The Portland daily press., 1900-07-18


Colonel Paul Jones Lassiter had been
practicing law in Reubenville about two
years, during which time he had won
several verdicts in the justice court on
appeal to jury, and on one occasion the
circuit judge had sustained a certiorari
with complimentary remarks about the
commendable energy displayed by the
young lawyer in his conflict with the
vicious magistrate who from the begin
ming Of his legal career was Of course his
natural enemy. Though bearing a proud
name associated with naval history, the
colonel had never been a soldier. In JUS
tice to him it must be said that he laid
no claims to a war record. He was will
ing to let the law of custom have it's
way, however, and in Georgia that of
itself had already passed him from
esquire Lassiter" to "Colonel Lassiter,"
and when he was so introduced by the
principal of the ReubenYille high school
last June his patriotic speech had 81
fenced all inquiry, if any, as to his right
of title, and the school children if nobody
else were satisfied that at some time or
some place, Notwithstanding his youth,
he must have been a gallant colonel of
something, leading his charging com
mand right into the lannon's mouth.
The colonels boarding house was just
across the street from the residence of
Major Barnes. The major had seen serY-
ice, and on the front piazza of the old
Barnes homestead he was accustomed to
relate how his troop Of cavalry had been
right with Jackson when the grim old
Presbyterian had knocked out Fremont
and Shields and was like to have ended
the war before anybody knew what he
was up to-" Miss Corabel Barnes, the ma
jor's only daughter would smile at the
major and then at the colonel, who sat
on the opposite veranda with a great
sheep bound law volume, over the print
ed page of which he was alternately cut
ting his eyes toward the white neck and
brown curls of Miss Corabel and with
his pencil making some sentence that
would sound well in a commencement
Grafton.
The colonel was violently in love with
Miss Corabel, had written an ode to her
knocking bird and once ventured to tell
her she was "fairer than the flowers she
sent when he was i'll (the colonel had
been to a barbecue given by the major
on his plantation, and mint julep and
fresh meat gave him cholera morbus next
SUOIdQlC
breaks had suppressed all manifestation
of his real longing because, he said
Poverty chills the affections and dwarfs
the soul. I'll wait till l can lift myself
above their old, withered aristocracy."
He had evidently been reading some of
DR.. Johnson's philosophy, not in regular
sequence, but as bits Of it cropped out
in a volume entitled "a Thousand and
One Gems of Poetry and Prose-" which
lay always alongside his code and from
which he quoted copiously in cOnyersa-
ton and argument. | had almost for
gotten to state that Colonel Lassiters
father was the overseer on Major
Barnes plantation and had won and still
bore the reputation of the best manager
of negro laborers In that district and was
noted more as a leader Of the "Regu-
lators" organized just after a strike of
the cotton pickers and the incendiary
burning of some ginhouses) than for his
literary attainments. The colonel did not
inherit his political and legal ambitions
from his sire. In fact, between sire and
son there were rather strained relations,
though the one declared "Paul was either
a mighty smart boy or a fool, he didn't
know which" while the other was com
plimentary enough to say, '"The old man
is rather rough, but he amt scared Of
the devil"
The colonel had long hoped for an OBJ
portunity to show his mettle and his skill
in the forum or on the hustings, had
dreamed of standing on the marble thing
of the statehouse representing his county
In the legislature, had let his fancy soar
into that proud season when he could
say to Corabel; Il have won place and
fortune. lay my laurels at your feet. :"
In the next chapter will be told how the
man and the occasion met.
The autumn season had come, and
Reubenville was the storm center Of the
approaching county fair. The schedule
of the prizes included among the numer-
Gus awards for agricultural skill and
energy "For best red petroleum goat,
$4 and For the largest white head cab
bage, free ticket to state fair" Just
what fred petroleum" goat is nobody
knew, unless it be Joe Swami, one of the
committee on management and awards,
and have since been informed that Joe
manipulated both title and goat to work
out the conspiracy whereof the innocent
victim was to be the colonel after the
following manner: A common billygoat,
foraging on tin cans and guano sacks, if
tradition may be trusted, was dyed with
a bright solution Of cochineal, vermilion
hued. His abundant whiskers were
streaked with the colors of the rainbow,
his tail-what there was Of it-supple-
mpntpd and s,lfixpd with rosetta Of tic