St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-01-11
THE HORRIBLE Elk.
AMPLE OF DEXTER
HENDERSON D D D D
BY JOHN II. RAFFERTY,

DElNG suburb, Bonnie Terre was
ID of course 'aristocratic" What's
the use of being suburbanite unless
yon can corner and capture that neb-
ulous but brilliant treasure that is
SO hard to seize in a big, vulgar city
social standing" How much east
er it is to be lone of our best fami-
lies in Treesomehurst than in Chi
cago. And how much more certain
is ones tenure of aristocracy there
than in the city. All you have to do
is to disassociate yourself from
trades people, "belong" to things, OBJ
serve the Sabbath, and play whist
with some show of human inteli-
gence.
Having failed to carry out these
simple directions Dexter Henderson
fell from grace with the elite of
Bonne Terre in spite of the lofty po-
eition in society long maintained by
the rest of the Henderson family.
Col. Henderson, a southern gentle
man of somewhat Puritanical turn
of mind, who could not afford to send
Dexter to college, agreed with some
misgivings to allow him a course in
the manual training school. That
finished, the lusty young fellow
begged for his fathers permission
and influence to get a place for him
in some railroad machine shop. The
colonel got red as turkey gobbler
at the mere suggestion and gave Dex-
ter to understand that the vulgarity
of his ambition was thorn in the
tender side of his aristocratic sire.
In fault of better occupation the
youth then fell into the idle ways of
the suburban village, than which
there is no surer route to damnation.
He preferred quoits to whist, he
played football on Sunday with an
eleven from the glass works, he was
on speaking terms with every servant
girl in Bonne Terre, and to crown
all he was shameless enough to put
on a leather apron at Bull Dolan's
blacksmith shop and work there
whenever the notion struck him.
Dolan said the lad was good smith,
but Col. Henderson furiously chewed
the ends of his white mustache and
thought of the lion that had whelped
q wolf. But Dexter pursued his scan
dalous part unterrified. He matched
cocks with the village drunkard
''pulled off, boxing bouts in the Hen.
derson barn, went fishing with Squin.
ty Jones, the barber, and stole a kiss
from Harbine's pretty nurse maid in
plain view of half dozen prominent
citizens.
The colonel first cut off Dexter's
money allowance, then quit speaking
to him, and finally ordered him of
the place. That fixed forever the
young mans standing" in Bonnie
Terre, and he was in fair way tc
be ostracized by the unanimous re
spectacle element when the Spanish
war broke out. Then he did what all
well-established scapegraces are nat
1rally expected to do-he enlisted
When the colonel heard the glad It'd
ings he hustled into his study
locked the door and (no, he didn'1
yhed any tears) he got down his bot
tie of Scotch and "hit it" for three
cheers.
Dexter, having no mother to grievt
over him, and his two elder sister!
being married into the most exclu
sive society of Bonnie Terre, spen1
little time over his adieus. He lin
pered longest with old Bull Dolan, tt
whom, with gentle solicitude, he com
,nitted his brindle bull terrier
Souinty Jones, proud of the conf
dence, became the custodian OF Dex
ter's fighting chickens. The GROVE
that saw him OF on the train wa
not made up of the select of the vii
1aee. but as he waved them good-b.
Young Henderson (the unnatural vul
parian) actually felt q lump in hi
throat and twist in his heart
strings.
There ought to be lot of stu1
IN mt in here about how Dexter Hen
derson distinguished himself in tn
war. how he charged up San Jua
hin and earned his shoulder-straps a
peking in the Chinese invasion. Blu
the trouble is he didn't do any o
those things. He just went away an
was never heard of for nearly fou
Years. Then one fine morning las
snring he hoped off the train a
Rome Terre, roared hellos at every
body in sight, and with squad Q
admirers at his heels marched up tn
street to Dolan's blacksmith shol
BROWN and bearded as Calmuc
tartar, broader, healthier, happie
than ever, dressed in his dirty KHAKI
and with nothing better than SCI
geant's stripes and an honorable di'
Charge from the army to show tina
y. had been at the front. Dexter "
1oomed a hero in the eyes OF thes
vulgar fellows of Bonne Terre' IN
little group of his admirers wit
souinty Jones and Enoch Hun, II
town drunkard, leading, had almo'
reached the blacksmith shop VINE
somebody said:
.sGit off the sidewalk, fellows; he'
comes Col. Henderson"
Dexter saw his father coming. d