The Opelousas courier., 1896-05-30
tih1es. md the golden DAYS YOU wen;

Schoolhouse- in them plain old DAYS
when people want SO consounded par
ticlar as to keep two schools a runnin,
one for the males and one for the fe'
males-when the boys made f1yin Jen'
MES, grapevine swings, seesaws and
SIGH lie-when you boys and girls
went rovin after chinkypins and chest
nuts, after heart leaves, after sweft
shrubs-when the sap is bilin upards
and the bark slips on the hickory. and
you feel like you would love to make
some whips and flutes and whistles
anything to please the children-when
YOU feel too dadburn lazy to do any
thing to speak Of
Well, that's the time for fish'n.
So it come to pass n day last weeA
-thc weather was SO wArtn and dreamy
like and pleasant-that Bunk Weather.
ford and old man Jee;ns w. Stnggera
they took their hooks and lines and bait
gourds and went down on Murder crceF
a 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 know.
lie is d son Of old Misses Staggers: In
his own wild and wicked way, he Is a
| right tolerable good man. But SO far
as | 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 1 reckon Aunt Nancy New
ton was right when she put him
| down as about the most wickedest
! man in this wide and wicked world"
But the good Lord never blowed the
breath of life into a better soul thar
old man EbeneZer Staggers, which he
was a 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 NJ tremendous big rttn Of luck ir
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 l do.
you sec, Eufe, l had went down
the creek, whilst Bunk he took up the
creek says old man Jeens W., In
giving ottt the facts to me. II was 80
scanGlous bad off for good mess OF
fish till 1 could smell the gravy, J6u
understand, and consequentially ]
didn't go down there lookin for snakes
But, by thunder, l found one, Rufe,
and he found me. All of a student !
stumbled over m of these big old
rusty htccasits; and he nailed me on
'As thlf Ut int left lee. Naturally, o!
course, ] jumped up and down right
there in the Same place till the snake
turned loose and l had stomPed hin
to death. Then l laid down and hol.
lored for Bunk. and him a mile up the
creek: SO there ! was, Rufe, way down
tiieft iii Mttfhef Greek sWaiiip shake
bit, three miles from home, ten miles
from the doctor. with my old leg swell
in to beat six bits, and marry drap OF
sperits. Somethin had to be done
RUFF. right away Immediately, and fol
thE first titus il hs life / felt like ]
would love to pray. But, to be plum
honest with you, l didn't know how.
Up to then, you understand. I never had
screped tip ahA hcq;uaintaIiee with the
Lord, and l felt like l was q rank stran.
ger to Him. In the main time the
hurtiD and the swellin went on, with
Bunk Weatherferd a mile up the creek.
So IT last i pitched III aid told thhL5rd
who l was and where l come from, lnc
then prayed to the best of my feeble
,l;J:}yS