The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-02-13

WhencenesS thereof, i can Dub only YEA
you like Hank told me b enexttime me
and him met Up together.
Everything went smooth and 'SVely,
Rufe, till / get don there to the creek
says Hank to me, shut as I d~riv1acrost
the bridge the machinery jumped a cog.
Dadblame it, there is where 1 busted the
jug and split my molasses, so to speak.
You know I was drivin that big sorci
horse Ball, which I got in the swap with
VIII Tom Pickens, and which WILTON
had bought him from the wilder.
"Well, as driv ~acrostthe bridge, feel
in as rich and handsome as any rosebud,
1 pulled out my watch and leant back to
see what time of day it was. Right
there-inthat very same sad minute
old Ball tipped and fell to his knees,
and then houndered around there so
terrific till hanged if it didn't look TO
me like he would tear the bridge down
before he could catch on his feet oncst
more. In the general shake up and
confusionment I dropped my watch and
ii rolled off of the bridge and into the
creek below. / had saw right where il
fell, and it didn't take me long to see
what / had to do. or lose a bully watch.
$50 I driv out on the other side of the
bridge, turned old Ball out to one side
Of the road, climbed out of my fine
clothes and my stovepipe hat, and went
down into the water after my watch.
Now presently, whilst / was down
there chin-deep in the water feelin for
my watch with my toes-thinkin /
would find 1t for certain before / made
the dive--I looked up the hill and there
was old Ball, polin off in a jog trot and
headed for the widders with my fine
new suit of store-bought clothesand my
stovepipe hat in the buggy.
'Then, man, sir, / come up out Of
that water like l was shot out of a can
non and put out up the road after old
Ball. I give him a clost race for some
thin better than a mile, and when
finally at last I scrambled into the
buggy from behind we was right there
in sight of the widder's house. Old Ball
had slipped the bride and was draggin
the lines on the ground. 1 couldn't
pull him in, and the blamed old skate
wouldn't stop for nothin. talked TO
him kind and gentle like, then loud and
vehement. first begged him, and then
cussed him, but dadburn him he halt
his gait and, keep the road never
missed a lick uphill and downhill.
You can see, Rufe, where somethin had
to be done right away Immediately,
and a little sooner if possible,
"Consequentially I clambered into a
few Of my clothes and then wrapped up
snug and clost in N corner of my
large. and lovely lap robe. Likewise
also, / pulled on my fine fur trimmed
dogskin gloves and my stovepipe hat
which in the mainline it had fell out
and got run over and mashed in the
mud till it looked like the ragged edge
oe ruination. Time was so precious
then-the moments few so scandalous-
ly fast-and I done like you would do,
Rufe-like any mar would do in a bad
case of pushency. And to speak foSth
the great unwashed truth, when I tell
you 1 had on a ~stovepipe hat, a pair
of gloves, a lap robe and a few under
garments-the story is told. RI
This and so we reached the wild
der's place If I had but only helt the
ribbons in one hand and a good whale
bone whip in the other, l would of driv
right on by there in q dead run. But
in gentle remembrance of his corn and
fodder in the past-for the sake of bet.
ter and brighter days gone byvthat
blamed old horse turned out and trotted
right up to the fronts gate.
'The wilder, it would seem, she was
ready and q waitin-primped clean out
of sight and dressed in an inch
of her life.-Here she come prancin out
to the buggy, with her ribbons and her
fnery naturally rustlin in the wind and
HSghistlin at every step. We passed the
reglar compliments I'M regards to the
weather, and when she wanted to know
how | was comm on, / told her ruther
porely, thank the Lord. She wanted me
to light and come in and let her fix mo
up some snakeroot and pepper tea. But.
l was as hot Is a fox right then and
sweatin like a free niger on election
day. Then she put in and fixed the
bride and took up the lines and crawled
into the buggy, and we rid of towards
town. The wilder she had circus on
the brain, and nothiA but the circus
would fill the bill for her. She could tell
that 1 was neither drunk nor crazy,
and from my general experiments /
reckon she thought 1 was too bad
skeered and ratified to know anything
for certain.
"As we driy on down the road 1 won
dered in my soul what l must do. And
what could I dot RUFF, but put my trust
in the good Lord, and wait and watch
and pray. In my mind and on the sly l
prayed. and / do reckon I prayed the
out prayinest prayer that ever went
up to the throne of grace-pray.
in that somethin mought happen to
keep me from goin to town and to the
circus with the wilder under the sur
roundin circumference.
We had went about two miles when
all Of a suddent we turned a bend in the
road and driv up behind John Andrew
Milligan and his folks in a wagon. It
was a monstrous rough place in the
road, and old Ball stopped so quick and
IL III As1HH - - -