The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1881-08-03
FROM 4 FAIR FRIEND.
ALEXANDRIA,, I
Aug. /, 1851. !

ALEXANDRIA,
Aug. l, 1851.
r Deer Democrat -
Like Fourth of July orator vii
gets up to apologize for having "noth
: ing to say, not prepared, sufferin,
from inaisposinn, and 20 forth and S
on" ! take up my pen this week t
say, II do not feel adequate to writin
a letter" Yet like the orator who goe
on aud ON for fonr hours at clap"
shall be pretty apt TO keep on apollo
giving until get quite lengthy epis
tie. | am sure of it. Like anothe
gvea; man, Job, should die could
not talk, and as ! have no one to tall
to this morning, perforce shall write
A woman may talk forever and i
doesn't amount to row of pins-bnt ;
man-three little words from hin
makes all the difference in the world
and often makes this earth an Eden tx
the gentle heart who SO long has wor
shipped him in silence.
Did you ever think what a chea1
economical bridal tour trip on Red
River would be, just at the present
stage of water7 A body would Ger.
tainly get the worth OF their money il
food. The ocully has beeu eight days
coming from Shreveport to Alexandria
and is now calmly roostns Oh a sand.
bar just below here, as contentedly as
II she were waiting for lain. The Sill.
yer City got on sand barjust in front
of Town last uight- there she wrig-
g|ed until this morning, when the
deck hands got spades, dug her wheel
ont of the mud, took planks and lifted
her out into the channel-still she
could not move. The Alexandria who
had been swinging on a log all night,
about block below, came up to help.
Up she steamed to the Silver CITY and
waited while the mate caught a pig
and transferred it to the Alexandria-
gave another push but though thus
lightened, she moved not. Twas no
go. Then the Alexandria got up
steam, mad as it were, drew back
little ways, then made for the Silver
City and butted her side ways right
across the river. Now the Silver City
got her mettle up and there she lies
not moving one inch, blocking up the
pass-way, while just inr front is the
Alexandria, steaming and stewing,
tinkling and suorting, instead of stud
yIng geology and seeing through what
strata Of earth a boat can crawl
easiest.
The difficulty could be remeaied BY
the boat wearing stills, and having
steam deck hands. Who brings tile
boats up but the deck hands anyhow.
They jump off, wade all around the
boat, lift her up here, turn her around
there, sciape the dirt away at the bow,
pull out along from the wheel, spit on
their hands and pull her by rope
across sand-bar, get her started, full |
TIT run and Jump on. Sometimes she
sails along like a duck for full five
before the! have to 60 at her
again, while the mate, tired of swear
ing, tells the Captain confdenlially
this 'ere travelin' is risky business"
md the Captain, full of glory bawIs
,ut "don't fool your time, polish up
hat boiler, dig ont the mud, we'll fiji
It the mouth" This he intersperses
With foreign language, mostly used
~ mates and captains.
L used to read of accidents on Red
river and hear surprise expressed as to
low it happened. 1t is all explained
loW--the deck hands got tired and wor-
led and just turned the boat over and
eft her, or may be they got mad and
brew her at the moon. | have known
eople to get right irrtated. | used TO
hink I'd like to be roustabons-noth-
% 10 90 put sit on cotton bales, sing
amy songs and tight-but how a Red
'iver foustahout gets time for fighting L
singing is a mystery. Now, I'd ra-
Ter be an Alexandrian butcher, and I
leirs must be a hard life if they cut IN ,
lelr own steaks. Why don't the butch
8 get out patent for Alexandria beef? :
seasoned with little sugar and pep +
stmint it would sell well as sn "Ever-
sting Chewing Gum" warranted not
crum bic same piece used by gener- :
lons--kept as an heirloom, etc. Then y
belting--not in the same manner as Il
present though--for machinery. I oo
eant--what success it would prov. "a "a
am not good hand at poetry, D a ~
st class poet by any means, but lere i.
e few lines Dedicated to tn pee1- OF
saks of Alexandria - de-
Oh! beefsteaks rough, "a
Oh! beefsteaks tough,
odness knows I've h,d <oeeisteaks
enough.
Here goes little DO, gdloping by on
beautiful Shetland !ohy. with his
MS full of paper reminding me
exandria boasts three newspapers,
boz Captains can stop and j.
" from New Orleans.
Iast Tues,pg evening l attended the
citing of'the Guild of St. James,
urch. y was a very exclusive affair, 7
her toomuch so, as no one was pre- ~
t sayethe pastor, one member and a ~
tor, Now, this was pity; the ool
1rc,' was opened, lighted and it was SAL
elghtful evening.
could go on writing all the morn
but when [ read this apology over =
sec tor
mndll sense and SO much folly. ---
eaiy makes me quite melancholy !"