The Louisiana Democrat

THINGS ABOUT HOME.

With the Thermometer on a starvation engagement, high, very high in the nineties, and the weather correspondingly hot, no one can blame an old Ed., near into the sixties, and journalistically full into the thirties, if he fails in giving home folks much on "Things About Home." But always willing and cheerfully ready he once more dances attendance to old custom, and darts in to all he has gathered or can recall to memory.

Old Red, true to its Summer leanings, is still falling, and the past week records something like eighteen inches decline, thus bringing us close on to low, dead low water and all grades of card rates for freight. save and except if you stick to the Sabine, the low water Packet, youngest daughter of the Bart. Able. We must repeat all we said of the crops in our last, which is good, very good and really encouraging, and all made dirt cheap on very little or no credit.

As for Caterpillars we hear very little of them, though we interview nearly every planter we chance to meet on the subject—the fact is they are somewhat behind time, if here at all, and are bound this year to have the red flag thrown in their track.

Vegetables, melons, cantelopes, peaches, figs here in abundance and we are more than pleased to note they are all within reach of the poorest, prices asked being christian-like and modest. New fodder and new corn meal have also made their first appearance, and as soon as that bale of new cotton comes along we will be partially out of the woods, and then won't our merchants here cry aloud and look good. We wish it was all here now and pray for it to come quick.

Weather so hot and everything so dead, that many of our people have gone rusticating to the Sulphur Springs, thus causing the can't get away boys to mourn for where their chums twineth. A gay, festive and about as good a crowd of the "boys" left here on Saturday for the Pine Hills and a fishing sport, as ever rallied under old Ike Walton or bivouacked with the ancient Troubadours.

It was a crowd as is a crowd, and one which forcibly reminds us of the better days of the "American Fur Company," makes us feel young once more and but too glad to see the old festive history of Rapides repeating itself. The knightly Marshal of Alexandria Town, the old man eloquent of the Thespians, the venerable Parson thereof, the "walking gentleman" of the same, our leading Pharmacist, the "Orphan" of the Gazette, and though last, not least our young Pub. and right bower, composed and made up this joyous crowd, and we are sure, on their return they will be none the worse for wear.

Bully!—We cannot find too many good words of merited praise to bestow on our New Orleans Mails, for real, fast and bully service all of the past week. All of our exchanges were before us and attentively perused within forty hours time from the Crescent City, and hence we must now pray loud and often for the Contractor.

Dr. G. W. Laney, our home and resident Dentist, after a professional absence of some weeks, is home and at his post again. He is ready for all calls in his line, and as ever willing to serve his customers.