The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-09-15
IAGNIAPPE.

gold for watch charm? All, boys, 1t
is to remind me of an infirmity that
has brought Jack Campion trouble ever
since he learned to talk.
To begin at the right end: was
Just twenty five when my father bought
me a plantation up in the swamp
where fortunes are still to be made IN
spite of the changes of war.
You Northern folks don't know much
about life on the banks Of the old Mis-
sissip, that's fact. -.
Strange that nature should make 1t
easy in the swamp to do everything but
-livei Some people say you must he
half allie ator to get along there; but
as for me l was always tough Cotton
and corn grow higher than the head OF
man on horseback; the soil is so fertile
that - Mort hem farmer in the midst OF
his stony fields would call the tilling il
receives mere child's play; and in addi-
tion 10 these blessings, your brains a,
some eaSnns are nearly Jolted out o1
yonr head by "the chills."
My bons,' stood behind the green
law, Q, vhich from the river made the
tire, s 10 AS if they had no trunks.
A n.sht the fog { II and fell upo,
the low muddy banks, like some on'
carling cotton, and could zee the head
lignt of some steamboat now and the1
looming up through the dusk like
great red eye. and hear the wild cries
half musical, half uncouth, of the roust
abouts. Then came the whistle low
and hoarse at first, and deep as the bas
notes of tremendous organ, ant
rising and shrilling into a wall o
agony. How unutteranly melancholy j
used to sound, d, ing hopelessly on tn
dead, unchangiDg fats beyond Plent
of sport, too, up there for huntin
man-herds of deer, foxes, wild hogs
aad humber game, such as 'coons an
'possums.
Well, went to work with will, dt
termined to be model planter. Anon
other transactions I swapped my rid
with Jules Bastien, an aged and dried
up creole, for stout bnilt Texas cot
"Vait meenit," said Jules, hobblin
to the back of his cabin. 81 geeve 20
lagniappe; trow heem cen"
Lagniappe pronounced lsnyap), le
me explain, is what the vulgar America
calls "boot" He returned, brinein
with him brown paper bag that migl
have contained chincapins or pindar
Then, as it squirmed slightly, WI
struck by the fear that this presel
might prove to be crawfish, and tn
Jules would force the repulsive delicat
upon me. I was comforting myse
with the thought that I could toss the
into the nearest mud hole on my w
home, when out of the aperture poppt
a brindled head, all eyes and ears.
Get ees fine leetle puppy dogue
said Jules. "Tske heem; he keep {
de tief by de night"
thanked the old fellow, and W
really grateful; for / had no dog, and
fancied that Laeniappe-so chri
tened him-would prove good compan
As time developed him he became
character study. He was part bulldt
and part hound, with more than strol
dash of cur, suspected. The bulld'
strain made him hold on like grim dea
to ANYTHING in which he fastened l
teeth, and from his hound ancestors
derived the habit of bowling systems
ically for an hour at stretch il y
wounded his feelings. ..-t
He had the largest, brightest eyel
ever saw, and trick Of rolling them
comically as a negro minstrel. For I
rest he had dropping ears and tail W
perpetual curl in it, like pot-hot
He was not much of beauty, and
did not use his brains to good purpo
On certain occasions he showed
low degree most plainly. There
the hunger Of generations in him.
well-bred dog ever went into such c
yulsions of delight at feeding-til
Harold, my fathers old setter. wol
sometimes condescend to a dignii
gambol, but he never turned dou
somersaults at sight of piece OF M
AS Lagniappe grew older Jacint
my woman-of-all-work, advanced
opinion that he was ga debbil," q
indeed, his conduct warranted the O.
n pliment. Everything tearable he t
When he found that he could not eli
npon the table he would pull off
Cloth and calmly feast among the +
- nents OF broken crockery. PillC
cushions, towels-everything nova
in short-he conveyed under the no
1t was part of Jacinthy's regular m
ing work to make piIgrimages thel
emerging each time with loud gr
and declarations that her back
"mos' broke"