The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-12-16
Uncle john on tho Advent or Winter

gone. Fans and parasols have been laid
away, and busters have become an abomi-
nation. The summer of 1879 has taken it's
place on the shelf, and its joys and pleas
urcs, along with its dust, pcrspiration and
heated misery now exists only in memory.
No more summer night strolls in the
moonlight; no moro delightful plunges in
the water; no more mosquito music, and no
more flies in the butter ",.. ,
We'll, let it 60. There ore some pleasant
features about summer, but give mo the
crisp and bracing dir of wintcr-tho invig-
Grafton which comes from exercise IN tile
frosty air.
never like the lanGuor aud lazincss that
seem to attach to warm weather. When
the mercury is foolng around the 100 de-
grecs mark on the Thermometers, people
seem to move and breathe as If they were
maintaining life under protest. You rise
in the morning rs if it was great excrtien
to get out of bed, and even the operation
of eating is performed as if it were pen
atty inflicted for some kind Of crime
There is nothing like cold weather to stir
up mans energy. it brightcns the eye,
hastens the pace and stimulates the ambi-
ton. Even the avcroge tramp, on sharp
and frosty morning, cnlivens his gait so
that you can see him move without taking
sight by telegraph pole.
Winter is not looked forward too with
longing by tho very poor; who dread the
necessity of coal and. clothing; but for
tunately there are not many people in tho
United States, proportionately, who arc
in danger of suffering from want. The
hard time" exist no longer. Business of
oil kinds is booming, and everybody feels
confident and happy because of the BUS
picious outlook. All who are ready able
and willing can get renumcrative employ
ment, and hence nobody need quake whc II
the whistle of winter is heard.
Winter in she country is the io,licst of
the seasons. Farmers don't havc'the benefit
OF tho theatres and kindred alnusomcnts
such rs we have in the city; but they have
glorious sleigh rides, joyous social gather
ings ;and many [acccssorics of pleasure that
clty'folks never experience.
City folks don't know what winter fun
is, unless there has been a mighty change
since. Il was boy, some fifty years ago.
1T akcs tho blood in the old mans veins
jump and thunp even now to think of tho
slcigkinG parties we used to have in the
with driver perched up on box in trout
and the sleghcrs sitting liked starched
mummies in the seats. Mono of your dress
parade slcigh-riding through streets, pass
ing hundreds Of other sleighcrs, all starch
cd and stiff and conscious of being on cx-
i,i,>;t;r; Mo drc~~i.,e.. ..hro"rh chocolate
2olored-snoW, no humping on->Stope.p0Ver
ments, no twenty-five dollars to pay to the
livcryman the next day for your alleged
fun.
Such Is city slcigh-riding.
But the country variety, when was boy,
was very differcnt thing.
The old two horse Sled with the box full
OF clean straw. No seats, no starch, no
drcss-paradc. a dozen boys and girls squat
ted miscclaneously in the straw, with
enough buffalo robes to keep the party
warm. The whip cracks and away we 20.
Over the country roads. through the spot
less snow, and nobody looking at us but
the man in the moon, who seems to roug-
ishly wink his left eye. Everyone is talk
gng. Eyes sparkle like the moonbca ms
in the snow, cheeks glow like carnatlon
roses, and happiness reigns supreme.
But the sleighridos arc not the only at
fractions of country life in the winter time.
AiioAe al y 'ho eihSlhS -sclools, Ino spclIlHS-
bees and social parties.
All, yee, the spelling bees, how used to
enjoy them! Two rows of boys and girls,
hard-spelllng words fired at them by the
local school teacher, and tho havoc made
in the ranks by misspellingl Well l re-
member onco when NIL was spelled down
but myself and Matilda Jane Tompkins.
Matilda was sweet little girl and was
sweet on Matilda. We. were on opposite
sides, of course, and as tho hard words
were given i tremblcd for fear she would
miss first. At last I spelled Cincinnati
with two 'tt's," and the look of pain she
gave mo showed that she would rather
have missed herself. / saw Matilda Jaue
about year ago. She has grandchildren
older than she and were at the time of tho
spelling-match, and she has got into the
habit of wearing her teeth in a glass of
water at night.