The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-08-22
But rhey arore Out from mere.

But They "Tore Out from There"
But as I said before me and Bully
we tore out from there, and / had to
let him work in the lead, whilst l was
burnin the wind as a high private in
the rear ranks. Man, sir, we went
acrost the square, hittin the high places
only, and started up the main street.
But two or three men saw us ccmin
and run out and headed us off. Then
we turned and made another dark
streak acrost the square, and started
of towards the hills where the sun
went down.
go it, dadburn you, to sunset and
a hotter place than that if you want
to- says I to Bully, "but if somethin
don't break or slip your Marse Rufus
will be with you when the even stars
sing together
About that time another crowd of
men saw the cloud risin and run out
and headed us and turned us back
acrost the square. We then started out
to take the jackson Trail road, which
I didn't know where in creation It
would lead us. But / was right in be-
hind Bully-sometimes runnin like a
quarter horse and sometimes slidin like
a baseball man comm home to base
tryin my level blamdest to gain on him
enough to slip my hands up to the
leather part and save Uncle Luke's
whip. And we didn't take the jackson
Trail road neither. Another crowd
headed us off and oncst more we tore
up the earth acrost the square. Then
we took a notion to try another -oute,
and Bully he snorted and pitched out
down the old Stage road towards
Panther Creek.
Now, dad blame your ~slab-zlded,
razcr-back pictures, / hope they will
open the way and turn us out and let
us co. says I to Bully as 1 spit in n
hand andcaught fresh holt on the whip;
'and If I amt dead when we git to
Panther Creek I viii kill q beef, con-
sound you, and save Uncle Luke's
But it never had been wrote down in
the books that way. Ne and Bully
amongst US had now raised such 4
monstrous dust and confusionment till
the crowd closed in around the out
lines of the square and wouldn't even
let US take the old stage road and go
on home to Panther Creek. They head
ed us off and turned us back at every
street and corner, and whooped and
hollered till / thought in my soul that
Bully would break my neck and tear
himself in two. If he tried oncst he
tried so times to but our way through
the crowd and leave town, but the
crowd wouldn't let us go. It was a
free circus to them town people, you
understand, with me and Bully in
the ring, and all that we could do waste
follow the circle and burn the wind
round and round and round the square.
Finally at last Bully give, a quick,
student lunge, the whip slipped off of
the staff and we two parted. 1 sided
half way acrost the square on my face
and the brow band of my breeches, and
when l looked back / saw Bully leavin
a black streak in the other direction,
with Uncle Luke's whip windin and
i1yin and curtin and twistin as it went
a ~glimmerin through the air.
AlgnJ bnen 4 1elJ ike l would raley |
love to die, though I didn't quite do
that. But / was already bruised and
bunged up and bleedin and down, so I
jest turned loose and tainted and laid
there in it.
When I come bnck to my senses the
men felix's had picked me up and put
me in the wagon, and sent for two doc
tors and a preacher. But the first
thing / saw when I opened my eyes
oncst more upon the wonders Of this
world was Uncle Luke Willis stsndin
there by the wagon with his long whip
in his hand. They told me that a big
crowd Of men had caught Bully and
got the whip, then tied a bundle Of fod-
der to his tail and stuck fire to it and
turned him out towards the Sunset
hills.
But the naked sight Of Uncle Luke's
whip was both medicine and ointment
for me. And when we got back home
to Panther Creek that night / was
bad disfgured and t~remerdiua
and hongry, but Btill handsome
still healthy and still happy.
RTyTTTc |