The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-08-02


"Where the devil did YOU come from.
and how did you learn that niece Won
are TfFaasying?' 7ea7osf =,
On, I've often heard it, said the
stranger; "the organ grinders at New
Amsterdam call it The DEVILS Jov. -;
"What q lie!". exclaimed Nick 81
composed it myself just now to suit the
stars up there.'' "a s 81 noise 5;7:'BI
swell, by hockey, - said the stranger,
''they call me the Father of Liars, but / |
reckon some of my sons rather beat the
old man. rs 4. .,t.s,,, +s.s -, 81
''What's that!n cried Nick, rolling
over towards the stranger; sswhat'd
you say?'' 10
ooh, no offense," said the stranger,
''l mean it as compliment
|. You may go to the devil and shake
yourself returned Nick, indignantly.
$50 [ WILL" said the stranger, "if
you will follow me, as did you just
now.''
"I'll follow no man." said Nick,
haughtily; :" l wouldn eaplay a second
to the devil himself"
"Well, then, said the stranger. "youu
go ahead and play first fiddle and I'll |
beat you at that, and youi may choose
your own tunes, too.''
Nick could not find words to express 1
his disgust at such presumption, so he
merely gave vicious cut at his strings,
which elected an ear-piercing shrek,
and began to fiddle away like mad. a
Nick's right hand and arm may have
ached a little, but he never admitted it,
and his bow flew over the strings faster
than ever, Galop, jig, reel, followed
hot upon each other till the strings fair
ly smoked and the rosin began to drip
from the horse-hairs of the bow. The
stranger did not appear to get heated,
but Nick, who was now on his feet, was,
sweating at every. pore, a He threw off
his round jacket and waistcoat, and fd-
died AWAY in his shirt; but, he, never
missed note, and the sharp ear of the
stranger never caught a false chord or
an incorrect bar The, consultations
| got tired very soon and gave it up; but
Nick paid no heed to thena.l Round and
round the rock he whiEfed. and the
stranger after him, playing all the tunes
that had ever been heard Of and scores
more of his own invention, for on that
night he felt inspired. His brain
was on fire and sparks danced before
his eyes, but his. arms, and legs were
strung on wire, and he fiddled away
| like machine. Heur after hour pass
ed on, and still he did not flag. g Hold
| on" said the stranger, at last, "you do
play y'like the devil, bullets have dance
on this rock, = f''s Come .on,'' screamed
/ Nick; Pm your man at any game,'
and with a spring he lighted fairly on
! the, top of the rock and found the
/ stranger still at his side. If Nick had
caracoled and Bounded in othe field, it
was as nothing te@his performance on
the rock. If the stranger leaped up four
feet, Nick eleaped fye.0.He spun around
on his toes so fast Fthat Mile. Elssler
would have turned green with envy had
she seen him. rhe widest jigs and
reels were discarded as altogether foo
feeble, and the gyrations Of the odd pair
were timedto an Internal can-can rhy thin.
/ Their legs flew likeswheel.spokes incthe
air and their toes touched the rock only
to spurn it, The fiddles seemed to play
of =. themselves. and the bows swept
4 over the strings with much the same
sound as JIG saws There was no longer
any music in the playing, but a success
4 sion of ear-splitting, high pitched tones,
half squeak, half shrek, like bagpipe
run by steam. The stars began to fade
away and the light of dawn to appear in
the east The cattle lowed In their stalls
on the Bergen, farm and a young cock
i cleared his throat and crowed. Stillthe
1 Dutchman and, the stranger spun in
/, their mad can-can on the, solitary rock,
j So far the stranger had only held his
own, but with swoop he snatched the
I. Dutchman's fiddle from his hands and
4 threwsit. far away into the field. Nick,
z enraged at this, tore the strangers
d crooked fiddle from hiss grasp and
Il brought it down with such force on his
4 hard, black head that9 the splintered
wood and broken strings flew in allfdi-
!, rections. "Well, that, does beat the
devil cried the stranger in amaze
ment, and with one passionate stamp
J: he vanished in a sudden outburst of
J flame and sulphurous smoke. A deaf.
d ening crash rang through the Dutch
mans ears; a myriad Of sparks flashed
|. before his eyes, and he fell unconscious
I Toward the close Of the daya party
/ of neighbors, going OUT to- search for
i the nissingifddler, found him lying still
:: insensible on the ground at the foot of
), the rock. An empty jug with q strong
IL slmellof departed akill1devvilf' lay with
its nose in the earth at a little distance.
:. Some distance away, by the fence, was
, found his fiddle, with all the strings
, snapped and the bridge broken. They he
| took Joost up and carried him on to his
, home, where he lay for two weeks raw