The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-07-19
CORRESPONDENCE
Big CREEK, I
July Is, 1882. !


July Is, 1882.
Editor Democrat:-
[ arrived here on Sunday evenin
and camped in the suburbs of Kings
land, fourishing little city, inhabi
ted mostly by Mr.. Hustnlyre who's
heart is as big as his house, and ope
to all. He runs free hotel for board
ers, and he keeps a free grocery an
horse feed store for all impecuniou
campers and stragglers. Wheneve
the boarders at Hustmyre's have t
sleep more than two deep, they over
flow into the house of genial Charlie,
Goldenberg, whose heart is as big an
his house as open as Hustmyre's.
never understood why Charley ha,
doors to his house, for they are Away
open. The Fish hotel is also doing
fair business on the same terms.
Kingsland is the only place eve
heard of where no one could spent
money if he had it, and could got al
he wanted without it. Can the world
show such another place? AS there il
no need for money there is no induce.
ment to steal, and l think it would be
a good place to which to move the
United States Capital.
TOBIAS.
It was Sunday evening. The little
town was quiet, the creek murmnred
softly by the camp, the breeze sighed
gently through the pine tops, and in
the distance floating softly through
the air was heard the hymns from a
little church house across the creek.
Lying on blanket in the shade of a
tree, filled with melancholy and holy
thoughts inspired by the day, the
place and it's surroundings, my reve-
rie was disturbed by the sound of ap-
preaching footsteps, and soon there
stood before me man, long, lean and
lank, with fishing pole in one hand
and fish about four inches long in the
other. He was dressed in plain pair
of breeches about three inches above
his shoe tops, pair of striped socks,
a faded check shirt, an aspiring white
collar that seemed to wish to reach
up to the brim of his plug hat, and in
the band of that hat, what would you
GUEST Gracious me-! if he did not
have big sunfowor.
This turned out to be "Tobias" with
whom before l had never met. pro-
posed to buy his fish and asked What
it would weigh. He said four pounds.
l got out my scales and the fish actu-
ally weighed five pounds. l thought
that fish beat anything weighing to
its looks that ever l saw. paid him
Is cents, took the fish and he went off
softly humming that old hymn ''Bap-
fist, baptist, is my name, and baptist
till de-"
l took up the fish by the tail to
scale it, when l noticed parcel of lit
tie black balls which turned out to be
buckshot, falling out of it's mouth and
"dern me, if it hadn't been filed with
buctshot." honestly got four pounds
of buckshot out of that fish and the
fish weighed a scant pound.
I afterwards fonnd out that Major
Watts had filled that fish with shot
and had traded it to "Tobias" for
chew of tobacco, and had passed it off
On him as a five FOUNDER. "Tobias"
had actually spent two days in trying
to trade that fish off to get even. lido
not know what kind of fish it was;
It was remarkably tender and would
have eaten well but for a very strong
smell. have heard of cat. fish-this
must have been a pole-cat fish.
THE FRoG.LEAP.
In few days there were other arri-
vals in camp and the boys tisI,ed and
oathed and played all kinds of pranks
and jokes. One fellow pushed Camp
BELL backward into the creek and
Jumped on him. Campbell gave one
iirt and threw him clear across the
'reek, thirty feet, and landed him on |
lls head, in a gravel bed full of roots.
lis head was buried up to his shout
iers, and there he stood with his fren.
led heels dancing wild heel and toe |
II the air. The boys coonjined to him
nd tried to pull him up; but they had
Is we'll pulled ut stump. The roots
lad got under his chin and closed in
round his neck and held HIM fast.
we had spade and shovel
long, and Calvit and Geiger dug him
ut: After digging with spoons and
ticks, the sand and pebbles out of his
aouth and nostrils, and administering
few restorGtives he came to and asked \
Or some more restoratives. He Of
cred to try it again five would prom
SO more restoratives. AS our restoru-
ICES were getting scarcs DR.. Geiger
eclined on the ground that he was
ceiling badly and would need what
as left for himself.
THE FISH DANCE.
AS Charley Flower sauntered down
10 creek with his rod on his shoulder,
nging, "There was an old woman,
nd she had an old SOW" he heard a :
Topping and foundenng !
the creek, and thought there must =
Q at least dozen alligators in there !
aking love. Charley crept quietly ;
} the brink Of the bank and saw a :
range sight. The hole seemed full :
fish engaged in a dance. About a
ozen were in line Tapping the water
18th their fins and tails, and seemed 6
be the musicians. The others who !
coupled the four sides of square. =
ossed over, moved backwards and =
rwards; the gentlemen would catch =
10 ladies fins in their mouths and g
rned them and would sometimes get y
front, and seemed to be tanning the i
dies faces with their fms. The nm