The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-08-07
"save mer' soueaked TYLER.

No"' hr. FeaDody, reckon you're
SAFE uttered Jerry, giving him grip
lik wise.
"Don't-don'tp cried Sam.
Don't what?"
Don't hurt me!'
I'VE won't hurt you if you keep Quiet.
out Ii you make any resistance, you'll
run the risk of getting your head
broken
Sam knew that it was Jerry Smiths
wife whom he had frightened, and he
knew that Jerry could handle him as a
child. He begged and prayed, but to no
purpose. The two stone-cutters backed
up against one of the willows. and
then proceeded to bind him to the trunk
OF tree. They lashed his hands be.
hind him, then dashed his ankles to-
gether, and then they bound him to the
tree at the shoulders, wrists, knees and
feet, and they did itsecurely, too, After
this they took the freboard and placed
it against the tree above his head, Sc
curing 1t by nails which they had brought
for that purpose.
''Mercy" shrieked Sam, you aren't
a-goin' to leave me here?"
YES, sir, answered Jerry. "You have
had your share of joking long enough,
and now We'll have ours. | would rath-
er have you tie my wife as you are tied,
than to have had her frightened as you
came near frightening her. Mind you,
Sam, we only mean this for joke"
And with this the two men went
away, taking no heed of the joker's cries
and protestations. But they did not go
far away until they were sure that there
would be no more passing on that road
for the night
On the following morning Jerry set
the news a-going of Sans present situ-
alton, and in half an hour after sunrise
a hundred people were collected around
the willow tree. There stood Sam, just
as he had been left the night before,
shaking and shivering with cold. The
ox-skin had been fixed so as to fit him
nicely, and he did really look like an
OK fastened up there. He had sewed up
the hide so that his legs and arms fitted
into the skin of the ox's legs, and his
own head was where the original caput
had been, while the horns arose majes-
tically above the whole. just above him
appeared tho broad fire-board, and it
bore the following announcement in
characters which could be read. with
ease, even at great distance:
This is Sam Peabody, the great
joker. And this is one of his own jokes
in which he got trapped himself"
jerry took down the board and let
Sam read it. and then put it up again.
'Ha! ha! ha! Vot a joker cried one.
HE came out here in that rig to
frighten poor women" said Tyler.
''Sam, how's beef?"
81 say, Sam, can't you give US horn?"
''What long tailr'
''Who ever seed a hox year boots
afore?"
These, and like EXPLANATIONS, issued
from the crowd, and all the while poor
Sam was begging for some one to come
and take him down.
''In the name of mercy!'' he groaned,
won't somebody let me go?"
Cant think of it yet" returned Jerry
Smith. ''Your joke is too good to be
lost. You have taken a good deal of
pains to make that dress fit so nicely,
and l should think you'd want folks to
see it."
"By iingop screamed little Adam
Snip, going close to the victim, ''you
have worse fit now than L ever had.
Shan't send for doctor?"
At this the crowd laughed uproarious-
ly. They would have had pity for any
one else in town, to have seen him in
such situation, but for Sam they had
none, for they knew that for years he
had been annoying all whom he could,
and now, since he was caught in trap
of his own setting, they thought it
best to punish him. At nine o'clock
nearly all the inhabitants of the village
were out there, and by this time Sam
began to cry. Even Jerry was touched
now, and going up to the victim, he
said:
Nov, Sam, PIl let you down on one
condition. Promise that you'll never
attempt to perpetrate a practical joke
againY'
''I never will"
''Of any kind or descriptions You'll
never annoy a human being again, if
you can help it?"
''Never-never! never will, so help
me Godr'
So Jerry united the cords, and in
few moments Sam was free. He was
too stiff to run, and for awhile he could
walk with but difficulty. But Jerry
gave him his arm and helped him to his
own house and there let him remain
until the crowd had dispersed.
Toward noon Sam went home, and
for over month he stuck closely to his
shop, never appearing in the street save
when absolute necessity required it. He
kept his promise faithfully, for to this
day he has not attempted to perpetrate
another of his practical jokes. And
people love him now. for he is one of
the jolliest old men in the country and
his presence is sure to dispel any thing
like the sulks or blues. And among all
his stories there is not one over which
he laughs more merrily than over the
one wherein is contained an account OF
that practical Joke which was so sum-
marily turned back upon himself
Sylvanus Cobb, Jr., in Yankee Blade.