Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-08-20

Swceny Williamspof. Breakfast Table.
IL was very hot here last Sunday
night. The Thermometer was way up in
the hundreds, and like the youthG who
bore mid snow and ice d banner with d
strange device, its motto seemed TO be-
Excelsior 1t went up--up--l,p but
never busted and come down. You
could hear people sweating blocks away
sweating in all conceivable positions
and shapes; sweating BY telephone,
sweating by refrigerators, sweating, by
thunder. But it remained for q well
known Fifth ward man to find how hot IL
really was Instead of gong to bis bed,
he procured u trnsty sheet md blanket
and proceeded to the ironing room,
where he thought the sweet breezes
would come to ian him md make music
with his soul, About IN hour after he
thus retired, the domestic remembered
that she had to get up early aud attend
to the washing, ~ the next morning
(Monday)would bo wash day. Think.
ing that IT the fire was already made in
the wash room n great load would be
taken Oft her mind and she could sleep
easier, she went down into the wash
room. She moved stealthily (the family
slept on the floor Just above, J al uneon-
scous Of the Fifth ward man, who was
lying beneath the ironing table locked in
the jaws of sleep. Soon big fire was
roaring IN the stove, and tho girl put
some coal on, 40 1t would keep over
night. When the wood had oil burned
out aud the Goals began to take hold Of
the firein that tenacious way which war
rants fire good to hold ont for FIVE or
six hours, the hired girl noisles4ly with.
drew, being careful to close the door On
she went out, thus breaking the nice
draft that was running. BY and by the
fire settled down into good, quiet,
steady burn. 1t didn't crackle or SIN:
1t inst lay there and burned az m hon.
est, well regulated coal fire ought to
burn. The heat spread out by degrees
and radiated around while the Fifth
ward man began to dreum hard. IIe
tossed rs though he had nightmare,
and once in u while he would talk in
his sleep and swear. Once he reached
around with his hand and hit the lep of
the ironing table with his fist and yelled
"Take that cigar ont Of my earp He
imagined he was n dynamite bomb aud
they we're setting him off alive; then,
when the perspiration began running
down his head and breast and legs, he
dreamed he was % stick Of iron ore over
at the rolling mills and that they were
him through the breaker ma
u cast iron cornice of him. BY
and by he began to sweat 80 hard Tint
the steam rolled off his body. A change
came DER the spirit Of bis dream, and
he thought he was the cylinder heads
Of u locomotive. He began to 90 "sliu,
shush shnsh, shush, with his month,
Us cylinder heads do. Then be Thought
he was u section Of fireworks nj tho
Centennial, and they were setting him
off from the top of the main building.
Finally rs he was almost yielding to
suffocation, n malc cat jumped through
the window and walked over his face.
He awoke at once md started np. lie
gasped for breath, aud making for the
window, was soon out in the back ward
where he got under tho hydra,M and let
the water run oil over him like u Tnr.
ksh bath. He then went mcekly to
bed like Christian and slept peace.
fully till morning, thankful that his
wife did not hear oil the racket NE had
made. !