Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1881-06-23
Tom irter's Talk.
ln Which He Describes Well Known
Character.

Once. when | was very unhappy,
I wrote 3 description Of the summer
visit of the average oolored e2cur-
sionist TO tho city, and have been
SO often to Reproduce 1t
that will give ii mere instead OF my
usual batch o: nonsense. We have
seen him drop the plow handles in
open field, don his Sunday harness,
and HE to town on the first hins OF
an excursion. That's the word that
puts the darkey on 8 skewer and
broils his soul IN red hot ecstasy. Ex-
cur>!on wing 8 whole mount 'iR OF
ioy drops out .; that one word. 10
the colored gentleman OF the corn
fed it has :. sweeter sound than
emancipation, and he hangs on to the
tale Of It's mention in dreamy bliss.
The cotton field. the corn field or the
potato patch is left to hoe its own
row when IN excursion is Oh hand.
The excurs:onlst may not have
bread, his clothes ragged and his feet
hare, yet, he saves from his scant
wages sufficient of evil ior the day
thereof. He cometh into town, ar
ra7ed like the lily oi the valley, and
Solomon in ali his glory:was not ar
rsyed Ike one Of these. He Wsap-
pelh his neck in the erubescent gor.
geousness o: = red flannel cravat, and
adolne,h his ebon rotundity with
buttonless white vest o: ancient cut.
He sporteth upon his calabash the
shattered remains OF 3 st. Patrick g
day ping, and runneth his hand lar
into the cavernous depths OF tine same,
for the wind of the city bloweth rude.
He buttons lis grass llneu duater
around Lis manly yet ungainly shape,
by the top button; be wearclh upon
his broad espanse OF Ieet the unciip-
ped hides Of Il pair Of bulI yearlinsa,
upon which he lavisheth the wealth
o. box OF blacking. He encaseth
his oblong legs in pants that are
wriukled like unto "a washerwoman 8
iirger, and be delusively spTinkleth
sugar IN his shoes to coax, yet vainly
coax, the rim OF pants 10 proper
length. He weareth socks which
toldetIl into folds and esposeth Il
section OF rusty lee.
Thus decked ont III what he con-
sidereth an extremely high toned cos
tune, he madIv p!ungeth firstly int"
the nearest grocery, and Tor nickel
purchaselh Two excursion cigars. The
average excursion cigar is severely
bere.t OF tobacco. 1t IS composed o:
brown payer and cabbage leaves, wlth
q fnll ou.rantee ia smell bed and
generate ,moke. He placetn the
spare cigar ienderly and carefully in
the upstairs pocket Of aiq white 'es';
then he :iehteth the other WITH 5ae
air OF ne~ policeman and ca!ieth
for nickel drink OF sragger Juice
corn. D: nour$e. Corn is the iavorlte
beverage for the ezcurs!onisr. It pos
sesaeth :, generous iareweA and seem
eth to make torchlisbt procession
Of his !nnard>. Thus armed. the e:z
cursionist lets himself loose on7 Ike
town. He walketh down the street
with the importance Of boy with a
new sweetheart. and The smoke 'rhlch
evolveth from his cigor rivaleth win
color and volume that which oometh
IRON the stack o! Il coal burning 10
comotive. He goeth down the street
with the tread OF a conqueilng hero
and the sidewalk echoeth his steps.
Finally he hecometh weariad. He
forgeteth that in the field thai he
worketh and worketh from sannp tc
sundown; hut the clty;s pavement
tireth him tearluliy. He ,akelh IN
anoter nickel iod. DoSsone the eX-
pense. He saisth over the town In
whirlwind otimportance. He eoend
eth aickela Tor soda water The dar
keY icveth not the frothy stter7es
ceuce but Inc white man Gu77leth 30
da and so willhr. He fileru lis poc!1
els with peanut, and cake, an;; .ooE'
eth asl,auce a: he black blushlne
ma;dans who eyeth him "a he tw!stf
around the street corner. lie raean'
dereth the happieat mortAlin earth
a broad blissfui laugh sprcadeth over
his anatomy from head to zoe.
He meeteth an acquaipianca-per
haps his young maeter"-and sha-
keith lis hand ";est like white trash.
lie throweth with G tllrt his plug
farther back on his csiahasr, button
eth ni. thumbs in ;he arnholes OF h!s
vest and stmkeih An attitude. The
brown paper found in his mouth
smokeIh like well organized tar.
kin. and ne runneth over the time
wut we used TO hab" with young mas
ter with a tongue miraculously glin,
On the strength OF this meeting, com
hlned with previous happiness, he
plungeth into the iiquory whore t4s
cayenne Juice is slnog over the bar.
lie calleth unon The crowd to line