St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-11-21

'W-NS'- uD Out tuCAC t1
the graveyard. That is where they
buried old man Steve Hasseltine-
which SO far as anybody knows he was
the las. of his generation and died with
. bad case of the dropsy in the feet.
The Man and the Occasion.
There was considerable singin and
cryin ard carryin on at the grave
yard that day, but raley couldn't see
how the people made it fit the case. l
don't see how anybody could feel sorry
Jest simply because old man Steve was
dead and gone. wouldn't be half way
honest il / even sorter made out like !
was sorry when / heard the news.
People have to die and be buried
somebody somewheres-evcry year and
every day and every hour. And when
the news come that there would he
singin and slow walkin at Pilgrims
Rest, and who it was for, thought to
myself il there ever was time when
the man and the occasion met Steven
Hasseltine was the name If the man.
Now don't you take bad breakin out
the gentleman from Rocky Greek
talked unrespectful of the dead. He
didn't do il. From the bottom Of my
unhoilowed feet to the top of my
tangly head, respect the dead. Even
to old man Steve Hasseltine. respect
ed Him when he was dead-which that
was a whole lot more than could say
and more than anybody else could
say-whilst he tarried around and re-
mained over amongst us in the flesh.
IN life he didn't respect himself, and
other people were most in generally of
the same opinion. In the natural stage
of life he never was known to do any
thing for the good of anybody. But
when the last summons come he died
for the good of his country and the
whole entire human race.
use to sometimes go over to the
poorhouse induring of the campaign,
whilst burning the woods and siftin the
as.:es for so.es. And l never went
there but what found old man Steve
Hasseltine at home. His mother she
had died there aboat the time he was
horned into this vale Of years and
tears, and it was always home to him.
Many and many's the time have heard
the Old man say he was sick and tired
of livin-that he was nobody and NO
account to himself or any livin crea-
ture. and the old home want what 1t use
70 be nOhow.
II have been sick and pore and help
less and a general drug on creation
from the cradle up, Rufe, and raley
can't see why ever was borned into
this world" says old man Steve to me
oncst upon time. II amt only sick
ly, but l am likewise also too internal
lazy to breathe free and easy. and -
you know Jest have got sense enough
to come in the house when 1t rains. l
am like unto a knot on log. l don't
give durn for nobody and nobody
gives a durn for me. So what's the use
of livin?"
Well, as for me, didn't git into any
red-hot argyfication with the old man
along that line. 1t looked to me like he
was about three-thirds right, and l had
the nerve 10 tell him SO. 1t amt for
me to give the wherefores and the
whenceness, and it is none of my busi-
ness how it come to pass that old man
Steve Hasseltine was borned and
brung up to be such tremendous big
blank in creation. didn't make him.
and you can't put the blame on me. He
didn't create himself, and I raley don't
see how you could put the blame on
him. The good Lord don't make any
mistakes, and don't see how anybody
is to blame in regards to old man Steve:
But anyhow. if he was too pore and
too sickly, and too lazy and too trifiin
to live-if, as he was wont to tell it, be
didn't give durn for nobody and no.
body didn't give . durn for him in the
fesh-then what was the use Of all that
cryin and singin and slow walkin
over at Pilgrims Rest? II the poor old
thing was raley glad to die, it looks to
me like other people mought agree with
him-"rejoice with them that rejoice. !"
accordin to what the Word says.
The last time was in town Bill
Simpkins told me that the latest crop
news had . powerful ''bullish influ-
ence" on cotton. / didn't know for
certain what he was drivin at till he told
me the news had throwed the price up.
Now I can see how it is. Death had a
powerful "bullish influence" on Oid
man Steve Hasseltine. The last time
saw him-over at Pilgrims Rest that
day-he was as smart and as rich and as
good as any dead man in all the round
created world.
But to my dying day never will see
any use Of all that cryin and carryin
ON and singin and slow walkin when
they laid the old man down to rest.
A Practising Physician.
Up to this present writin never have
had any particular use for doctors.
They are most in generally mighty
good men. no doubts, but somehow. ]
don't like their samples. But it It
ever docs come to pass that mouGht
take down sick and need doctor do
hope they will send for old DIR. Stond-
snmire. He don't claim to know
50 awful much about books and
medicine, hut he has got great gobs Of
common sense, and what little he dom Z
know about verbs and roots and peo-
pie and things wouldn't scarcely be
worth the trouble Of learnin.
They worked up Z tremendous bod
case over in the hin country the other
day, and If it hadn't been for that good
| old doctor reckon there would Of