The Opelousas courier., 1894-11-03

player and a steady winner before 1
bloomed out in that razzls-daszle suit
OF sportin clothes; and henceforwards
after that + was known of men far and
wide as the high roller from the hill
country.
Now it want 30 very long after that,
Rufe, before | learnt this lesson-it is a
blamed long and lonesome road that
never had a washout nor g. smash up.
1t made q thuuderih big hole in my
pile to travel the gait that Red Stokes
act and put On d whole lot Of dog
to keep up with him. Then about the
next thing we knowed luck was run
hing dead square the otner way: And
inside of another week we woke up fat
busted and dead broke. / had staked
sad lost everything l had, even to my
baggage with my books and college
ply have to forage around as best we
could and wait for the wind to change
and raise another stake. But that
didn't suit me a single blame bit, Rufe.
You see Red was of usened to 1t and
l want. / was powerful bad broke up
and let down and kerfu1nuxed-two
hundred miles from horpe with nary a
dollar and marry dime, and nothin that
| could call my own but that ~confound-
ed fing-streaked and striped, razzle-
dazzle suit of sportin clothes.
He Comes to Himself.
"About that time I reckon I must Of
come to my senses, Rufe, and I am here
to tell you that the rebound was some
thin tough and terrible. AL Of sud
dent | wanted to go horie, and by gol-
lys I wanted to go bad. l didn't say
hothin about that to Red. but as o o
as l could git up and git out ambled
off down to the wharf. 1t seems like
my niger luck hadn'tgone clean back
on me yet, cause there was the same
boat and the same captain that had
brought me down the river when 1 left
the home landin. come right out fat
footed and honest and let the captain
have all the facts in the case and he
told me l could git on board if / wanted
to and go back with him.
ibid go? You can bet your Sunday
boots and side whiskers / went Rufe.
1 didn't go around town to shake the
partin hand with the boys-I didn't
even take time~to say goodbye to Red
Stokes-but you bet l went, and the
most painfulest part Of the whole bust
ness was that I had to go home with
that blamed fiery hashiu suit of sport
in clothes on. Honest, Rufe. the old
gentleman didn't know me when I got
there. He was settin out on the front
porch readin of his paper when l
walked in.
"'Good mornin, sir says he to me,
cold and stiff and ofish like.
"'Good mornin, father says I, and
hang my cats if he didn't jump out of
his chair like shot out Of a shovel.
wei. l didn't make out like [ was
George Washington the secont. bAt l
knowed durn well that it want the right
time of year for me to lie outuef trouble
SO / opened up and give out the plain,
naked, unwashed truth. Mother was
30 glad to see me till she cried and a
whole drove of little niggers come up
sportin clothes OF mine. / had counted
dead certain on a hard and heavy fog
gin when / rounded up at home, and
my mind wa made up to take it and
tote it as best I could. But If you re-
member the old gentleman had some
powerful precarious notions, and seems
like he had more Ways than one to
break a dog from succkin eggs. The
best that I could do was to hustle into
Q suit of plain clothes and wait for
somethin to happen. .la
y
The Fret and Confusionnent.
Benjamin, my son. says father to
me % the next mornin, L would love
to have a little talk with YOU. .Sposin
we take a walk downsto the horse lot
ibid I go? To be certainly of course
I went. l lowed the old gentleman
would go by the carriage house and
take a buggy trace along, which the
same he didn't debut anyhow / went
with him. -
Benjamin, my son. says he, quiet
and gentle like. you see thatroan mule
Dolly don't you? Well, l put Nelse, the
boy that has been plowin that mule,
with the hoe hands this mornin. Take
that mule, my son. and go down to the
plantation and find your place with the
plow hands. A better mule than Dolly
never peeped through a collar, and if
you keep up with hef / reckon you will
strous hot I know, but if you would
ruther plow than go to school it is all
the same with me. But you must keep
the mule turnin in a reglar, steady gait.
If you hunt the shade, or ride the plow,
or play off any I VIII find it out. and
then you will have to take what would
~natcherly come to a common plow hand
on your daddy's plantation.
"Rufe, did you ever follow a good,
peart mule back and forth through a
big field of swamp corn id layin by
time? Well, if you have you know
somethin about the general ~circnmfer-
ence OF my calamity. Bat that want
all by q big lot. TOUCHED it out with
the pillow hands all of that week, and
when Saturday night come / felt like I
mought maybe make up my mind to 60
to college in a pinch.
bright and early Sunday mornin the
old gentleman called me out on the
front porch. where he vas smokin his
pipe and readin the good Book, al
usual. Il III r. All
" Benjamin. my son. says he, me
nezer church to meetin today, and you
must saddle your mule and go with u.s.
That was perfectly all right with me,
but about lifetime I got ready to mount
and ride off, the old gentlemen called
me ont onct more and went IN tos9y:f,
Benjamin, my son. why don't you
get ready for churchgs
I am ready. willin and . waitin
father saos ]. -
atNo Won amt, Benjamin, my son., no
YOU amt says he. Where Is them fine
and fancy clothes yon had on when you
come? Go and put on them clothes,
BENJAMIN. nv son, go and put on them
fine store bought clothes. You must
wear your very best duds when you 60
to church with me and your mother,
ssAs I'm a Twin man. Rufe.I would y
durn sight ruther to Of been q free mig
ger that day and took q hard hundred
on nv bare back than to WeArthat in
fernal suit of sportin clothes to church.
But there wa only the one boss on the
old Weaver place, and you didn't have
to stop and ask no questions TO fndfout
which was him. Did 4 go to church? /