The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-02-03


Original.
How Josh Bilcs Snapped His Boot
for II Sassnge.
Towards the close of the year 1864,
the Western army was marching 6
through the Counties of Middle Geor-
gia, not many days travel behind
Gen. Sherman, on his famous march to
the sea. The discipline of our army
not being unusually severe, it was not
unfrequently the case that our soldiers
would branch OFF from the main
army, and rest the night with the
citizens, who, in spite of the terrible
blows they had received from the
enemy, were returning to their homes
and giving them that air of happi-
ness they had when I passed there
some months before. 1t was cold,
stormy evening in December; the
night was as black as my hat, which
found two of us, who had ''branched
off" knockin at the door of cabin
not many miles distant from the
road from Milledgeville to Mayfeld
There was nothing remarkable in the
style of the architecture of the cabin:
if it possessed any, I should call it
antedeluvian; but as [ was tired and
hungry, I had no time for media
tion, SO in [ walked. Before me
stood must curious and quaint old
specimen of humanity, and in every
particular more like himself than
anybody else living-a perfect yara
aois, suune .ge,1eru7n; which, literally
translated, might mean that he was
the only bird of that species in them"
woods. His long, guant figure, and
prominent features; his complex
ion, tanned by many summers
sun, reminded me of Of the distin-
guishcd Simon Su ggs. But I could
see that his bosom ovcr1iowcd with a
genial good nature; there was u Ger
tain twinkle in his eye, world of
feeling IN the good old shake Of his
hand, that plainly showed was well
come in Josh B;lcs' den.
"Wall, dad burn me, stranger, if I
hadn't ruther see you at the den than
NANNY; poor soul, she's bin dead =
though, how do we do?"
ooh, fine, sir, how do You do your
sclf?'
Though more than sixty years old,
saw at once that, with his other
faculties, he retained the faculty Of
speech to perfection, and Wishing 10
elicit from him a love scrapc Of his
boyhood days, which / was told could
be accomplished with little sperri:s,
l brought forth bottle. upon vl4icl.
he straightencd his neck.
"Stdr:anger was &c ever in love
much?' says Josh; 81 mean was ye
ever stuck deep bout any perticler
gal NOR nor the ginerality?"
"Well, no, I don't believe, since
you've mentioned it, that at any pc
riod Of my life l was ever seriously
in danger of grape-vining myself
about any one in particular"
"Well, well, well, live and larn,
and larn and live. Stranger, I've
made some as purity starts for Pur-
mely Adkins, old Miss Adkins
youngest darter, as any man livin;
but if bad luck didn't meet me, [ was
sure to meet up with it, [ never
backed, nur / never bolted, yet l
never could come the Josh Biles over
none of 'em ter this day The fust
time | seed Purmely, it wur at camp
meetin, and she was sich a sepulchi-
tude of a gal that it gin me the tantra
bogus in the gizzard, and, stranger,
If I'd been down in the branch, I'd a
swow [ was moccasin bit When [
looked at Purmely, and then at my
self, | lmowed [ war at camp meetin,
and stack nifty deep; so after weedjn
mammy's taters, l gears on my fxins,
kinder creased my chesnut burr look
ing red hair witty a cup of peccary
lntment, and havin mighty power
full of bad cold, i stuck O vial of
goglin drops in my pocket, for ter
take the flemish outcn nv swa er
Boots hadn't long cum in fashion,
stranger; ye see our folks had been
used to stitch downs all thar life. and
feit kinder skittish when L felt nv
leg kivered with so much leather. /
was young in them days, stranger,
and twernt long afore | found m yself
beside Purmoly Adkins, she tiss Miss
Adkins youngest darter.
"Purmely sot up such a giglin