The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-12-19
A New Way 10 Pay for q knife.

new way ~ Guy ioT " hHiic'
A long time ago when. was a boy, /
found it next to impossible to keep
pocket-knife. Somehow q knife would
get away. from me-. l tried ever 80 hard
TO keep each new 6neithat came into my
possession, and really coveted every
knife that had not been lost, as it seemed
&c re .he-e were lucky end nn!ncky
knives. Mine were all of the unlucky
kind. When l lost knife | would try
for days together to remember where I
last had my knife. would fall to sleep
at. night trying to call up this last place.
l could call up every other place where l
had used my knife for week back ex-
cept the last place-that would not come
up. would walk about, start, stop,
look vacant and run my hand into my
pocket every few minutes thinking sure
ly it is in there. I'd turn ali my pockets
wrong side out hoping the treasure would
fall out of some corner; but all in vain.
I'd whistle and try to sing but there was
no tune to any thing. had to choke
down my meals, and my appetite wns
gone. ! wanted to tell my loss to my
mother, but was ashamed of my misfor-
tune. Just as certain Us lost my knife
some one, and always the wrong one,
was sure to ask me for it. Then the sad
truth had to come; but I always felt
better after telling my sorrow, and par
ticularly go if l got word Of sympathy.
My heart was lighter and my boyish
whistle then had come tune to It. If ut
last found my knife, and always Just
where never thought Of locking for it,
I was jast as happy rs o boy ever
gets to be'in this world and it seemed
TO me everybody else was glad toe.
I'd put the knife deep down in my pock-
ct, and every half hour or 90 run my
hand down. TO make sure it was there.
My blessed mother wgs o poor, widow
and not able to buy ME q knife oftener
than once year, generally at Christmas
or New Year. They had the Christmases
mighty far apart when Twas boy-they
are getting them too close together now.
When was about twelve years old, my
brother;iVbeE tgass three yeara younger,
and myself were out in the woods at
play. Brother had largo white.handle
knife, which, as thought, he had kept
so long, because the handle was white.
had often offered hica all my stock in
trade for it.; but he would not aell His
unwillipgnesss to part f'6m that. knife
only SncEeasad my, desire tor Il. Al ths
time spoken of, brother sad just cul
from an old stump, long, keen, beauti.
ful dog-wood switch, and he said, "Ses
whRtya nice switch, I, have" Instantly
ifby q ebft Of inspiration, said
"Brother, you may hit mo o hundred
lashes with that switch, if you will givi
me your knife" My joy was about fnl
when brother promptly said, "I'll do it.
We arranged the terms. / was to pull
off sNg coat,iR jeans found-a-about, nsi
ther of us 20 gat mad, and l. was TO ioaI
brother my knife, as he had loaned it t.
me, while 1t was his. I was perfectl,
happy atrthe prospect of chat knife at 81
small price, land Lupulled of my Goa
quick, for fear brother would back out
He was o slow, st.ls patielt sort of 1
boy, and commenced laying on in the
most unintereating way imaginable. H.
did not hurt bit. laughed at him
told him it was really pleasant. Wher
he got up to twenty-five, my back began
:. gee warm, and ating, and nmart,
stopped laughing and began to conn
more c1reEuliy. at, fifty, / was as moi
Us pepper, ana. said, 3"Come, brother
stop, want to rest" We rested fo,
souie time. IyTcourage was fast cooline
down. / began to reason with myself
"1rhave taken fifty lashes, there are only
ffsy more, and that nine year old ho1
can't hit any harder.p With some effofS
IS9aid. "Well, brother, commence enc
bhsquick." But he was in 40 hurry: i
todd You he was slow boY5and he seem
eu-pucommonly slowjust ihen.p cunt
ed9eventy-fte$ with emphasis, and said
'1eid;0nli- I tnok tho knifeand looked
att 1t was not such Ruif5fas.I had
tknnght it was. Indeed, 4. tefgnn fp'fee]
like tine price was 100 'nineh for. any
knife. made several propositions propositions fol
compromise, buiIit was n6l eo.T Brother
stuck to the original contract, with hro.
voking tenacity, and I could mot vel
afford co lose what I had already paid
Isuias half.a.mind to get aaacou1,
plain of foul play, but my word Of homo,
was atatake:' Brother Thought tho whols
thing agood joke, but for the1ife ofm
Soaa!!dfot sssss $50 siy fan ii ;t. saidjno na Iii
cry but was sorry enough to do 80
BY mind chfne and went so fast, could
not get it made up to any line of action
Enallysthis. thonght settled mo "yYha,
aifool II ann to take seyehtY. .t1ve iashes
end nov hesitate as the remaining twen.
''Lay Oh, G6D66 66H5s % didn't al IL know WHO SsiIs'
McDuf was, but had caught the expires.
eihn1fnrA ee.sae. md .,ss1 IL IVe .si.s
lay on fifteen laahes, when ali on q sud,
den my mind underwent complete rev.
olution, and told brother 40 stop and
keep his old knife, lit never had been
good metal" The fact is, would not
have taken the remaining ten lashes for
forty kniyes 4 mys eonrage had collapsed.
Results: First, meyer after, that did j
offer TO buy anything &c that price. Sec.
oud, noyer lost . fknifo from tnas day 70
this. When my mother learned This
story, which abe did when i changed my
clothes the last of that, week, she bought
me knife and keptit until It was worn
out.- leyd,s C1i,is ,vc4ts. e
Eas.ss1as.s .s..ss.. Stsa,sa ~