St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-01-30
pair of new coperas breeches for su,


of the week had took and swapped .
right tolcrable good fiddle to Lum
Hankins for q long tail black coat-a
reglar Winchester, ns Aunt Liza Raj
born use to say-and six bits to boot.
That want no rale. genuine, store
bought coat. you understand. From the
best of my recollection reckon Lum
Hankins must Of got it made outen one
Of his mothers old black dresses. But
ut any rates it was reglar calf wiper,
wind splitter and earth sweeper. But
the general style and cut Of my shirts
was SO internal broad and long and
full and bountiful like till burned If
I had room enough to wear one with
my coperas breeches-which they did
fit ~se as snug as . bug In . rug-and
there was, rs the man says in the
show.
$50 when Christmas come-it was q
wsrm and windy winter day-I clum
into my red leather shoes and them
coperas breeches. pulled ON my long-tail
black coat and buttoned It up tight
and clost in front 10 nobody couldn't
tell for certain that did't have NO
signs Of such . garment-tied lovely
red handkerchief around my neck
put ON my hat and sprinkled . few
cinnamon drops ON my hair-hooked
up my little steer, Brindle, 10 the cart.
and lit out for Huckleberry Ridge with
the higgins and the fixments on.
''Say, Rufe, don't you remember that
blone little slab sided. razor-back, wob.
hledy-legged sta er, which I called his
nsme Brindle, and which I driv over
to Huckleberry Ridge that Christmas
day? Well. man. sir, Brindle went
ull the gaits and worked anywherez,
single or double. and then he would also
do his level durndest to eat up every
thing in sight-from hay stack 10
. cord OF gum stumpA
"a Mighty 0eatto9atl00~
"When I driv up to the front gate at
old man Larry Benton's that Christ
mas mornin. by gollys, was feelin
like . four-year-old shod all around.
with packs in every foot. Right then
I didn't give continental duzn II tbs
creeks all run up stream and mea4
was goin at four bits . pound. I lit
cut, did, and roped Brindle TO the
palms. BY this timN the girls had
caught sight Of me and here they come.
They were all monstrous glad to zee
me, and was moro than proud to meet
with them oncst more. In my bold and
reckless and ondi6erent way I then
leant up agin the gate. whilst the girls
they clustered around me lilo bees
around . molasses jug, and We pitched
In to have q reglar Christmas confabu-
lation Jest amongst N gals, N II were.
Everybody was havin sich . felonious
good time till I couldn't take notice
OF anything but the female generation.
BY and by the girls they got to gigglin
and goin on at a scandlous lick. And
ME, like q dad-burned idiot, thought
was all because Christmas had come
oncst more, whilst the air was full of
sausic and the turkey in the pot. About
that time I felt somethin BLOWN his
warm breath ON the back Of my neck,
and when I turned round to SEQ what
was goin on. durn my cats If Brindle
hadn't chawed out . full section Of my
long-tail coat, right up and down the
hack from collar to hem. Right about
then . high west wind sprung up be-
hind, and Jest naturally shucked on
my coat and blowed it clean out into
the middle of the big road.
''Now. white people, II anybody ever
heard tell Of . tremendous confusion
n,cnt and mighty scatteration. we had
il right over there ON Huckleberry
Ridge that Christmas mornin. The
girls they blushed and laughed and
screamed and made dash for the house,
whilst lit into my cart, poured the
whip to Brindle and we burnt the wind
for home"
THAT Sod saA OFfal Day.
With that laughed NJ had laughed
. hundred times before ut Brit Foster
and his Christmas story. And - for
them Texas fellows, they laughed and
laughed till they jest naturally had to
lay down and roll over in 1t. But Brit
never could find where the laughin
Ds ~ rome in md there vras = far-awav