The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-11-25
A Pointed Reminder.

~
the woods beneath that group of chest
nuts. Two of Us acted as outposts or
picket guard another, young Teddy
Shoopegg by name, the best climber il
the Village, did the shaking. There
were five busy pairs of hands beneath
these trees, can tell you, for each ont
of us fully realized the necessity o.
making the most of his time, not know
ing how soon the warning cry from oul
outpests might put us all to head-lone
fight, for the alarm, Turner coming
was enough to lift the hair of any boy il
town.
But luck seemed to favor us ON thai
day. We s'cleaned OUT six big chest
nut-trees and then turned our attention
to the hickories. There was splendid
tall shagbark close by, with branches
fairly loaded with the white nuts in
their open shucks. They were all ready
to drop and when the shaking once COM
menced the nuts came down like a
shower of hail, bounding from the rocks,
rafting among the dry leaves and keep
ing up a clatter all around. We scram-
blood On all tours and gathered them by
quarts and quarts. There was no need
of poking over the leaves for them, the
ground was covered with their bleached
shells, all in plain sight. While busily
engaged we noticed an ominous lull
among the branches overhead.
Sst! 'sstr' whispered Shoopegg up
above; /" see old Turner on his white
horse daown the road yender."
s''.'Coming this wayp" also in whisper,
from below
e 81 dunno yit, but jest guess you'd
better be gittin' reddy to leg it, fer he's
hitchin' his old nag't the side O the
road. Ks, sir, bleeve he's a-cum-
min. Shoopegg, you'd better be gittin'
aout o this, and he commenced to
drop hap-hazard from his lofty perch.
In a moment, however, he seemed to
change his mind and paused once more
upon the watch. ''Say, fellers," he
again broke in, as we were preparing for
aretreat, s'he'sgone of tod the cedars;
he Amt cummin this way at aN.n So
he again assembled into the tree-top and
finished his shaking in peace and we
our picking also. There was still an
other tree, with elegant large nuts, that
we had all concluded to " finish up on"
10 would not do to leave it. They were
the largest and thinnest-shelled nuts in
town and there were over a bushel in
sight on the branch tips. Shoopegg
was up among them in two minutes
and they were showered down in tor
rents as before. And what splendid.
perfect nuts they were! We bagged
them with eager hands, picked the
ground all clean and with iolly
chuckles at our luck were Just about
thinking of starting for home with our
Mel-rounded sacks, when a change
came DER the spirit of our dreams.
There was a suspicious noise in the
shrubbery near by and in moment
more we heard our doom.
u : Jest yeu look eeah, yeu boys" ex-
claimed high-pitched voice from the
neighbQring shrubbery. accompanied
BY the form of Deacon Turner, ap-
preaching at brisk pace, hardly thirty
feet way: "Don't yeu think yeu'v We
got Jest abaout epufo' them nuts3'
e Of course a wild panic ensued, in
which we made for the bags and dear
&Iife, but Turner was prepared and ready
Tor the emergency and raising huge
old shotgun he levelled it and yelled.
don't any on We stir ner move, or, by
Christopher, Iii blow the heads clean
off'n the hull pile on ye. I'd shoot We
quicker'n lightnin'"
81 And we believed him, for his aim was
true, and his whole expression was not
that Of a man who was trifline. I never
snail forget the uncomfortable sensation
that experienced as looked into the
muzzle of that double-barreled shot
gun, and saw both hammers fully raised.
too. And / can see now the squint and
the giaring eye that glanced along those
barrels. There was a wonderful per-
suasive power lurking in those horizon
tai tubes; so l fastened to inform the
deacon that we were not going to
rum"
".Wa,al." he drawled, 6" it looked a
leetie that soay, l thort, spell aoo:''
and he still kept US in the field Of his
weapon, till at length / exclaimed. in
viii you?'' ''
Wa'al, no! TIM not fer pintin, if
emmy whar else jest yit-not until you've
sot them ar bags daown agii, jist whar
ye got 'em, every one on ye." The
bags were speedily replaced and he
slowly lowered his gun.
:" Wa'al, naow," he continued. as he
came up in our midst, :. this is putty
Iizniss, amt itP Bin havin' a putty
lively sort O. time ten, | sh'd iedee
rom the looks O. these ere bags. One
-two-ssz on 'em; an vaow thew
must be nigh on ten two an a half
,ushel in every pleggy one on 'em.
Na'al, naow" with his peculiar
irawl-" look eeah; you're a putty
industrious lot o. there's I'm blest if We
int" But the deacon did alfthe talk
ng, for his manguvers were such as to
ender us speechless. ..Putty likely
dace teu cum a-nuttin', amt it?''
'ause. Putty nice mess O. she'll
arks ye got thar, tell We. Quite a
lght O. chestauts in yourn. amt they?' !
There was only one spoken side to the
ialogue. but the pauses were eloquent ,
n both sides and we boys kept up a
cal OF tall thinking as we watched the
eacon alternate his glib remarks by 4,
le gradual removal Of the BAGS to the .
'ot OF neighboring tree. This done /.
e seated himself r1nop a roalr haa:l Y