The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-05-03
what he saw in Charleston.

week on my retnrn from Charleston
I was so chock full of the city by the
sea. and what saw, that l felt like a
can of dynamite, ready to burst wide
open and when the young foreman
told me the Herald was full up, 1 felt
ready to hear Gabriel blow his horn.
1t was a cruel blow, and the delay has
proved serious loss. have forgotten
much more than I remember. The trip
down furnished but two incidents
which fastened Oh my mind, one was
the monotonous cry of the tall young
man, of ''oranges, bananas" the look
that he bestowed upon the passenger
reminded me of the sick Irishman, who
never said word for six weeks in the
month of August but 'wather, wather.'
The only words he seemed to know
were 'orans es, bananas occasionally
he would Of. a return trip through the
crowded coaches. vary the monotone
by crying bananas, oranges We felt
for him, felt nickle in our pocket, but
that nickle was not for Joe,' 1 could
not encourage him. What 4 preacher
he would make, if he used no more
words in his sermons than in his present
occupation. Some preachers use too
many words. One of my little boys
once, on being asked how he liked the
new preacher, replied, "oh, pa, he puts
too many words in his prayer" Just
so. why I've heard them pray for every
thing except jack-knife. The other
thing, the constant stoppages to eXtin-
guish the fire in the aXle-boxes. The
train was so delayed by this cause, that
my hope of making connection with
the Charleston train went out before
the fire. Reaching Columbia, sure
enough the Charleston train was gone,
but after an hours waiting, second
train was got. ready, and at 1.l5 the
city was reached and host of friends
found waiting.
Dear old Charleston, how great my
love for you, the very smell OF your
escaping gas, mixed with the odors
from dock and drain which make up a
large portion of your atmosphere sa-
lutte my nostrils familiarly and not un-
pleasantly, for l know that lam there.
1t was too late to get more than the
smell and a bed. Early in the morn
ing sounds came floating through my
window: busy life had begun, and milk
carriers, baker boys, vegetable vendors,
fish hawkers, egg perambulators, crab
crawlers, 'petetter' yellers, all were
''going by tell you." Drawing on my
garments Iwonderedw what had become
of the. old water 'milion' carrier, and
would his song
'.Some are large and some are small,
Just suited to the wants of ALL"
be ever heard again. No doubt he is
gone to the happy hunting grounds,
''for he had no teeth to eat the corn
cake, so he had to let the corn cake be-"
Some other "old Ned. will don his
greasy mantle, and Charleston will not
miss him, and her beautiful, queenly
rivers ebb and flow as ever, and people
will still look with rapture upon her
broad and magnificent battery, her
spacious market, her tile rooted man
sions, her splendid crowded streets, her
superb stores, her fine public buildings,
her lovely cemetery, her street cars,
her docks, ana her shipping. These
things will always prove attractive, and
Joys forever. Dear old city, love you,
my eyes first saw the light Of life there,
it was stormy that eventful morning,
''the wind it whistled and the porpoise
rolled" but tonderly was l reared, /
was neither murdered, ship-wrecked
nor sold for slave" and ''since then
I'VE sailed through storm and strife
full fifty summers troubled life," but
of course if I lad not lived through it
all l would not now be star actor on
the stage of life. l am glad of it.
A barefoot boy have I roamed from
Battery to Line street, and drank the
brackish water from the old pump
which stood a few feet from King ST.
Sniffies' feet are encased in split lea
ther shoes now. and corns are on the
feet, his legs e stiff, and his tastes
have changed, and there are several
drinks more agreeable than that water.
went to the Floral Fair, and found
Newberry largely represented, it was
beautiful and very Floral, it was all on
one floor too, there were floral horse
heads, floral clock, floral arm chair,
a floral guitar, floral we'll, bucket and
windlass, a FlJra McFlimsy, and be-
Wy Of other Flcras, besides many other
charming Florll conceits and fancies.
1 was nearly fl o,cd from fatigue. But
was sustained by the presence OF the
beautiful women, l have ever liked
them, and am proud to say that 1 have
several relatives and friends among the
adorable sex, and there is Mrs. Sniffies,
the fairest of them all. / went two
nights.
The Citadel Cadets Were on dress
parade when l saw them. They are
soldierly, and drill already like veter-
ans. Orderly Jas. Kinard in command
of QUE company, seemed proud to be
noticed by his distinguished friends
from home, it could not have been
more to his ta> te had he ordered it him
self. Silas Mclaughlin beamed with
delight, as did Harry Blease, all three
looked like big sun-fowers, and alto
gether lovely.
In the soft twilight OF one evening,
Iisited a Mansfield, there were three
other men there. We had music on
the horn and piano. After blowing
on the horn, the blower left the room.
He went to sec man, it is quite the
thing to see man between acts. The
others followe,', they were interested.
The individual interviewed had a long
neck and had been gagged by a cork
in his mouth. 1t took three men to
draw that cork. He was full of spirit,
and impaired some of it to each OF the
three. was not acquainted with that
man and did not 60 out. The horn
became mellitluous after the relief al
forded the man with the cork in his
mouth.
The fire department is reduced to
science, and b ing reduced scientist,
l had some curiosity to see how the
thing worked. Twelve O'Clock is the
time. The doors stand open night and
day, the engine is near the door, the
hose reel behind it, the horses in their
stalls to the rear, facing the machines,
they are kept in by chains which fall
down by electric shock, as an alarm is
sounded; the harness is suspended in