The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-12-23
Misceilancous.
C.p
ss.a'E'EEzsSDN'S Es0E.
BY Si.OpER.

least 10 us. who can SO yivi;!iy re
member every look anI gesture OF
some comic adventure or incident,
over which at the time We 50 near
ly split our sides, that we can't
bear to have a woman 5 finger pok-
Ing us in the ribs even to this day
without getting excited.
With this brief prelude, | will
introduce "Pattcrson's Boy" Now
it has always been an unanswered
question, "Who struck Billy Pat
terson n?" but l am fully prepared
to answer for "Pattcrson's Boy"
and solemniy declare that it wasn't
l who pulled the string.
In my younger days "Pattcr-
sons Boy" and used to so for a
swimming bath every Sunday
morning during the summer in the
Ohio river. We would go at an ear
ly hour, before sunrise, and, rs be
was Il sleepy-hcadcd youth, it re-
qnired voice Of thunder to rouse
him from his snoring. l got tired
Of the strain On my lun IS: and Q:
seeing SO many night-capped heads
poked out ofthc neighboring win
dows, so I suggested to "Pattcr-
sons Boy" that he tie a string to
his big toe every Saturday night,
with the other end tied to the
fence, and | could just quietly and
gently pull the string, and wake
him without disturbing the neigh
bors.
This plan worked we'll for
time, but one night "Patterson's
Boy" could not find any other
string to attach to his toe, but a
strong, closely twisted cotton cord,
called in the West a troll-line,
strong enough to hold the largest
fish in the river; so he tied the
string securely to his toe, and with
the other end fastened to the
fence, he went to sleep in all the
sweet security, Of innocence, and
soon his chiIdiike snore was ming
ling with the Joyous music of katy
dds and jar bugs. There was also
another innocent youth who lived
across the street from the patcr'
nal mausion Of "Patterson's Boy
"The course Of true love never did
run smooth"
Now, of course, these boys
loved each other, but a little un'
pleasantness sprang up once be
tween item, owing to q little
game Of marbles in which ;;Pattcr.
sons Boy" came out so far ahead
that the other boy could never un'
derstand it; and it had been {
puzzle to him ever since, although
he never cast any imputation on
the honor Of 'Pattcrson's Boy,
and, generously overlooking it: he
loved him as well as ever, ant
would 20 over and cat pic with
him, whenever they had baking
at PatLcrson's.
One morning, howcvcr, thi:
boy got up early to solve the pro
blcm Of that game, and seeing tho
string tied to the fence, he thought
that might throw somo Light or
the subject, especially as he knew
the other end was tied to the toe o.
"Pattorson's Boy" Now Patter
sons calf was lying down by th'
fence near the string, so the boy
went up quietly, and patted tn
calf on the head, and pctted it un
til he had gained its confidence b,
false protenccs, and then he untast
ened the string from the fence an
tied it on over the little stubb,
horns Of the calf; then he wen
over and sat on the gate. post t.
watch the result.
In a few minutes | came walk
ing along to wake "Patterson'
Boy" for our swim, and when
approached the fence the ca
jumped up in fright, and startc
on a run across the lot. | hear
i terrible racket inside, and tn
tumbling over Of tables, and chair:
and then a yell from ''Patterson'
Boy" as he came through the VIII
dow with nothing on but his shir
and, with kind OF "halfhammon
hop: step and jump, he went afte
that calf, while the tail Of his shll
sailed out on the breeze and foI
ped liked an election banner on
windy day.
Away they went around tn
yard, over, the wood-pile, throug
the garden, over beans, and pea
and tomato vines, and then disal
peared in the corn, where the IA
tie Of the dried corn blades an
the yell OF "Patterson's Boy" W;
all that indicated anything int
-, resting down there. But, rocket
clack, they came back again, an
"Pat.erson's Boy" had taken
death grip on that line to reliev
the unpleasant strain on his to