The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-08-19

from Charles Sumner, he crowded 1t
with verses. AS first written down,
ssExcelsior" differs from the perfected
and published version, but shows a
rush and glow worthy Of its author.
Notwithstanding that effectually
settles a point or argument. This ap-
plication of the word is said TO have
arisen from two notorious liars being
matched against each other. 81 drove
q nail through the moon, once" SAID
the first. eyes," said the other, 81
remember the circumstance. and
went round to the back and clinched
it."
D,,uv 1t Afi1d.-This term was origi-
nally used by the leader of a metro
politau orchestra to violinists, when he
wished them to play softly; "Come it
str0ng'' was another term used by the
same party, when he desired the or
chestra to play loud.
Come to Grief.-Browning has made
this classical. In his poem, Herve
Riel, he has the line
"Not a speer that comes to grief.''
Loot.-This word frequently occurr-
ed in the dispatches detailing the plum
dering Of Alexandria, during and i'm
mediately following the recent bonn
city. 1t is an East Indian word, sig
nifying plumber, robbery, pillage, etc.
1t was introduced into the English
language at the time of the mutiny,
1878.
Ohz Rosis the Bo,U.-Col. w. HI.
Sparks gives the following &C.
count of this once popular and still
fondly remembered song: s'In 1926 1
located in Mississippi and began practi-
cling law" After speaking of his
neighbours. he says: "Among these
were two equally remarkable, but very
unlike. One was a sch0Ol-master, who
was quite old and had been teaching in
that neighborhood over forty years.
His name was James Rossum. He
was peculiar in his habits. On Mon
day morning, neatly dressed and clean
ly shaven, he went to his duties in the
old school house, where two-thirds of
his life had been spent, and assiduous-
vocation until Friday evening. On
the morning of Saturday he arrayed
himself in his best anu devoted the
day in visiting the ladies of the neigh
bOrhood. He was welcome guest at
every house. This habit had continued
so long that he acquired the SQUIRT
quet of "Rossum the Beau.' The
others name was Cox, rollicking,
good fellow, and the best vocalist 1
ever knew. He was in song what
Prentiss was in oratory, and they were
boon companions. Both died young,
Cox was frequently at my Office, and
upon one occasion when he was there
Rossum walked by the door, and his
age was apparent in his step. Cox
looked at him, and, after n pause, turn
o,l to T,o
ing tone, which he could assume at
pleasure, and its eloquence was inde-
scribable: 'Poor old Rossum! Some
of these sunny mornings he will be
found dead, when he shall have a no.
bio funeral, and all the ladies will
honor it by being present, know
Soon after he left the Office, and, being
in the humor, I seized the idea and
wrote the lines. Soon after Cox re-
turned and I handed them to him.
He got up,walked and hummed differ
ent airs, until lie fell upon the old
hymn-tune in which they have ever
since been sung. Here is the first
verse:
Nov soon OH some soft sunny morning,
,, me first thing my neighbors know,
Come bury old Rossum, the Beau.
Bohenian.-The name generally
given in France to the gypsies, from
their supposed advent into that coun-
try from Bohemia. From this contin-
ual application the term seems to have
found its way into England and Amer
lea, and is applied to struggling and
obscure literary men, artists; etc. Also
Tin a truer sense,) to one who wanders
about without any ostensible means of
livelihood.
BonboSt.-A mixture of cotton and
silk yarn, so called, was used in the
time of James 1. to stuff or pad the
enormous breeches used at that time
Hence, bombast, or bombastical, is ap.
piled to anything spoken or written in
an inflated style.
Griffin, Ga, has the largest peach
orchard in the South, containing sc, 900
trees and covering most of 600 acres.
On the same farm are 1000 grated APP
pie trees and 5000 pear trees.
The Mississippi river commission
Will meet at st. Louis on the 18th. to
commence active operations on the
great river whose waters of late have
been so much inclined to overflow,