The Opelousas courier., 1896-05-02
"By Hook and Mercrook."

1T is all iii the family anyhow. Ru
rus, and | don't mind tellin yoti thai
Dink Ashcraft is jest a l~-e-e-tle hi,
shaky IN regards to his church rela.
tionshirs and the settlement of hi.
store account. But when it comes tc
politics., and standin by his friends-iu
times Of trouble, he will do to count Oh
lie showed that by the way in which he
stuck to Jerry rutherford through the
heat and burdens of the fight.
"Now. iii them days, tolerable soon
after Die had made his famous flop, it
come to pass that there want more than
three or four men in the Panther Greek
settlement but what was out and out
for jerry Rutherford. One of the scat
term few was old man Sandy Cowlin,
aid presently Dink and Jerry they
went in together and fixed up a private
scheme to pull him around in line. So
by hook or mercrook it happened that
Jerry was putin up at Drinks house
n day, with his horse hitched at the
rack, when old man Sandy come along
on his return back home from u trip to
the river country. They hailed him MS
he rid by and he made out like he was
IN a monstrous hurry, but he final.
~ at last got down and went in. Now
presently of course Jerry he went down
into his saddlebags and come forth with
his bottle. He ask old man Sandy TO
jine him, and the old man was more
than within. They talked along about
the weather and the crops and the like
of that till Jerry and the old mar had
changed their breath three or four times
without sayin a word to Dink. 1t was
Jerry's whisky, you understand, and
he could treat it out accordin to his
w way. Dink he looked mad and
said nothin and took the slight as bes:
he could till Jerry and old man Sandy
had nibbled at the bottle four or fva
times, but torectly he got up and shooA
his fist ut Jerry, and told him there
was the front gate and out yonder was
the big read.
"'You can't come right here in my
own house, Jerry Rutherford, and fling
your insults in my face without hearin
the news from me- says Dink. If you
think you Gun treat all our whisky
away on Sandy Cowlin ri;'ht here be-
fore my face and never Jay turky to
me, and still git my vote on election
day, you are simply barkh up the
wrong tree. I would see yo dead and
buried face down. SO when you
scratched out you woufu pc at homf.
first. Your horse is hitched at tt
rack, and the sooner you head hil.a
away from my house the better it will
be for everybody
"Well, of course Jerry he couldn't do
nothin but git up and go. But by this
time, you understand, old man Sandy
had bit off several plugs of Jerry's
whisky, and whilst he want no Ruther-
ford man to start with, he was now
jest about ripe enough to pull.
"Let the game stand right there
jerry says old man Sandy. If Dink
wants to quit let him quit, and by gat-
Inns where he takes out I will come in.
When you lose one voter you win an
other. Sandy Cowlin amt gone no.
where's
"And old man Sandy took Jerry home
with him and made him stay all night,
and right along there is where the little
private scheme got in its work. When
election day rolled in Sandy CowJin
voted for Jerry rutherford. So did
Dink Ashcraft. And old man Sandy
couldn't tell you till this day how the
thing turned out the way it did.