Year: 1874

It was Asa Brashear himself who told
the story. Asa, as everybody in Louis
vile knows, is not unacquanted with
cards. It ts probable that he is better
acquainted with the Queen of Clubs
than he is with the Queen of Sheba.
It is probable that the blue and gold of
the King of Diamonds is more familiar
custome to him than the picture of SOL
omon arrayed in all his glory. In
point of fact it is highly probable that
Asa is much better up in the history of
Pharoah than all the kings of Israel
put together. It is also highly proba-
BILE that Asa is fond of social glass or
two; at least, we have his own word to
that effect, and nobody dare dispute
what Asa Brashear says, and expect to
come out of the fight with a sound head.
But this is how he happened to tell the
story: Asa is lame OF one leg, and we
asked him one day what was the matter
with the defective limb.


"How did 1 happen to break my leg,
did you say? Well, it was a curious
thing, and I'll tell you about it. You
see Id been drinking pretty hard for a
week or so, and I thought I'd lay off
for while, and get over it. I live up
in the third story, thirty feet or SO from
the ground, and my window comes al
most down to the floor. It's mighty
easy to fall out of that window, and
there's brick pavement down below,
which amt as soft as feather bed. So
you see fellow that would fall down
would be there mighty apt to hurt
himself. fell down there once, and I
know how it is myself.


" It was Dearly dark when I went to
my room that evening, and I thought
I'd sleep awhile, and see if the trouble
in my head wouldn't stop. 1t was q
whizzing sort of feeling, and didn't
feel exactly right about what saw. In
fact the last drink 1 took that day there
was fly in it. At least thought so,
but Jimmy, who was behind the bar,
looked sort O. funny when asked him
to take it out. Howsoever, soon fell
asleep, I slept I don't know how long;
but I woke up rather suddenly and
heard strange kind of noise outside
the door. 1t was awful dark, and the
noise on the steps sounded like thou
sand men. with felt slippers on, striking
thousand rattan canes on the steps,
and all in military line. All at once
music struck up, but it was faint-like, as
if the band was ever so far away.
told you it was dark as pitch, but the
door suddenly opened, and blaze of
light came in that blinded me so I
couldn't see any more than when the
door was shut. When got over the
daze, looked down on the floor, and
there was long file of the soldiers, not
one of 'em higher'n my finger, all a
marching into the room, headed by
band of music, and with the kurnel,
who wasn't any bigger'n any of the rest
of them, mounted on horse cores
pondin."


"Well, they marched into the room
and formed in files in front of my bed,
and I was looking at 'em all the time.
When they had all got fixed in proper
ranks the fellow on the horse got down,
and the band stopped playin'. After he
| touched the fioor the kurnel commenced
to grow, and before he stopped GROWN
he was as much as eight feet tall. I
kept lookin' at him all the time, and
he then got up on the bed and took
screw from his pocket and screwed it
into the ceilin'. Then he stepped down
again and caught one O. them little SOL
diers by the nape O the neck and tied
string around his neck and stepped up
on the bed. And I was lookin' at
him all the time. Then he tied the
other end of the string short up on the
screw and let go O. the little soldier.
The poor little fellow kicked around for
while and grew black in the face and
then died, I s'pose; at least he didn't
make any more fuss that night. When
the Colonel saw he was dead he got
down again, and as soon. as he touched
the floor he began to. grow smaller un-
til he was no bigger'n be was at first.
Then he got on his horse and the band
commenced to play, and he shouted
forward, march, and the little soldiers
commenced marching out of the room.


"Now there was one little soldier
that seemed to be watchin' me all the
time, and when the rest of 'em COM
menced marchin' out. he slipped back
from one file to the other and so on till
he had got to the rear rank. When the
last of the little soldiers but him had
got out of the door, this little chap he
came runnin' back to the bed and says


casa, put down your leg"


Well, 1 put down my leg and the lit
tie cuss climbed straddle my foot.


"Now Asa, says he pull your leg up
in the bed a


I put my leg up on the bed again,
and the little soldier ran to the side Of
my pillow.


ASA says he, did you see the kur-
mel hang that little soldier?'


eyes said I, i was lookin' at
him all the time"


"WeI, Asa says he, he's a-comin'
back to do the same thing to you in a
minute