St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-06-13
times. and the golden days you wen,
through round about the old lol

times. and the golden days you went
through round about the old log
schoolhouse- in them plain old days
when people want SO consounded rar
ticlar as to keep two schools runlin.
one for the males and one for the f.
males-when the boys made flyin Jcn.
nies, grapevine swings, seesaws aud
eich like-when you boys and girls
went rovin after chinl<ypins and chest.
nuts, after heart leaves, after sweet
shrubs-when the sap is bilin uparsla
and the bark slips on the hickory, and
you feel like you would love to make
some whips and flutes end whistles
anything to please the children-whsn
you feel too dadburn lazy to do any.
thing to speak Of
Well, that's the time for fishin.
So it come TO pass one day Inst wecl
the weather was SO warm ard dreamy
like and pleasant-that Bunk Weather.
ford and old man JeeIns w. S,aggers
they took their hooks and lines and bait
gourls and went down ON Murder creek
q fishin.
Maybe you would love to know who
in the thunderations is Jeems w. Stag.
gers? You ask me ruther quick and
student, but will tell you all l know.
He is a son of old Misses Staggers. In
his own wild and wicked way, he is a
right tolerable good man. But SO far
as I know, the pulpit and the amen
corner never have been seriously threat.
ened with his manly presence. AS to
religion, Jeems W. Staggers never did
even sorter make out like he had got
any, and / reckon Aunt Nancy New.
ton was right when she put him
down as "about the most wickedest
man in this wide and wicked world.n
But the good Lord never blowed the
breath of life into a better soul THAI
old man Ebenezer Staggers. which he
was preacher of the word in his day
and generation and the father of Jeems
w.
No more of that. 1t leaks out now
that Bunk and old man Jeems w. didn't
have no tremendous big run Of luck in
regards to fish. But a man by the
name of Jeems w. Staggers got snake
bit, and that is what makes me tell you
what do.
"You see, Eufe, I had went down
the creek, whilst Bunk he took up the
creek" says old man Jecms W., in
giving out the facts to me. II was %
scandlous bad off for one good mesS Of
fish till I could smell the gravy, you
understand, and consequentially ]
didn't go down there lookin for snakeA
But, by thunder, I found one, Rufe,
and he found me. All of suddent
stumbled over one of these big old
rusty moccasins, and he nailel me on
the calf of my left leg. Naturally, OF
course, / jumped up and down right
there in the some place till the snake
turned loose and l had stomped him
to death. Then l laid down and hol.
lored for Bunk. and him q mile up the
creek. So there was, Rufe, way down
therr in Murder creek swamp snake
bit, three miles from home, ten miles
from the doctor. with my old leg swell.
in to beat six bits, and marry drap o!
sperits. Somethin had to be done
Rufe. right away Immediately, apd fol-
the first time in my life felt like
would love to pray. But. to be plum
honest with you. didn't know how.
Up to then, you understand, Incver had
scraped up any acquaintance with the
Lord. and felt like was rank stran.
ger to Him. In the main time the
hurtin and the swellin went ON, with
Bunk Weatherford mile up the creek.
So at last pitched in and told the Lord
who / was and where l come from, anG
then prayed to the best of my feeble
nhilitv"