Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1891-04-17
Mossback Avenged.


talking about some old fellow,
whose nam | forget, who hunted
Il golden fleece" / believe he
finally got it, but it has As always
been my luck to catch glimpse
OF it, just as some more crafty in
iividual WAS walking away with it.
Il could always have tempered
he hope of to-day with the wis
dom of tomorrow, l might not
have been the political Alhsmbra
which l am. When | was lording
it over the Buzzard Bottom mig
gers, my prospects we1e indeed
dattering. If a niger evinoed
disposition especially distasteful
to Hiram Bunker, he would say:
Skin him alive, Mossback, skin
him alive, sab. Sell for as much
without the hide any day. Peel
him all ovah, begad, and you will
win a pile in my will, sab" But
old Hiram's will would not have
been worth the ink with which it
was written. If he gained by the
slave race, he lost on the horse
race, so l exhausted myself time
and again in taying those niggers,
only to realize at last the vanity of
expectations. However, it was q
labor after my liking, which l re-
member not to regret,
The unfortunate example of
Bunker would seem sufficient to
convince any one of the folly in
all games of hazard. But some
natures must feed on experience
and die of despair.
My temperament always was in
clined to the doctrine of luck rath-
er than TO the problem of labors.
Looking across the corn bread and
buttermilk of to-day, l could al
ways see the lGrks' tongues and
champagne OF next week, which
vanished at approach like the RAIN
bow. The Mossback of the pres
ent somehow l ALWAYS expected to
blossom into Lucullus OF the first
magnitude in the future. But the
frosts of adversely never failed to
descend. Beauregard and Early
could add fearful chapter to the
long story of my failures, if they
thought it prudent. If they have
handled only a few Of my dollars,
ii is because | have had but few to
give them. If Mrs. Mossback
could ever forget that she wove
carpets for some of those dollars,
and cease to remind me of the fact,
perhaps my bitterness toward fate
would not be so intense.
/ In previous letter it was shown
how a game of marble lost me the
nomination for assessor | have
to deal with kindred injustice il
this. One year [ came out fol
county Judge. Having been jus.
tice of the peace, | felt qualified
for the larger sphere of useful,
ness. | had made a mistake OF
two when justice, because [ wa:
rather too self-confdent for a new
position, but had done reasonably
! well withal. | had fined one mar
| five hogs and a COW, and banishec
him from the county, for stealing
load of hoop-poles. Of course
this arbitrary proceeding hac
brought down on me much ridicule
II had learned discretion and
acquired experience. | knew
could license a saloon, or refuse tc
grant road plow or bridge mate
rial, as well as any Democrat il
the county. OF my four or five
Iopponents, 1 feared but one. HI
was intimate with all the Multums
and I thought had THAR secre'
support. He made the most o.
the unfortunate hoop-pole affair
saying l had no jurisdiction in the
case, and was in short the biggest
fools out of the asylum. I wanted
| him out of the way
| One day / met him in town
I've bridged the political chasn
with the social glass several times
repeated, and finally engaged in {
game of old sledge. At first We
played only for amusement, bu
being joined by two of the Mul
tums, we dignifed the game by {
small forfeit. The others gener
ally took beer or cigars, but l all
always partial to Nelson count.
bourbon. after about two hours
or twenty four drinks, | grew in
dependent, feeling like | hac
sbout fifteen offices in my pocke
and hundred at home in tht
trunk. "Skadmofe," said |, 81
will play you single-handed fol
the nomination-loser to with
draw" He promptly consented.
took two large drinks to steady my
nerves, and the game began.
l only remember falling to the
| floor, as Skadmore and the Mul
tums triumphsntly chorused
"Mossbsck, you are beaten Yor
are out of the race" Injury wax
burlened with insult. The coro.
ner happened to be in town anC
was notified. He was not in t
condition to realize it was heart.
LESS nrscticaI Joke. When Rwokf