The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-10-18
w idOw IOckerv
by ANGELINE TEAL.

by ANaEhINE TEAL.
I made her acquaintance at an Old
Settlers reunion. The club, which
held its yearly meetings Mt Gershcm.
of 1889. All persons who, either as
adults or children, had settled in the
tho district covered by the organization
previous to or within that year were en-
titled to enrolment.
a group of men were discussing wheat
prospects. They seemed to belong to
that class in whom the uncertainty of
the farmers hope had bred n condition
of chronic foreboding. One said the
wheat was too strong, and would all be
lodged" before harvest. Another
thought the recent rains would produce
crust in the stalk" A third predicted
hot, dry time, that would cause it
to 'fire at the root"
Old Seth Householder had been q re-
markably good shot in his time. We
paused in our sauntcr to hear him tell
about it. He was grotcsque cid man,
with yellowish curling hair hanging
over the collar of his clean calico shirt.
"I presume theirs good many old
fcllers here" said he, chat minds about
the doggery Hank Sloan KEEP over on
the old State road. He KEEP II little
stock Of grocery, too, and about once o
fOrtni't he'd hev shootn' match. He'd
tie up bundles of tea and terbackcr and
sugar, and we'd shoot fer 'em. Well
one afternoon in the beginnin' of winter
1T was tho thirty-first of November, if
mind rght-Hank had shoot. Their
was just scventy-thrco of them pack
ages, and when the match was out, and
Hank told 'em over, all but four was
marked 'S. Householder Vas. that
was rather fair shootin'. I tell Won,
gentlemen, it's MI in the optic nerve OF
the eye. Theirs WHARF it lays"
The band began playing on the ros
trum, and the multitude moved toward
the music.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never called to mind d?
Should nuld acquaintance be forgot
And the days Of aud lang syne?"
The sweet horns seemed to speak the
very words
There was roll-call, answered to in
voices varying from the robust, mellow
tones OF middle age to the feebler Ouayer
OF the octogenarian. A brief biographi-
cnl obituary of n late member was read
Then the orator of the day was intro.
duced. After the speech came the bas.
ket dinner under the trees. The after.
noon was devoted to music and story.
telling. An aged farmer named Man.
ming said:
IL was tho first white settler in Deer
Lick Township. Things was middlin
onhandy long Mt first. What 'ud folks
think now of driving thirty miles for ,
bag OF seed wheat and two plow-pints
did that in '37-druv it with oxen
too. 1t was powerful hard work clearin
up my land-timber so heavy and heir
80 scarce. I had one hired man that die
me heap of good. He was only boy
but he was good one, strong -fisted an(
keen-witted. He'd shop all day anC
study his books till ten o'clock at night
He's here to-day, friends, and maybe
some of you knows who mean. IT,
Judge Tazewell, there on the platform
He split and laid up the rails that fenced
my first clearin'. He's been to Con
gress since, and I'm proud to say he'
as honest law-maker as he was fence
maker. / propose three cheers for tII
rall-splitter of the old Tenth district
They were given with energy, ana
Judge TNzewell came down and shook
hands with Uncle Eli Manning.
The president of the club then asked
how many in the assembly had any per
sonal recollection of two-days' hunt
for lost child in the autumn of Al.
"Answer Sunday-Bchool fashion, said
he, and about half o dozen hands went
up.
els tho Widow Lockcry here?" he
next inquired.
II reckon she is" came the answer in
woman's voice from somewhere in the
crowd.
"Mrs. Lockery," continued tho presi-
dent, "found the lost child, and if she
will tell us all about it, I, for one, will
bo much pleased. 1 have vague i'm
preston of tho terror which the hunt
produced and the excitement it aroused
in my childish mind; but I do not re-
member that I ever heard the occurrence
fully described by any one who took part
in the search"
He glanced again in the directio,
whence came that prompt response, and
sat down.
A tall, straigl t woman rose from heI
seat, walked sic WY down the aisle be-
tween the rude benches, and took pO-
sitlon facing thu people. She seemed il
1o hurry to beg n her story, but dclib.
erately took off Ter starohed bonnet and
iaid it on the grass beside her. She
ges the most .enarkabIe persQpage J