Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-03-07
TRYING THE FLAIL.
Boys vivid Experience with the
Primitive Implement.

Primitive Implement.
The handmaiden came to the kitchen
door al last and wound her mellow horn,
the hungry men went to dinner, and
trembling with eagerness. / approached
the fail, as it leaned against the tanning
mill. Somehow it looked taller and
primmer than when it was gyraiing
about in the air, in graceful curves,
ellipses and parabolas. | shook hands
with the short leg, and the touch chilled
me. I felt as think man feels wien
he steps into the ring and shakes hands
with Slugger Sullivan.
A flail looks quiet enough. 1t seems
gentle. 1t is not at ali the sort of "a whip
a Christian man world fog his little son
with. but in it's hour of ease it has a
quiet, me-wlere-my- -love-lies-dream-
2 mig expression, that is Desperately wick
ed, and deceitful above all things. A
fail is your true patrician- 1t is cordial
and actively useful with its equals, but
it resents any familiarity frcm IFS infer
iors. In the grasp of it's master, it il as
clay in the hands of the potter; gripped
by the unwary and swung by the mimi
tiated. i, is as a brick in the hands of a
rioter, or store thrown by a lovely
woman.
S)me feeling Of this kind began to
oppre,s me as examined the simple,
i. primitive mechanism Of the fail. THere
has pever baen any improvement in the
construction of this implement. The
fail sprang into being, Minerva-like,
full gtown, of mature age, and complete
armor. sound in wind, limb, and cOndi-
ton. The first fail, like the first birds
nest. was perfect model for all posterity.
A whip of OAK or hickory, with the lash
little shorter than the handle, and near
ly as heavy; lash aud handle loosely
strung together with thong tfet holds
like mortgage.
But nothing scares boy very long.
p:cSed up the f ii. 1t vas heavier thar
I supposed it to be. I raised the simple
implement above my read. / gave The
same bold. careless swing know lid
that Uncle Fred used, and right N tic
midst of the first cireliug rush, without
hesitation, remorse, warning or COM
puI ction of conscience, | was knocked
down.
First event for the fail.
When / got up, the fail lay there on
the floor. 1t had not changed. 1t was
the same calm, impassive old fail.
rubbed my head, felt carefully of the
lump. and decided that j couldn't weal
nv. Sunday hat for two weeks, and con
seauently wouldn't have to 60 10 church
and then l crappisd the hsit again.
shrugged nv shoulders to protect my
head, and i,i the german. never saw
any quiet thing fly around as that flai
did. Tw &c saw il 20 sweeping pas
nov face. 0ecs 1t smote me-in the bacl
with Resembling thump that made M
think then and there il rad broken my
heart. And all this :imo | couldn't re
the bulge on it, to whang it down on th,
Il
ohumau yci,ge anil 4 copldu't stop it.. I
had raised demon cJuld not control
1t poapdtd Yn RIB sore in two rIp!C
+" sutcessvesirokes; my arms were twistin'
out of their sockets; 1t was all could d'
TO keep my feet on the floor; the longe
i held on tic yorseit.Sot4 al !i!F,
At last + let 90 all "hoTts," threw IN!
arms over my head aud started to Iul
for my life. 1t Just rained fails, broad
side, end on, and cris-cross, down ol
me all the way across the big bIIu, unit
{ with one finai mi !hty crash, felf dow
on the astonishId dog Hector, trying
hide himself behind the sIrJw cutter
limp. inert, hopeless wreck of howlin
boy, pitiless fail and terrified dog.
. rlIswept the eIicIcling space ~ith nth
/. ,hail in a final effoit.T In the inst an
only circuit the short leg flew straigh
up in the air, then dropped and tappe
me on the head. Then IT reached OF
at right angles and smote q thre gallo
Jug of ancient cider frem its high perc
on the tanning. mill, sweeping it into a
everlasting temperance revival, then
n yIsvooped do&n with the swoop of
II fhaw6 came around and caught NE bt
hind the knees, dropped me on th
floor with a thumr that made me hea
sick for a week, and in that humiliatin
position the men found me-. was 81
.O ting on the fait.l MY enemy was at m
feet, tu. was not vain-glorious in m
triumph. And when grandfather sal
severely, That boy has been at Il
cider" l sighed in bitterness of spir
because knew better tnan he did, ho
ensrgetically I,had been at it. =
And the day never came when / cou
use fail. Before the dawn of th
triumph, the threshiiig machine beg,
to break the legs of men with its
reaching tumbling rod, and the fl
went cut of business. Robert. J. BIZ
dette in Northwestern Miller.