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GEORGIA SCENES.
(Continued from page 7.)
not too fine; for Soap stick bears up
her ball well. Take care and don’t
touch the trigger, until you’ve got your
bead; for she’s spring-triggered and
goes mighty easy; but you hold her to
the place you want her, and if she
don’t go there, dang old Roper.”
I took hold of Soap stick, and lapsed
immediately into the most hopeless
despair. lam sure I never handled as
heavy a gun in all my life. ‘‘Why,
Billy,” said I, ‘‘you little mortal, you!
what do you use such a gun as this
for?”
‘‘Look at the bull’s eye yonder!”
said he.
“True,” said I, “but I can’t shoot
her; it is impossible.”
“Go ’long, you old coon!” said Bil
ly; “I see what you’re at;” intimating
that all this was to make the coming
shot more remarkable; “Daddy’s little
boy don’t shoot anything but the old
Soap stick here today, I know.”
The judges, I knew, were becom
ing impatient, and, withal, my situa
tion was growing more embarrassing
every second; so I e’en resolved to
try the Soap stick without further par
ley.
I stepped out, and the most intense
interest was excited all around me,
and it flashed like electricity around
the target, as I judged from the anx
ious gaze of all in that direction.
Policy dictated that I should fire
with a falling rifle, and I adopted this
mode; determining to fire as soon as
the sights came on a line with the
diamond, bead or no bead. According
ly, I commenced lowering old Soap
stick; but in spite of all my muscular,
powers, she was obedient to the laws
of gravitation, and came down with a
uniformly accelerated velocity. Be
fore I cold arrest her downward flight,
she had not only passed the target,
but was making rapid encroachments
on my own toes.
“Why, he’s the weakest man in the
arms, I ever seed,” said one, in a half
whisper.
“It’s only his fun,” said Billy; “1
know him.”
“It may be fun,” said the other,
“but it looks mightily like yearnest
to a man up a tree.”
I now, of course, determined to re
verse the mode of firing, and put forth
all my physical energies to raise Soap
stick to the mark. The effort silenced
Billy, and gave tongue to all his com
panions. I had just strength enough
to master Soap stick’s obstinate pro
clivity, and consequently my nerves
began to exhibit palpable signs of dis
tress with her first imperceptible
movement upward. A trembling com
menced in my arms; increased, and
extended rapidly to my body and lower
extermities; so that by the time I had
brought Soap stick up to the mark, I
was shaking from head to foot, exact
ly like a man under the continued ac
tion of a strong galvanic battery. In
the meantime my friends gave vent to
their feelings freely.
“I swear poin’ blank,” said another,
‘that man can’t shoot.”
“He used to shoot well,” said anoth
er; “but can’t now, nor never could.”
“You better git away from ’bout that
mark!” bawled a third, “for I be dod
darned if Broadcloth don’t give some
of you the dry gripes if you stand too
close there.”
“The stranger’s got the peedoddles,”
said a fourth, with humorous grav
ity.
“If he had bullets enough in his
gun, he’d shoot a ring round the bull’3
eye big as a spinning wheel.” said a
fifth.
As soon as I found that Soap stick
was high enough (for I made no fur
ther use of the sights than to ascertain
this fact), I pulled the trigger, and off
she went I have always found that
the most creditable way of relieving
myself of derision was to heighten it
myself as much as possible. It is a
good plan in all circles, but by far it
is the best that can be adopted among
the plain, rough farmers of the coun
try. Accordingly, I brought Soap stick
to an order with an air of triumph;
tipped Billy a wink, and observed,
“Now, Billy’s, your time to make your
fortune. Bet ’em two to one that I’ve
knocked out the cross.”
“No, I’ll be dod blamed if I do,”
said Billy, “but I’ll bet you two to one
you hant’ hit the plank.”
“Ah, Billy, said I, “I was joking
about betting, for I never bet; nor
would I have you bet; indeed I do
not feel exactly right in shooting for
beef; for it is a species of gaming at
least; but I’ll say this much: if that
cross isn’t knocked out, I’ll never shoot
for beef again as long as I live.”
“By dod,” said Mealy Whitecotton,
“you’ll lose no great things at that.”
“Well,” said I, “I reckon I know a
little about wabbling. Is it possible-,
Billy, a man who shoots as well as
you do, never practiced shooting with
the double wabble? It’s the greatest
take in the world, when you learn to
drive the cross with it. Another sort
for getting bets upon, do the drop
sight, with a single wabble! And
the Soap stick’s the very yarn for it.”
“Tell you what, stranger, you’re too
hard for us all here. We never nearn
o’ that sort of shootin’ in these parts.”
“Well,” said I, “you’ve seen it now,
and I’m the boy that can do it.”
The judges were now approaching
with the target, and a singular com
bination of circumstances had kept all
my party in utter ignorance of the
result of my shot. Those about the
target had been prepared by Billy
Curlew for a great shot from me;
their expectations had received assur
ance from the courtesy which had
been extended to me; and nothing had
happened to disappoint them but the
single caution to them against the
“dry gripes,” which was as likely to
have been given in irony as in ear
nest; for my agonies under the Soap
stick were either imperceptible to
them at a distance of sixty yards, or,
being visible, were taken as the flour
ishes of an expert who wished to
“astonish the natives.” The other par
ty did not think the direction of my
ball worth the trouble of a question;
or if they did, my airs and harangue
had put the thought to flight before
it was delivered. Consequently, they
were all transfixed with astonishment
when the judges presented the target
to them, and gravely observed, “It’s
only second best after all the fuss.”
“Second best!” exclaimed I, with
uncontrollable transports.
The whole of my party rushed to
the target to have the evidence of
their senses before they would believe
the report; but most marvelous for
tune decreed that it should be true.
Their incredulity and astonishment
were most fortunate for me; for they
blinded my hearers to the real feelings
with which the exclamation was ut
tered. and allowed me sufficient time
to prepare myself for making the best
use of what I had said before with a
very different object.
“Second best!” reiterated I, with
an air of despondency, as the company
turned from the target to me. “Sec
ond best only? Here, Billy, my son,
take the old Soap stick; she’s a good
piece, but I’m getting too old and dim
sighted to shoot a rifle, especially with
the drop-sight and double wabbles.”
“Why, good Lord a’mlght!” said 811-
ly, with a look that baffles all g ascrip
tion, “ain’t you drlv the cross?'*
“Oh, drlv the cross!” rejolred 1,
carelessly. “What’s that! Jus*, look
where my ball Is! Ido believe In my
soul Its center Is a full quarter of an
Inch from the cross T wanted to lay
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
the center of the bullet upon the cross,
just as if you’d put it there with
your fingers.”
Several received this palaver with a
contemptuous but very appropriate curl
of the nose, and Mealy Whitecotton of
fered to bet a half pint, “that I couldn’t
do the like again with no sort of
wabbles, he didn’t care what.” But I
had already fortified myself on this
quarter by my morality. A decided
majority, however, were of the opinion
that I was serious; and they regarded
me as one of the wonders of the world.
Billy increased the majority by now
coming out fully with my history, as
he had received it from his father;
to which I listened with quite as much
astonishment as any other one of his
hearers. He begged me to go home
with him for the night, or, as he ex
pressed it, “to go home with him, and
swap lies that night, and it shouldn’t
cost me a cent;” the true reading of
which is, that if I would go home with
him, and give him the pleasure of an
evening’s chat about old times, his
house should be as free as my own.
But I could not accept his hopsitality,
without retracing five or six miles of
the road which I had already passed,
and therefore, I declined it.
“Well, if you won’t go, what must
I tell the old woman for you for she’ll
be mighty glad to hear from the boy
that won the silk handkerchief for
her, and I expect she’ll lick me for not
bringing you home with me.”
“Tell her,” said I, “that I send her
a quarter of beef which I won, as I
did the handkerchief, by nothing in
the world but mere good luck.”
“Hold your jaw, Lyman!” said Billy,
“I an’t a gwine to tell the old woman
any such lies; for she’s a rale regular
built Meth’dist.”
As I turned to depart, “Stop a min
ute, stranger!” said one; then low
ering his voice to a confidential, but
distinctly audible tone, “What you of
fering for?” continued he. I assured
him I was not a candidate for any
thing, that I had accidentally fallen
in with Billy Curlew, who begged me
to come with him to the shooting
match, and, as it lay on my road, I
had stopped. “Oh,” said he, with a
conciliatory nod, “if you’re up for any
thing, you needn’t be mealy-mouthed
about it ’fore us boys; for we’ll go In
for you here up to the handle.”
“Yes,” said Billy, “dang old Roper,
if we don’t go our death for you io
matter who offers. If ever you come
out for anything, Lyman, jist let the
boys of Upper Hogthief know It, and
they’ll go for you to the hilt, against
creation, tit or no tit, that’s the tatur.”
I thanked them kindly and repeated
my assurances. The reader will not
suppose that the district took its name
from the character of the Inhabitants.
In almost every county in the state
there is some spot or district which
bears a contemptuous appellation, us
ually derived from local rivalships, or
from a single acidental circumstance.
HALL.
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A young woman receiving instruc
tion in piano playing was told one day
by her Instructor that she was a
“Christian pianist.” On the way home
she debated what might be meant by
the expression. Her father also con
sidered the “compliment” as doubtful,
and meeting the Instructor a few days
later asked why hts daughter had been
called a “Christian pianist.” “Oh,
sir,” was the reply, "I smply meant
she didn’t 'et her right hand know
what her left hand does.” —Philadel-
phia Record.
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Tom Watson and his home are il
lustrated In his magazine for Februa
ry. Everybody Is Interested In what
this great southerner does and owns.—
Girard. Ala., Workman
THE SANTO DOMINGO TREATY.
The new treaty with Santo Domingo,
submitted to the senate yesterday by
the president, provides that the United
States shall guarantee the payment
by the black republic of a bond issue
which is intended to be devoted to the
extinguishment of its foreign debt.
The sale of the bonds, it is said, is
assured as soon as the senate ratifies
the compact. The bonds will not bring
par, although they ought to be as good
as United States bonds with this gov
ernment’s guarantee behind them. It
is proposed by the treaty that the
United States shall collect the cus
toms revenues of Santo Domingo for
a period sufficient to insure the pay
ment of the bonds. The bonds are
to run for fifty years, and it is sup
posed that the occupation of Santo
Domingo’s custom houses by American
officials will last that long. In order
to make certain that the revenues will
be collected, the United States binds
itself to preserve order in the island.
The chaotic state of affairs in San
to Domingo and the large claims held
by foreigners whose governments
cling to the policy of collecting private
claims by force, when necessary, re
quire that some kind of action should
be taken by the United States if it is
to avoid disputes with European gov
ernments. The occupation of Santo
Domingo for fifty years by the United
States will be regarded, we believe, as
preliminary to the inevitable annexa
tion of the country. But what is the
alternative? Can the United States
acquiesce in the occupation of Santo
Domingo for any length of time by
any foreign power? If it cannot, what
excuse can it offer for its attitude
of refusing to intervene between San
to Domingo and Its creditors and at
the same time preventing the latter
from obtaining redress otherwise? The
president’s argument is that if the
Monroe doctrine is to be enforced, the
United States is bound to see that San
to Domingo settles her obligations to
foreigners.
The question arises whether this
government is imperatively required
to run Santo Domingo’s financial ma
chinery in order to keep European
powers out. The United States does
not use force in the collection of its
citizens’ claims against other nations,
yet it has not objected, up to the pres
ent time, to the employment of force
by other powers against delinquent
American republics under the protec
tion of the Monroe doctrine. Is it not
time that such a policy should be
adopted? If the United States was
strong enough seventy-five years ago
to prevent the permanent occupation
or colonization of American territory
by any European power, it should be
strong enough and courageous enough
now to prevent the collection of pri
vate debts by force. American citi
zens dealing with foreign governments
do so with the knowledge that this
government will not lend its guns to
the enforcement of their contracts.
Europeans should be made to under
stand that their dealings with Amer
ican republics cannot be followed by
the use of force on the part of any
power.—Washington Post.
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TOM WATSON IN MISSISSIPPI.
(Special to The Georgian.)
Jackson, Miss., Feb. s.—Thomas E.
Watson was given a big ovation here
this morning by the Farmers’ Union
of Mississippi, which met today. Mr.
Watson delivered a rousing address at
the Century Theater this morning.
His address was along the same line
as his recent speech at Atlanta.
An audience of about 1,500 heard
Mr. Watson’s speech at the theater.—
Cordele, Ga., Rambler.