St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-04-03

s =" CARDS to Andy Lu
;. ~ 40 casand Scallop-bacl
! 2S>s- BILLY. as we are wont
J M ~ to call him. Well
anyhow, Scallop
" back Billy is cal
} ico-sided mustang pony, with white
for some time past he has been Andy.
} regular standby for tradin stock.
II when We Three Net.
Now, in them days it 20 come t.
Fass that l was right there present or
the ground when the first trade was
made. wherein Scallopback Billy fel
into Andy's hands, and recollect alI
the whenceness and the wherefores
thereof.
It would seem like Andy and me had
went to town together on Saturday
elong in the fall Ut the year, and on our
return back home that evening we
struck road acquaintance with Z
stranger which. accortlin to his own
doxology, hailed from the Crawford set
Element way down in the river country,
but from the way things turned out
afterwards he was lyin like q yaller
dog about that.
Anyhow, the stranger was ridin OF
. little high-headed. proud-steppia
horse, with ico-painted sides and
other fancy trimn.ins on him. He was
likewise rugged out in a screakin new
saddle. with q red saddle blanket, and
| by gracious he was skimmin along over
the earth like bird in great shape.
Andy he was powerful taken up with
the general appear ments OF the little
horse, and he bantered the stranger for
. trade right then and there ON the
spot.
The stranger he responded back
that he was then ridin the best piece Of
horseflesh that was ever done up in that
much hide. and dcousequentially he want
ir no wise particular keen To part CONF
Pany with him. But at the same time
he went On to say that he was tradin
man and would swap anything he had,
except his wife and children. providin
Of course he got the iggers fixed to suit
him.
''Well. comm right down to business
and rock bottom says Andy. "how viii:
you change saddles and brides with
me?"
Andy was ridin of little plug mulc
which he had traded for that day. and
which the same stood him in hand
about so, and was well worth the
money.
''As I said in the outstart, am not
ridin my swappin stock to-day" the
stranger went on torectly. "and Ireckon
you would have to lay about SIS on your
mules back before the change can take
place."
Il am willin 10 make It ten dollars
even Steven." says Andy. "and il that
boot amt big enough l reckon we viii
have to retire from the trade"
"Well. now. have never yet seen the
day when come 50 low down ~ to let
Eve dollars bust up horse swap" the
stranger responded. 'and you are
traded with"
The Seallop Shows Up.
The next minute they had both lit
and dismounted and got down to round
up the trade. They changed brides
in the first place. and then ~ Andy
pulled his saddle OF and was takin
farewell look at his mule, the stranger
give = quick jerk and flung his saddle
from the pony to the mules back. For
some minutes then Andy he looked At
me and then at the pony, and looked
ut the pony and then at Andy. whilst his
eyes bulgel out AZ big as pair of sau-
Gers, aud had . powerful hankerin to
laugh.
When the stranger took on his sad
Gle and then pulled all the blankets out.
one BY one. blamed If they didn't leave
. hole in the pony's back n big ~ = |
hamper basket. You couldn't tell for |
certain by lookin at him what in the
thunderation had happened to him. but |
1t would seem as if bug slice Of his |
back had been bit out or chopped out |
1t . very young and early age. We
found out afterwards that the dead
limb Of . tree had fell on him when he
was Z mere colt and broke his back. |
And then when he got well and come
scallop was still there, and there to stay.
The stranger had = kind Of silly look,
but It amt no ways probable that the
Fool Killer had ever had any
pressin engagements at his house.
md he had 6Iled up that ugly
hole in the pony's back with
shout IS saddle blankets. foidin them
n /