Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-04-03


AMI cotton groves of Syrsilln. My carly
life ran quiet rs the clear brook by which
I sported. All 10 from, the gentle patter
of the maternal slipper ON my overallss
everything moved along with mo like
the silent o'eaginnns flow Of the ordinary
goose grease. MY b"yiOod was ono
long, happy summer day, We st lie tho
Roman mu>kme!on and put split-sticks
IN the tail of tho Roman dog, and life
was ono continuous hullelujah.
When n. noon I lei tho sheep beneath
the shade and playe'l the 'Swtet Bye
and Bve' on my shepherds fute> theirs
was another Spartan youth. the son Of y
neiyhbnr, tn join nc in tho pastime. W6
led our hocks to the hame pasture snd to-
ge,her picket the largo red ants ost of
our indies. ructi sandwiches.
One evening, after tue sheep had been
driven int o the corral and xo were all
seated hcneath the persimn' n tree that
shaded our humble cottage, my grand
sire, an old nsa", was telling # Mara
thnn and Leuctra aud George F1xucis
T.;sin and Dr Mary Walker aud <.thee
great mon, a. d how a little hand fSpar-
tans, under Gcn- Howard, had withstoed
the entire regular army, did not thea
know what wax was, but my check bnrn
ed, knew not why, ani thought Whist
gsorions thing it would be to leave the
reservation and t." s" on the warpath.
But my mother kissed my throbbing
temples and bade me 20 soak my head
and think no more of those old tales ard
savage wars. That night tl,a Romans
landed on osr coast. They piiiaged tho
whole country, burned the agency build
ings, demolished the ran:he, rode off tho
stock, tore down the sn.olse-house and
rode their war horses over the cucumber
vines.
To d>y killed a man in the arera,
and, when broke his pateut
clasps and looked upon him, behold! he
was my friend. The same sweet smie
was on his face that had known ~her
in adventurous ho, hood we bathed In
CLASSY lake by our Spartan home and ha
| had tied my shirt into 1882 dangerous
| AMI difficult knots.
He knew me, smiled some more, said
''t', ta," AMI assembled the golden stair
begged Of the fretor that might 10
allowed to bear way the body aud have
it packed in ice AMI shipped to his
friends near Syrsilla. but he couldn't zoe
it.
Ay, upon my bended knees, amidst the
| the dust aud blood of the arena, I bog
| ced this poor boon, and the Praetor an
swered: "Let the carton rot. There
are no noble men but Roman and ohio
men. Let the show g" on, Bring in tho
boo tail lion from Abvssinia." Aud tho
:ssemb oil maids aud matrons and tho
rabl,le shouted in derision and told mo
to "brace mp and "have soms style
about my Clothes and "to give 1t to us
easy with other Roman aings which I
do not now call to mind.
And so must yon, fellow gladiators,
and so must i, die like dogs.
Tomorrow we are billed to appear At
the Coliseum at Rome, and reserved
seats are being sold at the the corner OF
Third anil Corse streets for our moral
and instructive performance while ana
speaking to you.
Ye stan here like giants "a "a arc, hat
to-r1orrow some Roman Adonis with =
sealskin cap will pat your red Drawn and
bat his sestercvs upon your blood.
o Rome! Rn,nc! Thou hast been in.
deed a tender nurse to me. Thou has'
given to that &c ntle, timid shepherd lad
who never knew hlrsher tone than q
> flute note, muscles of iron and hear,
like ,he adamantine lemon pic of tx
! railroad lunch room. Thou has taught
me to drive this sword through plated
a mail and links Of rugged brass, and
warm it in the palritat,ng gizzard of hit
foe, and to gaze into the glar.rg eyebaii'
, of the fierce Nulnidian lion even as the
q smooth check ed Roman senator looks IN
! to the laughing eyes Of the girls in th'
Treasury Department..
+ And lie shall pay thee back until tn!
rushing Tiher is red as frothing wine
! and ii its deepest ooze thy life-blood lie
cur,lled. You doubtless hear the Eent1'
murmnr of my bazpo.
= Harl! Hear ye the lion roa,ing in hi
= den7 'Tis three days since he tasts'
;. flesh, but to- morrow he will have gl;tdih
" :or on toast, and don't yor f'rget it, M
" will fling yonr verte,rn about his Gag
ri like the star pitcher Of n champaion n,he
Ifye are hrutes, then, stand here lik
% f., oxen waiting for the butchers knife
five are mon, arise and follow me
, Strike down the warden and tho tnrn
"a kew, overpower the police and cut for th
, tall timber. We will hrenk through tn
Il city gatc, capture tho war-horse of tn
"a drunken Roman, fee away to the lava