The Opelousas courier., 1896-06-20
A "COw Team and Hot Weather.

- 1caRI ana llOU weather.
In n general way l know that Josiah
Jernigan is a mighty good plain,
i'onest=hearted, debt-payin mai, who
Worships God and loves lis country
and SERVES his day and generation to
the best of Ills feeble ability. He is a
man of few words and full of business.
He never did do any talkin to speak of,
but he most i'll generally always means
what he says. He never was a man to
dabbie in futures, you understand. 1t
Is all spots with him. And takin him
mp n side and down the other, there
amt a better father or a better husband,
or a better nelghbor, or a better citizen
anywheres in the Rocky Creek settle
ment than that same Josiah Jernigan.
But Josiah went to town one day last
week. He went in his wagon and driv
a yoke of steers, and Blew Scroggins he
went with him. 1t has since leaked cut
through Blet that one of the dcacons
OF Bark Log church had a rough and
tumble rucus with his steers hat day,
wherein his religion got a tremendous
bad shock and strain and shakin up.
And you must keep in mind, long-suf-
fering reader, that Josiah was driyin a
yoke of steers and the weather hit was
swelterin hot. l maybe mought be
wrong-I wouldn't make out like [ was
always right-but l have always helt
to it hat if a man can drive a yoke Of
steers in hot weather and at the same
time ccnfine his remarks to pure Bible
language he has got more genuine re-
ligion than the man hat built the first
church and lined the first hymn and
preached tho first sermont.
From the way in which Blew Scrog-
Gins has let the cat out of the wallet it
would seem like Josiah and his steers
had been moyin along smooth and
peaceable enough till they got down
there to Caney Branch swamp. BY this
time, you understand, the steers had
got good and hot and leg-weary, and
0 as they caught sight of the cool
and refreshin waters of Caney Branch
they curled their tails and reached
their backs and quit the road and tor
off down through the swamp at a fast
and furious lick. Blew he jumped the
game and lit out right then and there,
but Josiah froze to the ropes and fol-
lowed his "cow team" through three
acres of canebrakes and bamboo briars,
and he was still with EN- when they
went down into the water. In maxim
the return trip from the swamp back to
the big road it seems like Josiah man
aged SO as to git his foot caught be-
tween a wagon wheel and the couplin
pole, and consequentialiy in the general
confusionment he got the heel of his
shore tore off and three of his toes I'M
tinted. It was somewheres along there
the way Blew tells the news
that Josiah give up the fight, as it were,
and let loose and fell and spoke out:
Il don't want to say i'll would
1uther not say it-God knows I do raley
hate to say it, and ]. hope he will for
give me-but if 1 must-if | have got to
cay it-dam these s~teers!"
There has now been some talk around
amongst the members of Bark Log to the
that a church meetin will socn
be helt, wherein Josiah Jeringan will
have to "fess up" or either take out
and quit. OF course it is none of my
business in regards to that. But 1 do
they will all remember that Jo-
siah was drivin a "cow team" while
the weather hit was scandalous hot.