The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-09-04
A Gentleman OF La Porto.


lie Was also a pioneer. A party which
broke through the SHOWS of tho winter of
'6l and came upon the triangular little
valley afterwards known as La Porte
found him tho solcinhabtant. He had sub
slstcd Tor three months on two biscuits q
day and few inches of bacon in a hut
made of bark and brushwood. Yet when
the explorers found him he was quite alert,
hopeful and gentlemanly. But chcerfully
make way here for the terser narrative of
Captain Henry Symes, commanding the
prospecting party: ''We KEN upon him,
gentlemen, suddent.like, jest abrest of a
rock like this is''-demonstrating the dis.
tance-.''cz near ez you be. He sees us
and he dives into his cabin and comes out
again with tall hat-a stovepipe, gentle
men-and blank me, gloves ho was tall
thln teller, holler III the check-cZ might
be-and OIL color in his face, ez was nat raj,
takin' IN account his starvation grub. But
he lifts his hat to us 30. and sez he: Hap
py TO make your acquaintance, gentlemen!
I'M afraid yoa ex-per- -enced some difficulty
in getting here Take cigyar.' And he
pulls out fancy cigar-case with two real
ilaV'n's Il. i wish there was more, sez
he.
l..
Seldom, sez he, which war lie, for
that very AFTERNOON seed him hangin' onto
a short pipe like a suckin' baby onto lot
tlc kept these cigyars for any gentle
men that might drop in
reckon ye great deal O. the best
society yer scz Bill Parker, starin' at tho
hat and gloves, winkln' ut the boys.
- few Indians occaslonally,' sez he.
"Injlnsl' SCI we,
"'Ycs. Very quiet good fellows IN
their way. They have once or twice
brought me game, which l refused, rs the
poor fellows have had a pretty hard time of
it thcmselvcs.'
NOV, gentlemen, we Was, ez you know
rather quiet mcn-ratl.er pcaceablc men
but-hcvin' been shot at three times bv
these var good Injns, and Parker hisscf
havin' matter O three inches of his own
skelp lying loose in their hands and he
walkin' round wearin' green leaves on his
head like Roman statoo-it did kinder
seem cz IL this yer stranger was playn' it
rather low down Oh the boys. Bill Parker
gets up and takes a survey o. him and sez
he, peaccful-like:
"Ic say these yer Injuns-these yer
quiet injins-oltered yer game ?
"'Thcy didl' sez he
"'And you refoosed2'
81 did, scZ he.
Must hcv made 'cm feel kinder bad
sorter tortcrcd their sensitiv matters q scz
Bill.
:, 'rhcy really seemed quite disappoint-
"'ln course, sez Bill. 'Aud now lnout
l ask who you Dc2'
Excuse me-, says The stranger and,
or IN I In
kcerd case, and handln' it over to Bill. scz.
Here's my kyard.'
"Blll took it and read out aloud. II.
Trott, Kentucky
lt's pooty kccrd,' scz Bill.
Pm glad you like it, says the stranger.
"1 reckon the other fifty one Of tho
deck Isl as pooty-all Of 'em Jacks and left
bowers, sez Bill.
"Thc stranger sez nothin, but kinder
draws back from Bill, but Bill UPS and
seZ:
"'Wot Is your little game, Mister j
Trott, of Kentucky2'
~ don't think quite understand YOU. )
sea the stranger, hollcr fire comm intu
his checks like ez If they was the bowl of
a pipe.
"'Wot's this yer kid glove business g.
TINS yer tall hat paradin2-this yer circua
foolin'? Wot's it all about2 Who are ye
anyway7'
THE stranger stands up and sez he .Ez
don't quarrel with guests on NV own
land SCI he, Il think you'll allow Inn
gentleman, sez hc
"'With that he takes Off his hat and
makes low bow, 30, and turns awav-
like this but Bill litcs out of suddent
his right foot and drives his No. 10 boot
clean through the crown of that tall hat
like one O. them circus hoops.
THAT'S about ez fur ez I remember.
Gentlemen thar warn't but one man o.
that hull crowd cz could actually swear
what happened next, ami that man never
told. For a kind O. whirlwind Jest then
took place in that valley. disremembcr
anythin' but dust and bustlln'. Thar
wasn't no yelling, thar wasn't no shootin'.
1t was one O. them sudIcnt things that left
even shooter out IN the cold. When
l ken to in the chapparcl--bc oncom-
Portable like from hcvin' only half shirt
on found nigh on three pounds O. gravel
and stones in my pockets and stiffness in
my mr.. looks up and secs Bill hangin'
III INC forks Of a hickory saplin' twenty
feet above me.
Cap SCI he, in an enquirin' way,
l" 'Which2' scz l.
This yer elemental distu. u.'bancc-is it
ovcr?'
" 4 reckon scz l.
Because scz hc, 'aforc this yer Cleo
trical phenomenon took place he'd slight
Misunderstanding with a stranger, and I'd
like to apologIzel'
And with that he climbs down, peace
f. ike, and goes into the shanty, and
comes out, hand-in-hand with that stran-
ger, tmilin' like an infant. And that's the
first time, l reckon, we know'd anythin'
about the gentleman Of La Porte"
Mr. GoOber
This individua! lived In tho Mormon
country. He had but one wife, and never
thought OF taking any moro till one day an
elder told him it was his religious duty to