought
,aons No y rs Us mdleana the glorious frolie
hl 6sa eae. as s'tl1fs staals He was just in the
m prav;s sae OF one OF his. most fantastic i'm. inn
lit aao, when he became aware
Ms;asaal aal black fg7ire was standing bI
sOesHsand aS and playing a ready second or On
asias aialaf, y !, erook-necked viclin. The
A i, As VI the two ipstrnn,or.e, Llo1a -