The news and herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1876-1881, 1876-10-12

guarding the political Thermopylte:
Feeling that this was no time for
'gratulntin' speech, he assaulted the
garrison, One he Drained with q
quotation from Hudibras another
went down bodily bofore the pom
dorous weight of n column Of 1i cures
snstchcd solidly from the report on
Legislative and. printing expenses,
and the third was incontinently
cho,tcd by copy of CHI. .mbe,l lin q
ARA .nment OF the Radical party.
The fold WIS clear, the Major WAS
monarch of all he surveyed. He
perchel upon tho fence to await
the charge, of some >other knight;
elrant. Grand, gloomy and peculiar
he sat like sceptred hermit, wrnp-
ped in tho solitude of his own
orisinulity-or words to that effect
All was still around him. Not a
loaf stirred Not branch stirred.
Nothing broke the stiffness savo the
occasional cav of a crow, intent on
some corn -field-or the snorc ofhis
setter at his feet. Dreams of glory
passed through his mind. He saw
the Senate-room with it's plush car
pets, it's gorgeous hangings and tho
familiar face OF Gen. Gary sitting
beside him, and shylng peanut shells
in fourteen dollar cuspAuor. Bat
hark Il noise! 1t grows 'uore d,s>
tinct. Tie sound Of horses feet arc
heard, the tr"mpilng comes ne:rer
1t is--it is-Wull zee, the long
looked for, come ut last. He draws
nearer. A salutation is exchanged,
Good morning, Colonel. ""How are
you, Major ?''-"Colonel, have come
to make Il speech WITH You to day"
"a speech, 1 am not going to m .l1o
a spccch!-"Ah, Wen see more about
that to night" I promised Col.
Evins, if you ever came here, I
would escort you into every nook
and corner Of the county, and I in~
tend to do it. You are q sly old
fox, but You have got one of the best
old hounds on, your track you ever
Saw" II nm going nowhere" said
Mr.. Wallace" "NNcll" that will be
seen. In tho meantime we've got
some mighty bad boys about these
parts, and lam going along to pro-
tcct you, and I'll follow you right up
to the Chester line" Mr.. Wallace
rather dcmurred at first, but came
down gracefully, and the two en-
tered into q general conversation on
tie crops and tho weather and
politics, and other matters, becom =
ing quite soci,blc, and sharing lunch
along the road. For several minutes
they travelled on, rs the Major Says.
"me and Pup being the only two
dogs along At last they met Mr..
Powell, and Major WOODWARD sent
him with orders to all t, G Democrats
who had started out that the meet
Jig at the crossroads was q sham
and they must follow on, rs he WIS
going to the jumping off place,
though he had no idea where tl-at
would be. In tho meanwhile the
trio went on. AT last the old fox
made for Fcastcrvillc, but the good
hound still followed. At "Possum
Branch" hear Mr.. J. w. Yongue' s
place, Mcssrs. j. ". McCreight and
Mems Davis caught up in a buggy,
and the Major, taking his sc 1t in the
buggy selI Mr.. AcC. back to call
up the moulnors After travelling n
mile or more Messrs. Iraneus Pope
ID: i. Evans, JOS. Kcnne ", Wm
Heron and Walter Rosborough
rode mp end joined in the process
sion. eve neglected to mention that
Maj. Woodward had met Mr., Joe
Novi tt and hurried him back to tell
the people that he thought Wallace
was making for meeting at Feas-
terville, and summoning them to ut
tend the meeting. Mr.. Nevitt did
good work, as was afterwards shown).
Up hill and down hill the procession
moved, not word being exchanged
between the foremost buggy and the
rest Of tho company. The thing be-
gan to DO umonotonous. The fox would
turn his head occasionally back to
see the pack following, and the Major
would say to the boys that he saw
his brush dropping and the holo
would soon be reached. Then, one
by one, others besan dropping in.
Col. Il. j. Cameron, one of our next
representatives, Mr.. r. T.. Ellison
Jr., Mr.. Young, Mr.. K"lv and
othe>s tAok thei" pl t",s n the pro.
cession. 1t was funeral procession.
it WIS III honor of the political death
OF the Congressman, and Major
Woodward WIS chief mourner! The
sun declined in the west Time ran
itsolf down in golden sands. And
still the line moved on, grave md
solemn. At intervals, fresh arrivals
swelled the number Occasionally
an enthusiastic individual would say,
"Fellows, I wouldn't take ten dol
lars for this trip" The gentleman
to whom the good people of Fair
field were assembling to do honor
looked back. Still they camo. Still
they preserved respectful silence.
But still thoy stuck. Skilful hunt
ors thought the hole was not far
off; and it was not. After passing
Fnucett's store. the Congressman