The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-03-08
Original.
EASTER IN oLpEM TIME;
Or,

EMS 4ER IN QAuEM lIME;
Big Eph. Abels' First Drink of jim
nj maker and the Consequences
Near the junction of the rivers
Yadkin and U-r, i'll Montgomery
County, North Carolina, in a section
Of country remarkable only for the
monotony OF its scenery and the non
productivencss of its soil, there
stood, when [ passed there in the
spring of '65, the old, ungainly man
sion of Big Eph. Abels, perched like
a pigeon-box on q projecting knoll,
not sixty yards from the main road,
between Albemarle and Monroe; and
at no great distance below, on the
banks of the river, half smothered
with gigantic oaks, stood Abels' mill.
At the mill, in the olden time, they
held their militia musters, barbecues,
fourths of July, public meetings,
gander pullings, quarter races, foot
races, fights of man and dog. Here
horses were snapped, trades struck,
all domestic quarrels adjusted, poll
tics discussed, and all actings and
doings were looked upon as void of
legal sanctity if not done and exc
cuted within the hallowed sound of
Abels' mills.
It was late one evening, not long
after the surrender of the Western
army, that the writer, with others,
was riding over the rough, mountain
Gus country in the vicinity of the
Yadkin, and were whistling away for
want of thought, when our attention
was attracted to very novel affair,
the conclusion of which we were de-
termined to see, whether we crossed
the Yadkin or not. Old Mrs. Abels
was running around the cabin, as if
for dear life, and Big Eph. after her;
and as he was swifter on the foot, it
was not long before he was in such
dangerous proximity to the old lady
that she was forced to right-about and
face him. We expected to see col
lision-but no; Mrs. Abels exclaimed:
"Now, don't yer hit me, old man,
and had the uplifted arm of Big Eph.
been struck with paralysis, it could
not have fallen more powerless at his
side.
'Now, Amelia Jane" said Big
Eph., if yer don't perduce the jug,
Ill sot the house on fire. o
''Yes, you're purity feller," chimed
the old lady. eyer had better git q
barl Nv whiskey and kill yerself at
once"
Whether the old lady doubted the
efficacy of the magic words, s'Now
don't yer hit me, old man. or whe-
ther she believed that ''a good run is
better than a bad stand" is not
known, but the same operation was
repeated six times, and with similar
effect; but when the old lady was
making her seventh revolution, she
stumbled and few off at consider
able tangent, and before she had
time to say, "Now don't yer hit me,
old man." Big Eph. had clamped her,
and forced her to tell the whereabouts
Of the Jug.
About this time, we arrived upon
the scene of action, and we're vel
coined in. It was difficult, however,
to persuade the old lady that we were
none Of Wheeler's cavalry; for, tc
use her own language, ''They TUX tel
my chickenware wuss nor the colery. ,
"Sad state of affairs, Mrs. Abels, ;
I said
By this time, Big Eph. advanced
with the pig, and, by the cheering
light of the fire, / could observe hin
closely. He had such winning way:
that any community would STAMP
him as q remarkable production
standing fully six feet in his socks
with thick, shaggy eyebrows, hal.
growing promiscuously ad in1init,nn
and mouth whose every turn toll
of the humorous character OF tn,
man. The lazy hours were whise(
away with many tale-Big Eph
got more and more loquacious unde.
the influence of sperrits; and the fol
lowing story [ thought too good t.
lose, so [ give it in his own rusti,
vernacular.
eyer see, stranger, this comm ya:g
ter, thirty years ago, (bout that time
that old stick-in-the-mud, Harry CLAY
war runnin fur President,) MANN
tux most powerful ail;n in he