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WEORGEZ SCENES. J u *h e Augustus Ealdlvin Longstreet. » * ?>T. ; bL the of the republic Ke lived in the county of Ktrhien, who were admitted on all Bands to be the very best men in the which, in the Georgia vocabu lary, means they could flog any other two men in the county. Each, through many a hard-fought battle, had acquir ed the mastery of his own battalion; but they lived on opposite sides of the courthouse, and in different battal ions; consequently, they were but sel dom thrown together. When they met, however, they were always very friend ly; indeed, at their first interview, they seemed to conceive a wonderful attachment to each other, which rather increased than diminished as they be came better acquainted; so that, but for the circumstance which I am about to mention, the question, which had been a thousand times asked, “Which Is* the man, Billy Stallions (Stal- Durham?” would prob ably never have been answered. Billy ruled the upper battalion, and Bob the lower. The former measured six feet and an inch in his stockings, and, without a single pound of cum- B about him, weighed a hun ighty. The latter was an r than his rival, and ten ter; but he was much the of the two. In running and had but few equals in the d in wrestling, not one. aspects they were nearly th were admirable speci uman nature in its finest r’s victories had generally -oeap acmeved by the tremendous pow his blows, one of which had of xWßMßproved decisive of his battles; by his adroitness in bringing hffiadversary to the ground. This a4Bnntage he had never failed to gain at the onset, and, when gained, he never failed to improve it to the defeat of his adversary. These points of difference have involved the reader in a doubt as to the probable issue of a contest between them. It was not so, however, with the two battalions Neither had the least difficulty in de termining the point by the most natur al and irresistable deductions a priori; and though, by the same course of reasoning, they arrived at directly op posite conclusions, neither felt its con fidence in the least shaken by this circumstance. The upper battalion swore “that Billy only wanted one lick at him to knock his heart, liver, and lights out of him; and if he got two at his, he’d knock him into a cocked hat.” The lower battalion re torted, “that he wouldn’t have time to double his fist before Bob would put his head where his feet ought to be; and that, by the time he hit the ground, the meat would fly off his face so quick, that people would think it was shook off by the fall.” These disputes often led to the argu mentim ad hominem, but with such equality of success on both sides as to leave the main question just where they found it. They usually ended, however, in the common way, with a bet; and many a quart of old Jamai ca (whiskey had not then supplanted rum) was staked upon the issue. Still, greatly to the annoyance of the curious, Billy and Bob continued to be good friends. Now there happened to reside In the county just alluded to a little fellow by the name of Ransy Sniffle, a sprout of Richmond, who, in his earlier days, had fed copiously upon'red clay and blackberries. This diet had given io Ransy a complexion that a corpse would have disdained to own, and an abdominal rotundy that was quite unprepossessing. Long spells of the fever and ague, too in Ransy’s youth, had conspired with clay and blackber ries to throw him quite out of the or der of nature. His shoulders were fleshless and elevated; his head large and flat; his neck slim and translu cent; and his arms, hands, fingers, and feet were lengthened out of all proportion to the rest of his frame. His joints were large and his limbs small; and as for flesh, he could not, with propriety, be said to have any. Those parts which nature usually sup plies with the most of this article —the calves of the legs, for example—pre sented in him the appearance of so many well-drawn blisters. His height was just five feet nothing; and his av erage weight in blackberry season, ninety-five. I have been thus partic ular in describing him, for the purpose of showing what a great matter a lit tle fire sometimes kindleth. There was nothing on this earth which delighted Ransy so much as a fight. He never seemed fairly alive except when he was witnessing, fomenting, or talk ing about a fight. Then, indeed, his deep-sunken gray eyes assumed some thing of a living fire, and his tongue acquired a volubility that bordered upon eloquence. Ransy had been kept for more than a year in the most tor turing suspense as to the comparative manhood of Billy Stallings and Bob Durham. He had resorted to all his usual expedients to bring them into collision, and had entirely failed. He had faithfully reported to Bob all that had been said by the people in the up per battalion “agin him,” and “he was sure Billy Stallings started it. He heard Billy say himself to Jim Brown, that he could whip him, or any other man man in his battalion;” and this he told to Bob; adding, “Dod darn his soul, if he was a lit tle bigger, if he’d let any man put upon his battalion in such away.” Bob replied, “If he (Stallings) thought so, he’d better come and try it.” This Ransy carried to Billy, and delivered it with a spirit becoming his own dig nity and the character of his own bat talion. and with a colouring well cal culated to give it effect. These, and many other schemes which Ransy laid for the gratification of his curi osity, entirely failed of their object. Billy and Bob continued friends, and Ransy had began to lapse into the most tantalizing and hopeless despair, when a circumstance occurred which led to a settlement of the long-dis puted question. It is said that a hundred gamecocks will live in perfect harmony together if you do not put a hen with them; and so it would have been with Bil ly and Bob, had there been no wo man in the world. But there were women in the world, and from them each of our heroes had taken to him self a wife. The good ladies were no strangers to the prowess of their hus bands, and, strange as it may seem, tney presumed a little upon it. The two battalions had met at the courthouse upon a regimental parade. The two companions were there, and their wives had accompanied them. Neither knew the other’s lady, nor w’ere the ladies known to each other. The exercises of the day were just over, when Mrs. Stallings and Mrs. Durham stepped simultaneously into the store of Zephaniah Atwater, from “down east.” “Have you any Turkey-red?” said Mrs. S. “Have you any curtain calico?” said Mrs. D. at the same moment. “Yes, ladles/’ said Mr. Atwater, “I have both.” JEFFERSOTIAN. “Then h&> me first,” said “for I’m in a hurry.” “I’m in as gqMft a hurry as she is,” said Mrs. S., “QiAl’ll thank you to help me first.” “And, pray, vMMKe you, madam?” continued the “Your was the re ply. At this moment Billy Stallings step ped in. “Come,” said he, “Nancy, let’s be going; its getting late.” “I’d a been gone half an hour ago,” she replied, “if it hadn’t a’ been for that impudent huzzy.” “Who do you call an impudent huz zy, you nasty, good-for-nothing, snag gle-toothed gaub of fat, you?” return ed Mrs. D. “Look here, woman,” said Billy, “have you got a husband here? If you have, I’ll lick him till he learns to teach you better manners, you sassy heifer you.” At this moment something was seen to rush out of the store as if ten thou sand hornets were stinging it; crying “Take care—let me go—don’t hold me —where’s Bob Durham?” It was Ran sy Sniffle, who had been listening in breathless delight to all that had pass ed. “Yonder’s Bob, setting on the court house steps,” cried one. “What’s the matter?” “Don’t talk to me!” said Ransy. “Bob Durham, you’d better go look yonder, and take care of your wife. They’re playing h —l with her there, in Zeph Atwater’s store. Dod eternally darn my soul, if any man was to talk to my wife as Bill Stallions is talking to yours, if I wouldn’t drive blue blazes through him in less than no time.” Bob sprang to the store in a minute, followed by a hundred friends; for the bully of a county never wants friends. “Bill Stallions,” said Bob, as he en tered, “what have you been saying to my wife?” “Is that your wife?” inquired Billy, obviously much surprised and a little disconcerted. “Yes, she is, and no man shall abuse her, I don’t care who he is.” “Well,” rejoined Billy, “It an’t worth while to go over it; I’ve said enough for a fight; and if you’ll step out, we'il settle it!” “Billy,” said Bob, “are you for a fair fight?” “I am,” said Billy. '‘l’ve heard much of your manhood, and I believe I’m a better man than you are. If you will go into a ring with me, we can soon settle the dispute.” “Choose your friends,” said Bob; “make your ring, and I’ll be in with mine as soon as you will.” They both stepped out, and began to strip very deliberately, each battal ion gathering round its champion, ex cept Ransy, who kept himself busy in a most honest endeavor to hear and see all that transpired in both groups at the same time. He ran from one to the other in quick succession; peeped here and listened there; talked to this one, then to that one, and then to himself; squatted under one’s legs and another’s arms, and, in the short in terval between stripping and stepping into the ring, managed to get himself trod on by half of both battalions. But Ransy was not the only one inter ested upon this occasion; the most in tense interest prevailed everywhere. Many were the conjectures, doubts, oaths, and imprecations uttered while the parties were preparing for the com bat. All the knowing ones were con sulted as to the issue, and they all agreed, to a man, in one of two opin ions; either that Bob would flog Billy or Billy would flog Bob. We must be permitted, however, to dwell for a mo ment upon the opinion of Squire Thom as Loggins; a man who, it is said, had never failed to predict the issue of a fight in so unerr ing in ttWs re gard, that itwould have been counted the most obstinate infidelity to doubt for a moment after he had delivered himself. Squire Loggins was a man who said but little, but that little was always delivered with the most impos ing solemnity of look and cadence. He always wore the aspect of profound thought, and you could not look at him without coming to the conclusion that he was elaborating truth from Its most intricate combinations. “Uncle Tommy,” said Sam Reynolds, “you can tell us all about it if you will; how will the fight go?” The question immediately drew an anxious group around the squire. He raised his teeth slowly from the head of his walking cane, on which they had been resting; pressed his lips closely and thoughtfully together; threw down his eyebrows, dropped his chin, raised his eyes to an angle of twenty-three degrees, paused about half a minute, and replied, “Sammy, watch Robert Durham close in the be ginning of the fight; take care of Wil liam Stallions in the middle of it; and see who has the wind at the end.” As he uttered the last member of the sent ence, he looked slyly at Bob’s friends, and winked very significantly; where upon they rushed, with one accord, to tell Bob what Uncle Tom had said. As they retired, the squire turned to Billy’s friends, and said, with a smile, “Them boys think I mean that Bob will whip.” Here the other party kindled into joy, and hastened to inform Billy how Bob’s friends had deceived themselves as to Uncle Tommy’s opinion. In the meantime the principals and seconds were busily employed in preparing themselves for the combat. The plan of attack and defence, the manner of improving the various turns of the con flict, “the best mode of saving wind,” etc., were all discussed and settled. At length Billy announced himself ready, and his crowd were seen moving to the centre of the courthouse square; he and his five seconds in the rear. At the same time, Bob’s party moved to the same point, and in the same or der. The ring was now formed, and for a moment the silence of death reigned through both battalions. It was soon interrupted, however, by the cry of “Clear the way!” from Billy’s seconds; when the ring opened in the centre of the upper battalion (for the order of march had arranged the cen ter of the two battalions on opposite sides of the circle), and Billy stepped into the ring from the east, followed by his friends. He was stripped to the trousers, and exhibited an arm, breast, and shoulders of the most tre mendous portent. His step was firm, daring, and martial; and as he bore his fine form a little in advance of his friends, an involuntary burst of tri umph broke from his side of the ring; and, at the same moment, an uncon trollable thrill of awe ran along the whole curve of the lower battalion. “Look at him!” was heard from his friends; “just look at him.” “Ben, how much you ask to stand before that man two seconds?” “Pshaw, don’t talk about it! just thinkin’ about it’s broke three o’ my ribs a’ ready!” “What’s Bob Durham going to do when Billy let’s that arm loose upon him?” “God bless your soul, he’ll think thunder and lightning a mint julip to it.” “Oh, look here, men, go take Bill Stallions out o’ that ring, and bring in Phil Johnson’s stud horse, so that Dur ham may have some chance! I don’t want to see the man killed right away.” These and many other like express ions, interspersed thickly with oaths