St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-01-30

to his little
~ steer by the
&SMsME%EM~XNAN name of Brin-
N$%MDIMEaMWMaS$M die, his red
WMNkMNNNA Nh ~ leather Q h o e .
WNN\NWNMA,W ' and his long
tail Winchester coat. Many and many's
the time 1 have heard Brit tell that
story, which at the same time, you un-
derstand, it was the unwashed truth
and have laughed and laughed till by
gracious I would ache all over in spots
as big as q saddle blanket.
But Brit he never could find where
the laughin part come in. With him
It was "a passle Of most hellatious sad
and solemcholy facts In history"
ssThe Man aad tho suFreandlns Ms9"
Hit was way out there in the Pan
Handle country of Texas. in 4 town
by the name of Vernon, one Christmas
eve night, where me and Brit met up
together the last time in this vain and
fleetin world below. Seven long years
had then come and went since me and
him had shook hands acrost the bloody
chasm of the past. There was warm
and hearty 'showdy Rufe" and "howdy
Brit" and that night when we fell in
with the town gang around . blazin
good fire in the back room-all hands
braced up to about six bits in the dollar
and mellow onto the occasion-1 lowed
to Brit that the man and the surround
ms had met oncst more-that the day
and hour had now come for him TO
tell them Texas fellows about the sad
and terrible Christmas which he had
spent one time back there in the states
in durin of our young and better days.
Well, as usual. Brit pulled on the bits
considerable, but under the general
pressure Of the surroundin circuln-
ference he finally at last give In and
come forth with that famous chapter
from our local history.
sTrsnendiss Sad Whereforea"
"Hits been SO monstrous long ago.
Rufe. 'and the whenceness and the
wherefores thereof are so tremendous
sad unto my wanderin thoughts till
burned II don't raley hate to tell the
truth hilsthistory repeats herself. Hit
was the ups and downs. the trials and
tribulations Of that orful day. Rufe.
which driv me away from the old home
where I had spent the golden days OF
boyhood. Hit was the scandlo0s scrape
brung down ON me by that little scrub
steer OF mine, Brindlc, them red
leather shoes and that internal long
tail coat, which took me as green and
tender boy, fresh from the woods and
hills-with the dew drops and the hay
seed in my hair-throwed me out into
the cold world alone and made me what
you see and what am to-night-agam-
bier which has bet his pile on two pair,
queens up, as 1t were, whilst the other
man helt four aces or q straight dush."
sOvsr On Huckleberzy Ridge"
"You must recollec4, Rufe. that In
them plain old days some Of Gods own
people lived right down there in the
Panther Creek settlement. Most in
generally speakin they belonged to the
Old School Baptists-God fearin. debt
payin, dram drinkin, democraticpeopl
Eut they were pore. Rufe. most hella'
tious pore-which always did main
tain they didn't mean no harm by that.
And let me tell you, fellow citizens,
money was money then, and it took
some tall scratchin and starvin stintin
to pay of the feed bills and keep mp
with the store account. Consequential
ly - you no doubts recollect. Rufe. in
our young and gallin days the where-
withals and raiments with which
clothed my awkward body were the
plainest and but blame few ut that.
Now I can remember the skeerce AMI
acanty manner of my dress the same as
II It was but only yesterday. Honest to
God, fellow citizens. was pessin out
from boyhood into manhood with whis-
kers srroutin on my face and women
bearin on my mind before I ever climed
up on the inside of q full suit of clothes.
In the summertime I had to wear a
long tail homespun shirt, and in the
winter it was that same long tail shirt
spliced out below with . pair Of wool
socks to keep my wayward feet from
freexin slap on.
"But finally at last I was feelin my
oats % promiscus and plentiful till
nothin would do but I must 90 out
amongst the female generation. In the
main time old man Larry Benton was
Twin over there ON Huckleberry Ridge
and raisin Of . tremendous large and
lovely crop Of girls. And It did look to
me like Of all tho places in the discov-
cred world for q youngster to go and
have . high heel good time that was
the mainest place. But from that
bright day down unto this blessed hour.
% fur as anybody knows, never have
been caught foolin and fumblin around
with passle Of gay and gorgeous girls.
By gatlins, give em Ill tho road now
till they git broke and bride wise and
quit pullin on the Bit Anyhow, after
vtayin wake Of nights for = week.
wTastlin with the question which would
Be the best. to 60 or not to go-thinlin
about that drove Of girls over at cid
man Larry's. and piclein ont the prit-
hest one In the pack for my own and
onlyest sWeetheart-1 lowed that
would 70. After that the msinest thing
with me was the higgins and the dx-
neats to put on"
WIN Hls ~1iggaas o.
BY this time some Of the women
lslls ~ Aasus bad axsd NJ up With 3