The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-07-05
A lecturers Reminiscencc.


The weather was warm. The hard
backed bugs and the big laundering
beetles that fly by night We're abundant
and offensive, The open windows OF
the hall gave the boys on the street,
rs they patrolcd their noisy beats,
abundant opportunity to chatf the lee
turer, whose gigantic form they could
plainly see, but whose eloquent rc-
marks they could but dimly hear, and
lily comprehend
AS general thing, have observed
that when the lecturer on the platform
and the boys in the street are address
ing one audience Mt the same time, the
audience appears to be most pro-
foundly interested in the remarks Of the
boys. | thought, and still think, it is
very foolish for an audience to pay lifty
cents head to hear me, and then sit
and listen to the boys whom they might
have heard for nothing. But that is
the way an audience has, anyhow. So,
that night, / did not care for the boys
| would not permit the tithing man to
go out and entreat the BOYS roughly
and compel them to "shut up their
heads, us he wished to do, not even
when they Knocked me, and in
shrill falsetto entreatcd me to "givo
them a rest" assuring me they ''heard
enough Of that, and besought me, with
lily dissembled concern, not to "bite OIL
more than | could chaw." | only
smiled pleasantly and. said, Nay,
hinder them not. Let them shout
was once a boy myself" And smiled
again and the tears stood in my ewes
But inwardly | was a ravening wolf.
with a brass collar and two rows OF
spikes.
On my way TO the hotel | overlook
n boy who was still yelling and howl
ing at me, for he wot not that the lee
ture was over.
And my anger got fierce and got
hold upon him, and smote him sore,
and encompassed him round with
piece of barrel hoop, and necked him,
insomuch that he wept bitterly, and was
sore astonished and swore that he
would make full report of these things
unto the mother that bore him, yea
even unto his big brother, and TO the
father also
But needed him not, neither was |
moved with compassion noryet stricken
with fear, for | wist that his mother
lived away on the other side of the
river, and his big brother was not and
never had been, and his father was a
night watchman, and therefore at that
time of night sound asleep in some
secluded doorway. Moreover, / was
going away on the four II. m. train.
Wherefore, / smote him once again, and
said:
IF il be that another lecturer cometh
this way, will it seem fittin dnto thee
10 sit on the curbstonc and make merry
with thy friends, even while he speak
eth words unto the multitude?n
And he lifted up his voice, and wept
bitterly, and swore unto me, saving:
''As my sole liyeth, hope may die ef /
do"
And | let up on him. And il was SO
that when he was gone away us it
might be bow shot, that he called
aloud, and wagged his tongue against
me and called ''Smartyn and cast stones
after me and followed me even unto
the inn, and dared me half way. and
reyiled me because / would not, saw
ing: "IIo! Fraid cat! Fraid cat!'
And sought to slay him but could
not, for he was marvellous swift of foot.
and he was like unto the children of
Benjamin, and ''could sling stones at
hair breadth, and not miss. D. Burdettc,
az BatrtlngtoR HdCkeye.