The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-01

And S"cCtlS Whispers 'lehCc on cnTtu,
And ckc goodwill to men,
Then let us all east care aside
And for one week he jolly,
Nor cloud tho sun of Christmastido
With gloomy melancholy.
Soon better times will ushcfnl.
10 prove this is no fiction.
l bring message to you all,
A wonderful prediction.
I wandered latc onc moonlight night
Through classical Fort PickcnS,
When Il strange phantom met my Sight
And made me say, "Thc dickcns!'
4 gti<lv skeleton was he
In ragged soldiers clothes;
I ouakcd his grinning tcoth 10 500
lie had not any nUSc.
From tn cyclesS holes a blue light
cleaned
With an Internal twinkle;
His wooden leg M rotten seemed
AZ the gun of Rip Van Wrinkle.
I looked ut him, he looked at mo,
W. both were quiet and civil.
Sudden with hollow voice quoth ho,
"Pray, sir, nrc you the dcvil?'
I said I waS-the printers imp.
Right joyful did he grin,
And on his game leg he did limp
And snapped his fingers thin.
Quoth he "Sit with me on these rocks,
While the moons behind yon high hill
lie had no tongue-only \ r01
Ey DTctcrcd nihiI,
Here" said he. " in my narrow bed
I've waited long for you, sir,
And when tonight ] heard your tread
Forth from my grave l flew, sir.
"Morc than a hundred years ago,
Death sent mo summons hurried.
Fighting against the Indian foe
fell, and here WAS buried.
All in my martial srikc-tailcd coat
And in my coppcraS trotIscr,
My comrades left mo here to rot,
And here You find me nov sir.
"Ask Mr.. Burt or young DcBruhl,
They'll tell You all about me;
But Won would show yourself a fool,
My dear young friend t" doubt INC.
"Althorgh am moi known to fame
Likc,hose of higher station,
Yet both these lawyers know my namo
And local habitatlon.
eve wandered on the banks OF Styx
For full 4 hundred years,
And now in this %uncarthly fix,
My ghost to you appears.
II have q parchmcntin my pouch,
An ancient prophecy;
| And for ita truth, sir, | will rouch
Before 1 give it thee.
An Indian Syh;l gave me this
Deep in n gloomy grotto;
She found it in the track, l wis,
or Ferdinand do Soto.
ii am no scholar, but J know
That this WAS writ in Spanish,
For with us spirits down below
Linguistic troubles vanish.
"Bnt that You might it's words rchcarse
With case to old and young, sir,
I've done il into rhyining verse
And in the vulgar tongue, sir.
"Shc told me must keep it till
The devil trod my grave, sir,
At last you've come; | do her will;
Here is the gift she gave, sir"
He pulled the musty parchment out
From his scpulclhral pocket,
And while | turned it round about
He went Off like u rocket.
Bewildered by tho vision grim,
liOmeward hied in haste,
And by my midnight candle dim
The curious scroll l placed.
I read the wondrous paper through,
I saw its meaning clear;
Now ! present it, friends. to you
1e gladden. your New Year.
YE PRoPHEc1E.
Southc Carolina sall grove create
And cver,norc sail iiourishe,
She still sail bee yc foremost State
And create MEME aye sail nourisho.
Tho for u whyle she slit in eloomo
And mOurnc hvr Dearest Slain,
She sail not lyngcr DER We tombe
But ryse sgcn to reign.
For fourc longe yccrs hyr soylo sail rcek
WITH hyr owne children's gore,
And Libortic awhyle sall scckc
Another, kynllicr shore.
Theme for a TYNE an Alien Horde
Sail grynde hyrt0 yc grounde,
Nor sail hyr Freedom be restored
Till ten longc yecres goe roundo.
Att last beholde hyr tremblinge hande
Cnlurlc ye Shyrte OF Boode
Hyr soncS arySc, and Free meme stan(
Where their Free Fathers stoode.
Still for q whylc hyr sonncs sail taste
Yecurse of Povcrtio,
And see their landes 4 Desert Waste
Where Plentie used to bee.
Hunger. a lcanc Wolfe, longe sail stand
Att Cardinals doorc
Care, Want and Debt, a BanC
Sail stake hvrbroad landes DER.
Then sail she see with fearful eyes
And lcarne with bated breath
How hvr Chief Ruler STRICKEN lies
Even at the Gate of Death.
Butt darkest houres come ncercst dayt
Her TYNE Of tryall DER,
Theme sail We dark cloudcs flee away
TO come back nevermore.
Unmurmuryngc she sail drink uppe
ltNr Dlttcr QratlHht OF SOrroWC,
Till Fate sail breake ye cmptie cuppe
And brynge a brighter morrowc.
That brighter mornc sail como att lengt
Ne h' Epic Golden lccro,
And .'ryngc new Hope and frcsh-bol
Strengthc
lIyr Iain;ing ucartc to chccrc.
1Iyr patriot Ruler theme she'll SEQ
Agen restored to lIcalthc:
Plcntie and Peace and Libcrtic
Sail bless hyr Commonwealth.