St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-05-16
through round about the old log

ticlar as to keep two schools runnin,
one for the males and one for the fe-
males-when the boys made fyin Jel-
nies, grapevine swings, seesaws and
sich like-when you boys and girls
went royin after chinky ypins and chest
nuts, after heart leaves, after sweet
,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 hshin.
So it come to pass onerday last week
the weather was 50 warm and dreamy
like and pleasant-that Bunk Weather-:
ford and old man Jeems w. Staggers
they took their hooks and lines and bait
gourds and went down on Murder creek
a fshin.
Maybe you would lore to know who
in the thunderations is Jeelns w. Stag
gers? You ask me ruther quick and
student, but I will tell you oil know.
He is a son of old Misses Staggers. In
his own wild and wicked way, he is a
right tolerable good man. But SO far
as I know, the pulpit and the amen
corner never have been seriously threat
ened with his manly presence. As to
religion, Jeems ". Staggers never did
even sorter make out like he had got
any, and reckon Aunt Nancy New
ton was right when she put him
down as "about the most wickedest
man in this wide and wicked world. y
Eut the good Lord never blowed the
b1cath of life into better soul than
old man Ebenezer Staggers, which he
was a preacher of the word in his day
and generation and the father of Jeems
VI.
No utore of that. It leaks out now
that Bunk and old man Jeen1s ". didn't
have no trasaendius big run of luck in
regards to firt. But man by the
| name of Jeems W. Staggers got snake
| bit, and that is what makes Inc tell you
| what do.
"You see, Rufe, / had went down
| the creek, whilst Bunk he took up the
creek" says old man Jeems W., in
| giving out the facts to me. II was SO
scandlous bad off foreone good mess of
fish till could smell the gravy, you
understand, and consequentially /
| didn't go down there lookin for snakes.
Bat, by thunder, / found one, Rufe,
and he found me. All of a suddent
| stumbled over one of these big old
rusty nloccasins, and he nailed me on
the calf of my left leg. Naturally, Of
course, / jumped up and down right
! there in the sa5ne place till the snake
turned loose and / had stomped him
to death. Then / laid down and hol-
Iored for Bunk. and him q mile up the
creek. So there / was, Rufe, way down
| there in Murder creek swamp snake
| 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. Sonethin had to be done,
Rufe, right away Immediately, and for
the first time In my life | felt like
would love to pray. But, to be plum
honest with you, / didn't know how.
Up to then, you understand, never had
scraped up any acquaintance with the
Lord, and I felt like I was a rank stran-
ger to Him. In tho main time the
hurtin and the swellin went on, with
Bunk Weatherford mile up the creeaa
So at last 1 pitched IN and told the Lord
Who I was and where come from, and
then prayed to the best of my feeble
ability"
sad and Funny Sight,
/ From the way in which Bunk Wealth
erford tells the news,it must of been a
sad and funny sight to see old man
Jeems w. Staggers sayin his prayers
| for the first time down there in Murder
| Creek swamp.
When | come up to where could
see Jeems W. says Bunk, 'he was lay,
in there on the ground fiat of his back
wsyin his hands on high and gesturin
at q fast and furious lick. And to the
best of my recollection, this is what
heard him say in a loud voice:
"'0h Lord, | reckon you don't know
me. But I am snake bit. My name is
Jeems W. staggers. am the wild an6
wicked son of old .Parson Ebenezel
/ Staggers, which I reckon you knowee
him. lie was a preacher of the Wore
/ accordin to the old school Baptists
and mighty good man. am hi:
onlyest son, and snake bit at that
Oh, Lord, have mercy on my lost ane
ruint soul. Yours truly, Jeems "
Staggers.'
That was a day Of terror and o
trouble, and no doubt Jeems "
thought his time had come. But by ths
blessins of Him with whom a thou
sand years are as watch in the night
the old man still fingers yet littl'
while in the border land. The doctor:
say he win recover and git well. ane
I do hope he will. Sometimes it take:
/ heap to bring a man to his senses, bu
it really looks tome like Jeems w
staggers has now come up to the fork
of the road
| For why? Well, the other day on m,
| return back home from o trip down il
the stump hill country rid around b,
there to see how yeems w. was coniI
on. In the general decentralization whicl
| followed, he went on to tell me hoy
| thankful he ought TO be, and how h
| loved the name andsrecollectfons of hi
good, old father.
"And never viii feel plum
| natural he went on, lookin loyini,
| down upon his snakebit leg. Il neve
| will feel plum natural and right. Rufe