St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-11-11

y
burst out Beth. Besides, promised
Arthur Bray that he might have the
first dance, and mean to keep my
word"
"Who's him?" demanded MGggins,
following with his eye q buzzard that
was wheeling over their heads.
"You know as well g d." retOrted
Beth.
'.Meanin' thet thar one-lung tender
foot, I'm supposin'. Wul. he's in on
hit, too. He kim down to the orchard
this mornin' to git few ideas from
secin' the golden globes gathered from
thei- emerald nest, usin' his words.
Wul, when he found how the land lay
an why them pickers wuz snatchin'
Oft them oranges to beat the band he
said:
81 suppose, Mister Muggins-mean-
in me-thet you have no objections to
my enterin' this interestin' contest?
Not thet desire the pecuniary reward
attached to hit, but the honor OF betn'
the first to dance with your daughter
will be sufficient reward for my labors
in your orchard
"Wul, took from thet thet he want
ed to git in on the proposition; 80 told
HIM to take on his coat an sail in. l
put him down in the lower end of the
orchard with Hop Sing, SO If he both
erctl anybody it wouldn't be nothin but
Chinaman. l reckon" he addet! with
q laugh, "thet he must have picked at
least one box If he worked right hard"
They had been slowly walking to-
ward the house where the orange pick
ers had gathered in the protecting
shade of an immense pepper tree to
await the count that would finally de-
eide who had won the prize that was
so much coveted.
The pickers, following the usual Gus
tom when oranges are picked by the
| box, had placed in each box "a it was
filed small card bearing their name.
Muggins gathered these tickets to-
gether, and placing them in his hat,
proceeded to assert them.
Now, here" said he. as he took ont
the first ticket and looked ii over, "here
is a ticket what looks as though a hen
with muddy feet had been walkin' over
hit"
"All the samee me-" answered Hop
Sing with a cheerful smile.
"Yes, 1 reckon them hen tracks be.
long to you. Arthur Pearson Bray"
read Muggins, going on with the count.
"Wul, now!" he exclaimed in mock sur
prise, $50 We did pick one whole box all
II--..re0 yv,,1 n ~ n ~, - vrot<v nrr>r<1
for tenderfoot!'
Muggins went on with his count, maxi
| ing caustic comments now and then
which caused the pickers thus singled
out to squirm while the rest laughed.
"Thar," said Muggins finally, as he
took the last slip out of the hat and
added it to the tally he was keeping on
q pine board. "Now we will arrive at
the interesting conclusion Of this we're
contest!"
Slowly and laboriously Muggins
counted the marks opposite Hop Sing 8
name. Three times he counted the
marks before he raised his head and
stared at the grinning Chinaman.
..Twenty-six!" he CALCULATED.
.An lite," answered Hop Sing, cheer
fully.
do you mean to say" demanded
Muggins, 'thet you hev only picked 26
when you hold the record around yere.
which is a hundred and three?"
BELLY sick" replied the Chinaman.
drawing down the corners OF his mouth.
'Feel belly bad. No pick oranges when
feelee bad"
| .Humph," grunted Muggins, Il sup
pose q Chinaman can git sick like q
white man, but III be hanged il ever
heard of one before. Where are you
sick?"
'Feel belly bad here" answered Hop
Sing, making general movement with
both hands that covered his entire per
son.
"Humph," growled Muggins, looking
Icritically at Hop Sing, who commenced
to shrink into his clothes like fright
ened turtle. "Your eyes look as though
you had the collie an your skin is yal-
ler, but they are always thet way; SO
I'm hanged if'I can see any way from
telling a sick Chinaman from we'll one.
Well, suppose hit is all right, but hit
seems thet even q sick Chinaman ought
to pick more boxes than tibet.
ssThar!" exclaimed Muggins, as he
finished the second count. "thet il
more like hit! One hundred an onei
/ reckon you have won, JUAN"
The Mexican grinned and glance1
sheepishly at Beth, who bit her NJ
and looked defiantly at her father.
sThem's ALL" said Muggins at last.
throwing down the hat, IAN Juan has
W.
Il think" put in Bray, modestly.
.'that you have overlooked my account :
| "Wul, l swear, SO have! Everybody.
hold their breath while 1 figger up
what the tenderfoot has picked!"
This would have been difficult mat
ter had any one tried it, for Muggins
counted and recounted the marks that
he had placed opposite Bray's name.
"It's-it's-" he began, but he could
get no further.
Its one hundred and twenty-iive!''
cried Beth, triumphantly, glancing over
her fathers shoulder. "Mr. Bray has
won!"
"Tain't no such thing!" roared Mug
gins. my eyes are weak an I've been
countin' 'em over twice! You git my
glasses"
Beth brought the glasses, and her
father, putting them on, started a re
count. But it only resulted in adding
one more box to the credit of Bray.
Hits broke the record!" gasped
Muggins, .'an' hit WIZ done by q tender
foot, too! Tenderfoot, shake! I've al
ways known thet you couldn't tell how
far frog could jump by lookin' at him,
but l never rated you higher than pol
lywog, an thar wuz where made mis-
take"
That night when Bray led Beth out
for the first dance he was telling her
something that amused her greatly.
Muggins for once in his life was mute,
and Hop Sing, from his seat in \ corner,
grinned cheerfully and jingled five rood
American dollars hidden in some mys-
ferions receutacle in his clothes Hut