Connecticut western news., 1891-07-16
TALLER JEANS JUSTICE,

TALLER JEANS JUSTICE.
 was coming up the Mississippi river | on slow but magnificent boat, and was | sitting on the hurricane deck looking
 over beautiful and seemingly endless | spread of sugar cane land, when some one standing near me remarked: 'You were never along here in the sure enough days of steamboating, I reckon"
 I looked up and saw tall man, to whose appearance coming age had lent sort of distinction. His clothes set upon him with an air of genial dis arrangement, and his eyes, I noticed, were moist with the dew of recollection as he gazed far away over the fields. I. | took me but second thus to estimate him, and my answer to his question was | prompt:
 'I was never along here in the old days"
 ''Oh, we'll, then, you don't know any thing about it. You only catch now a poor shadow of what was once glorious substance" He seated himself beside me, relighted his cigar, which had gone out, and thus continued:
 GA man that was never along here be- fore the war don't know anything about life. In those days the boats were pal aces, and man in general was so accom- modating and polite that he'd fight you in a minute. Now the boats are 1utter mills, and man, instead of being gentle manly and accommodating, will curse you, suh. l own a plantation up the river, but 1t don't amount to anything now"
 'IS the land worn Out?' l asked
 ''Oh, no; lands just as good as ever, but the conditions that made life there enjoyable have all been changed. Why, suh, knocked a fellow down the other day, and hanged if he didn't sue me for breach of trust"
 "For what?" I exclaimed.
 'For breach of trust, I tell you. He had me arrested and hauled up b..eore what is known in our country as yaller jeans justice of the peace. The fellow stated that he had trusted me or he shouldn't have been hit; said that if he hadn't trusted me he would have dodged in time, and he therefore thought that should be dealt with for breach of trust. The yaller jeans justice said he thought so, too, and hanged if he didn't fine me $5'
 ,'Why didn't you appeal the case?" asked.
 ''Oh, well, you see, I'm not in the law business. l just horsewhipped the justice till the dust flashed out of the yaller jeans and then I let the affair drop. I tell you," he added, after a brief pause, five used to have great times along here in the old gentlemanly days. l remember one evening sort of preacher came aboard at landing just about here. He was a simple man, with meek smile that seemed to have been mortised into his face. soon got ac- quainted with him and learned that. | aside from being a preacher, he operated | plantation and had some little money. Among the passengers was one of the shrewdest gamblers I had ever ! known, and when he found est that the | preacher had money he began to lay ! plans for catching him. went to the preacher and told him. That's all | right said he. In this life it is but | natural that the wolves should be after the sheep Of course you will not play with him, said I. Oh, I don't know he answered. I have worked very hard and am off for rest, and if he can aid me in getting what seek all right. | Some of the greatest of English clergy
 men. you know, have been quite expert at cards, and although I am not a great clergyman, yet l am an Englishman, and am game for any sort of innocent amusement that may be flushed up.'
 But that man Nickerson,' said I, refer | ring to the shrewd gambler, will beat
 your Oh, possibly the clergyman re- | joined, but he can't beat me out of
 much. Perhaps might win from him. | Don't think that I am an easy victim,
 my dear sir. I have had a great deal of
 experience, and am not so very easily | picked up.'
 | Well, sir," the planter continued, "he
 didn't dodge that gambler at all, but
 actually sat down to a game of poker
 with him. Of course the preacher lost,
 but ne was shrewd enough not to bet
 very high. The minister came up to
 me with his smile mortised in a little
 deeper, and said: Well, he is pretty
 sharp and l have lost about hundred
 dollars; but how are we to preach against
 an evil unless we know the ways of that
 evil? In truth, aside from any attempt
 to peep behind the mask of evil, am
 fond of playing cards, and if I should
 create any other impression I should be
 a hypocrite, and a hyIocrite is worse
 than a gambler. Do ycsu wish to play a
 game? I played, and away late that
 night when the preacher got off at Camp
 bells Bend he carried 2,0OO of my dol
 lars with him. I don't know that he
 ever saw pulpit, for found out after
 ward that he and that fellow Nickerson
 were partners. Oh, yes, those were
 great days, when people were gentle and
 polite. Why, if man had to kill dog then he did it in an easy and gentleman ly way. A spirit of etiquette seemed to
 pervade the atmosphere.
 But now warrant that if you should
 get into quarrel with some man on
 board this boat he would be brutal
 enough to haul off and knock you down
 with his fist. There must come change.
 though, sooner or later. Society can't
 stand the uncouthness of the present era.
 The customs that came in after the war
 robbed us of our good breeding. When | s-A- e.. IL