The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1888-01-21

y ~ HE IOQNu,
Clerk Police Jury.
Letter from Prairie GreiS.
PRAIRIE GKE1G, Jan. Q, 1888.
Editor Abbeville Meridional]
Rain, rain, mud anG slush a hag-
gard, lead colorcd sky; away off in
the west long, thin break in the
clouds through which "Old Sol"
vain|y tries to smile. A solitary
horscman. here and there, with
shoulders bumped up to his cars, and
head bent 10 the wind as it whistles
through the bare wire fences. ac-
companied by the dismal note of the
kil'dee, aoundcring patiently along.
vending his dreary way through
the miry depths of our famous public
roads. Such has been the daily per-
apective to travellers for the last six
weeks.
Oh how delightful! Oh ye emf.
grants from the Nortl, now is the
time TO come on sled>; our roads are
fiat as a pancake, and rich a.
! grease Corn cribs are hursting
and we sweetcn our coffee with
sugar! Shade of the immortal
"Evangeliue,' poetic spirit of the
land Of the fig and the orange |!
should'st thou have occasion to again
visit the land of thy forefathers,
come, Of /! ethereal being not a pieds
neither d cheual;; but (if sweet spirit
thou hast donned the downy raiment
Of the celestial throng), spread thy
wings (among the plumes OF
which still linger the balmy odors
Of our departed meadows and
orange grovcs), and come like that
inimital navigator of illimitable
space-thc wild goose-and then:
With weary wing and dropping
form" alight not rashly, for twill
bog a snake" but gently, like the
feathery snow fake in the ''stilly
night" Swan.l;ke, thou canst arch
thy graccfu! neck, and with dowuy
breast parting the rippling wavelets,
glide q Ia gondola through our Veue.
tian highways.
Oh! what a glorious time for mud
singing politicians and builders Of
homemade ch'mneys; the first need
not now 60 way back for material
to carry on his business; as for the
latter, "the woods are full Of it,"
Wonder what our "Levee Governor"
would give for all we coa!d spare
to build levees with, not to sling
Hope he will sling something at our
police jury in the shape Of medal
for interest manifested in our public
roads.
Aethinks l can see those poor
devils. who are not exempt from road
duty. standing around in the mud,
in bunches like cattle during north.
er, shovels and spades at rest wait.
ing for the "boss" who, about s or
9 o'clock, zlgzagging down the road,
picking his way carefully along like
a prohibition county man from
Mississippi who gets his jug from
Mobile. Poor fellows, how | sympa
tbize with you! / know just how it
will be, the boss will say: well,
boys, l don't think we can do any
thing to-day; let's knock of and call
it half day; when l want you
again I'll notify you"
Such is the economical manner in
which work on our parish roads is
conducted, and thus will it continue
until-wclI, after the election.
PRo Bono PUBLIco.
A yonug man could, not hayc a
better fortune than to be master of
some good trade. The father who
is worth millions could not will his |
son better fortune than to teach |
him some good trade. When boy |
works for his money he can appre
eiate it more and is not liable to be /,
silly spendthrift. Many of our
rich men commenced life without a
penny. They learn to AXE care OF it,
Teach your beys and girls lessons OF
economy. and you will probably be
proud of them.