The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-04-20


There's limit t. ever thing S he. An
that's all got out o. him"
In about two hours the camp was APP
prised of the fact that Start had given
it out that he was likely to turn" and
that he had set limit to the amount
of dignity he would put up with,
whereupon large number OF public
spirited citizens set forth to find said
limit.
They would refuse payment for
drinks, throw cards and poker chips all
over the floor, poke holes in the cloth
of the billiard-table, break glasses, and
insist on staying il the barroom long
after hours and singing ribald songs
and never did he any more than mildly
protest. How he squared things with
Binford was mystery until it leaked
out that he paid all damages out of his
not overlarge salary. Then some of
the boys let up on him, but there were
still few smaller souls who went in
more theoretically than ever to make
his life miserable.
Pete Gallagher came in late one Sat
urday night and asked Start, as
special favor, to cash a twelve-dollar
check for him, and, being very busy
and much hurried. the bartender gave
him two ten-dollar bills, instead of
fives, as he intended to. Next day he
called Pete's attention to the fact, and
that gentleman, while acknowledging
that he had certainly been benefited
ten dollars worth. declined to make
restitution and asked poor Start what
proposed to do about it.
Ambrose Newton and Count Won
Hoffman took Starts dog-an unfortu-
nate tramp cur that he had taken in
out of kindness Of heart and made
pet of-one evening, fastened wads of
paper to his feet with shoemaker's
wax, tied bunch of firecrackers to his
tail, and started him down the street.
On this occasion the gentle bar-boy
showed some heat, remarlSing feelingly
that nobody but coward would tor
ment a poor, dumb animal, at which
outburst of feeling Newton and the
count laughed themselves nearly into
Mysteries.
Not only at the hands of the regular
clientele of the Binford house bar did
the new bar-boy suffer. There were
plenty of others who, without malice
aforethought, succeeded in injuring his
feelings in a variety of ways. There is
a large portion of society that cannot
resist treating roughly man who
looks as though he would not resent H..
For instance, there was the time
when that pompous old pirate, Welch,
snapped his fingers at Start, and that
when the bar-boy was off duty. Theme
was meeting of the directors of the
Mountain Girl Mining company, and
old Welch, the president, was enter
tanning them at dinner at the Binford
house. They had just sat down to the
table, and Start had just entered the
dining-room and taken his seat, when
Welch bethought himself that some
thing to drink might not be amiss. He
turned around in his chair, looked at
Start, who was sitting about two
tables to the rear, snapped his fingers
and called:
Here, you!"
Start looked up, colored, hesitated,
then went meekly over and took the
old villains orders. And this a camp
where the bartender was generally a
small autocrat and supposed to resent
anything that seemed to presume him
mental! Oh, it was sad to see the
old traditions of Nitrate thus scattered!
1t was that summer that Prof. Jen-
kyns, the hypnotist, came to the camp.
Nitrate had just completed new
opera house fully paid for) and was
anxious to dedicate it, and Jenkyns
struck the camp at most propitious
period. He came and saw, drank much
whisky and conferred with leading
citizens and citizenesses, and few
days after his arrival the following an
nouncement appeared on long posters
of otherwise liberal dimensions scat
tered about and stuck up in every
available spot in Nitrate and the
smaller camps in the vicinity:
Great entertainment A musical
and literary treat at the Nitrate opera
house, July 4. The new opera house
will be formally opened by benefit.
The proceeds of the affair to be donated
to the building fund of the First
church of Nitrate! The ladies of the
church will be assisted by Prof. j.
Ross Jenkyns, the world-renowned
hypnotist, and Prof. Castiglioni, the
celebrated violinist. and his grand or
chestra. Come one! Come all! Let the
eagle scream! Let the good work go
onl Come and bring your friends! Ad-
mission, one dollar. Children, four
bits. Nitrate Nugget Job Print.
Within half an hour after the doors
of the opera house opened every man,
woman and child in Nitrate and vicin-
ity who was not overcome by excess of
celebrating was either inside the hall
or outside clamoring against the an
nouncement of standing room only
and the dedicatory entertainment of
Nitrate's new opera house started off
most auspiciously.
Prof. Jenkyns led off with some ex-
cellauf manifesto t;ope In b;e limo