Newspaper Page Text
Entered according to Act of Congress, in J une, 1869, by J. W. Burke & Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgia.
VOL. 111.
A Ride for tlie Pussy.
f ] ITTLE WILLIE’S pussy-cat
Was sitting by his side :
( “ Pussy,” said he, “put on your hat
And we will take a ride.”
FfY j^ oWt pussy had no hat to wear,
VJ? And knew not what to do :
Indeed, I think she did not care;
She only answered, “ Mew.”
"For coach,” said Will, “ this stool will do,
With castors on the feet:
’Twill make as good a coach for you
As any in the street.”
And so at once he went to bring
The carriage to the door,
And for a harness tied a string
Around the legs before.
Then, taking pussy in his play,
He placed her on the stool:
But puss jumped down and ran
away.
Says Will, “You little fool,
“ ’Twas only giving you a ride
That I was going to plan ;
Butyoujumped off the other side,
And then away you ran.
“ Come back, and lie upon the
stool,
And ride around the floor:
You’ll see how gently I will pull.
And draw you to the door.”
’Twas all in vain : the wary cat
Continued very shy.
Riding on stools was something
that
She did not wish to try.
Says Willie, “I’m resolved my cat
Shall ride upon the stool.
She shall not play me tricks like that,—
The silly little fool I
I’ll get a string and tie her on
So tight she cannot stir ;
She’ll get contented very soon,
And then begin to purr.”
So Willie went to get a string,
And found one before long,—
One that he thought was just the thing,
It was so “ nice and strong.”
Then, going back, poor puss he caught,
And brought her to the stool.
“ Now, puss, hold still,” said he, “ and don’t
Act like a little fool.”
As soon as pussy felt the string
Upon her back and paws,
She broke from Willie with a spring,
And scratched him with her claws.
Pussy then, scampering away,
Left Willie with the stool.
But ’twould be rather hard to say
Which was " the little fool.”
A LETTER PROM JACK DOBELL,
following letter from our
friend, Jack Dobell, ought to
sYFf. have appeared in the first
number of our new volume,
but through an oversight was
omitted. We publish it now,
convinced that the many little friends of
the writer will be glad to read it:
To my Young Friends,
The Readers of Burke's Weekly.
\- b M£js
I’lir "
A»OME time ago, I published in
bkVs? this paper a little narrative en-
Cr titled “ Jack Dobell, or a Boy’s
Adventures in Texas.” I have under
stood from the editor of the paper that
some of you were kind enough to ex
press a favorable opinion of my little
story, and this has encouraged me to
publish another narrative of my subse
quent adventures in Texas, in connec
tion with those of my old friend and
messmate, “ Big-Foot Wallace,” one of
the most noted rangers and hunters now
in Texas. This is saying a good deal,
when the number of individuals there
MACON, GEORGIA, JULY 17, 1869.
who have gained notoriety in that way
is taken into consideration. I feel con
fident that my young friends will find
his adventures equally as interesting, if
not more so, than those of Jack Dobell.
It would perhaps have been very easy
for me to have made them still more
entertaining to you by amplifying and
embellishing the notes furnished me by
Wallace, but I ha* r e thought it best to
give you his stories just as he told them
to me : for I remember very well, when
I was a boy myself, that I always lost
my interest, to a great extent, in a story
just as soon as I had cause to doubt the
truth of it. I, therefore, wish you all
to bear in mind the fact that his adven
tures are not fictitious, or “ made-up”
stories, but that the incidents related in
them actually occurred or happened.
My young friends, who have read the
adventures of Jack Dobell, will, no
doubt, remember that his story winds
up with his departure from Texas, and
his return to the old States. I remain
ed in the old States but a little while,
for being naturally of a roving, restless
disposition, like the majority of young
people, I soon grew weary of the same
ness of civilized life, and longed once
more to be scampering on my half broke
mustang through the wild woods and
green prairies of the far west. And
here I would take the privilege of warn
ing young people to curb as much as
possible that restlessness and desire for
change that so often impels them to
rush from “the ills they have to others
that they know not pf ;” which gives
them a distaste to anything like settled
occupation or employment, and which
is oftentimes a great obstacle in the way
of their future advancement or success
in life. Though there is not much poe-
try, there is a great deal of
truth in the old saying that a
“rolling stone gathers no
moss,” as I have found out
by sad experience.
But, to return from this di
gression, I resolved that I
would go back to Texas as
soon as I could make my ar
rangements to do so. One
day, shortly after I had come
to this determination, I saw
in the village newspaper an
announcement to the effect
that “the A I No. 1 coppered
and copper-fastened schooner
‘Two Pollies,’ would sail on
Tuesday, the 27 th of the
month, for Galveston and
other ports in Texas.” This
allowed me but two days to
make my preparations for the
voyage, but it took me a very
little while to pack up my “traps,”
among which, of course, were included
my rifle and hunting equipments, at that
time indispensable articles for an outfit
to Texas. 1 then went down to S ,
and secured a berth on board the
schooner.
And here I will mention a little inci
dent in connection with my trip in this
schooner that might at least be termed
singular. As an acquaintance of mine
(who had also taken passage on the
schooner for Texas) and I were walking
towards the wharf near which she was
moored, we met an old negro man, who
asked us where we were going. We told
him on board the schooner that was ly
ing at the wharf.
“Massas,” said he, “take dis ole
niggers advice: don't go to sea to-day.”
No. 3.