The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-12-01
AT RED.HORSE CREEK.
BY T. T. MORGAN.


"Speakin' Nv lazy men," drawled
Long jim Prouty, ''uv all lazy, trifing
fellers, Ike Rawson was the trifin'est."
Located oh the eastern bank of the best
fshin-hole in all Red horse Creek. and
bounded on the north by Mr.. Hiram
Pottle, whose ability as listener was
only surpassed by that of Mr.. James
Shores, who bounded the speaker upon
the south, it was not surprising that the
elongated Mr.. Prouty felt in story
telling mood.
As the representative of the law, Long
Jim dispensed justice in the spasmodic
and original fashion of counties where
the locomotive whistle never sounded
and the stiffness was only broken by the
crack Of some coon hunters rife or the
harsh cry of the storm foretelling rain
crow. But his fame as a Justice of the
Peace was eclipsed by his renown as
story-teller He had been known to
postpone dinner an unconscionable time
to finish story, and it was said that he
would interrupt a trial to relate some
thrilling Renaissance.
| Now, as he reclined on the bank Of
Red horse Creek and watched the ''bob'
of his fish-line he seemed a veritable
reminiscence mine, and sel..working at
that.
"Say he wasl' questioned Pottle, re-
ferring to the stigmatized Kawson.
Eyes; W all lazy fellers, he was the
captain. Tell you what's fact, he'd
| -
Then the story rested till a wide
mouthed catfish had been jerked from
his watery home to adorn a string which
was already half filled with his brethren.
Lazy" resumed the Justice" Beat
airy man 'twixt this an anywhurs
Looked like hit tired him TO breathe
When they formed the Lazy Mans Club,
up in Clay County, the season the seven
teen year locusses ct up the crops an
thar want nuth'n' to do for amusement
' but"
= The extraction of another catfish from
II the creek interrupted the story.
oval, when the Lazy Mans Club wa
:. formed, they Hello, thar"
The story rested.
. There appeared at the edge of tn
:, little clearing three persons, whose chic
characteristics, Judging from appear
ances, might have been graded as bruise'
G and bloody excitability, defiant dejec
. ton, and passive disinterestedness.
# sole Man Hydom, Wicks, the cor
J. stable, an that young Ohio chaI
q Wonder what's up" said Shores.
q "Dunno. AS was a-sayin' when
N esquire" cried the personifcation {
re- CORY excitability, 81 want the law ont
o this yere cuss! I've ben 'saulted--
g oval" drawled Long Jim, int
lie ruptingly, ''you look it, Hydom. Yo
in want never SO mighty pretty that h
lie hurt you to pack yore beauty aroun'
IS an now I'll be switched if you h'ain
ly uglier than original sin! /"
&c That's neither yere nur comm,
10 broke In Old Man Hydom, angrily.
want the law, am"
"Wal, set down, Ole Man," drawl'
Long jim. ''Be through with IL
e story in little bit. Was Jest tellin' Il
u boys bout"
at "Hang yore story" roared Hydom,
n fercely that the little figure that hi
co stealthily followed them almost to L
edge of the clearing trembled in the co
cealment that the haw and hazel bru
i. afforded. "Hang your story! wa
~ the law on this yere cuss fer tryin'
kill me! Look at me. Look"
81 "wal, if you've got to have hit, W,
~, ' reckon yer've got to-" drawled the j.
~ y. tice, resignedly. whats the change
III "'Sault an battery, with intent
~ kill"
J" equity or not. young fellerr