St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-08-24

i EN- Ior couple O Gays. enan laea
comes into BiIPs head and he rides
uncommon meek over to the p'liee
camp and sez he'd ike to hold special
service for the p'lice on Sunday aft
ernoons at two. The corporal looks
Bill up and down most irritatin cool
and contemptshus, but Bill glares
back on him mild and meek as Ed
monton land agent, and sez surely q
Cover 'ment officer amt goin' to bring
a stain on the flag Of his country by
refusin' to allow his men to keep the
seventh day as she ought to be kept,
and besides, sez Bill, people had been
sayin' there is a powerful heap Of the
unregenerate among the p1ice.
We'll, the corporal gives Bill a
look what'd shame bush-wolf, and
snorts with rage, seem he amt IN a
position but to accept Bill's invitation,
and turns on his heel and walks away.
"Our friend Bill don't lose no time,
but posts up a notice about that spe-
cial meetin' for the p'lice, and it gets
to be a purity well understood thing,
and finally there's nothin' for thecor-
poral to do but bring his men round
on Sunday afternoon, at two sharp.
@Bill's there at the door, in long,
black coat, waitin to receive EN-. But
he raises his eyebrows some prised-
like when be sees them 19 men ridin'
up to his gatherin' and every euss in
that patrollin' party earryin' his guns.
!. Brother, sez Bill, cool and quiet;
this amt the meek and trustin speerit
| that is looked for on such occasionsp
Mebbe not, sez the corporal, or
derin' his men to dismount like he
was givin' the word to carry posi-
tom; but there amt no government
instructions orderin my men to oleaye
their arms and accouterments lyin'
round loose in the middle Of the prai-
RE, specially when there's horse
thieves in the neighborheod.
True enough, brother sez Bill;
but when the lion is layin doWDwith
the lamb there amt no obvious neces-
sity for manicurinI his front feet. So
Il -.
I'll be obliged to you, corporal sez
Bill, sweet as Hudson Bay comp ny
m'lasses; I'll be obliged if you'll OBJ
serve the speerit b this meetin' by re-
questin' your good fellows to stack
their shooters in the entry here, while
I conducts service
Bill turns round and walks in most
slow and solemn, leaVin' the corporal
some puzzled. He sees It is touchy
point, and havin' his own misgiyins,
he appeals to his men. Seem they
were takin' it all as unspeakable Pc
culiar joke, they points out the fact
that there weren't any seemin' neces-
sity for members Of the force to carry
reyolvers and earbines into Bills
meetin' house. So the corporal, pain
in Bill a heap by his lack o faith,
finally gives in, some reluctant, and
they all leave their shootin' machines
in neat little stack in the entry.
Then they files in most orderly. Bill
giyin' each shake o. the hand at the
door. When they are all seated, stiff
and uncomfortable as life, Bill hands
the plate to his business pard, the
sky-pilot from Montana, and backin'
modestly to the door, he sez: Well
begin these proeeedin's BY takin' up
collection sez he, and Brother Watts
viii now pass round the plate. And
/ reckon, sez Bill, with a some sud-
den change q voice and position; T
reckon that any obstreperous pig-eat-
| in Canadian short horn who is in
tendin' to make sudden moves or
amt coughin up most cheerful all he
happens to have on his person, is go
| in to be hurled most sudden into the
everlastin' hereafterp
"And I'll be DANCED il Bill weren't
standin' therein the door with hisfWo
seyen-shooters IN his hand, lookin'
most businesslike and menaein'
Never mind shakin there, Broth
er Watts, sez Bill; but just wiggle
them extremities o. yours and cireu-
| late that little collection plate some
vigorous, or mebbe you'll be inyesti-
lgatin' the material reward Of a over
speeritual career uncomfortable sud-
denw And Bill stands there relent-
less, while the plate goes round slow
and stiff, and that congregation
eheWs its teeth in a most threatenin'
but useless rage.
Now I'm retirin' to the entry to
count these here offerin's, sez Bill,
1 when he relieves the shakin' sky pilot
Of the pan; and I advises all my
brethren herein congregated to re-
main seated for the openin hymn or
mebbe this meetin' comes TO rude
1 and disorderlv endin And Bill