Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-10-02

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likely that she could be forced into a posi-
ton in which she could be victimized ; but
a victim she was from her birth to her death
or, to use a prettier but more hackneyed
phrase, "from the cradle to the grave"
Her parents lived in Columbia-perhaps
were born here. Patsy certainly was, fol
we have heard our own grandmother say
that she was there present in the room when
Patsy Ann came near being made a victim
for the first time, and by her own father too
Mrs. White (who might we'll have been the
original of Dickens "Mrs. Camp" having
the tastes and peculiarities of that estima'
BILE LADY, was in those days famous accou
cheur among some of the people, and OF
taking time even to look at the baby girl
though pronouncing her "the very spit o.
her daddy" she deposited her carefully or
the capacious seat Of an arm chair, by the
bed, while she compounded some mysterious
mixture for the mother, the principal ingre
dient of which was brandy, and the princi'
pal labor Of which was tasting; and then
and there most horrible tragedy was on
the point of being enacted, and Patsy Ann
being made victim for the first and last
time.
But even now, when our heroine's valua.
BILE life seems on the verge of extinction
and the readers curiosity amounting almost
to agony, we must pause to describe her re-
spectacle father. And if we were only sure
that everybody was familiar with the
appearance of Don Quixote's celebrated
esquire" "Sancho Panza," a personal des'
cription of Mr.. Silas Silverskin would be
unnecessary. We would only have to say
that he was Sancho Panza on an enlarged
scale. So much enlarged that it would be
impossible to toss him in blanket; and he
was so much more dignifed, that he could
be esquire" to no one. He must be master
Indeed, 50 dignifed was he that he was
known, even among little boys, as "Old
Pomposity," and his first born child, "Wash.
ington Lafayette DeKalb," was so exactly
like him, that before he was ten years old
he was called "Young Pomposity ;" and
when the old man died and this owner Of
great names became bald-headed and stout
he was called Old Pomposity.
We remember seeing him after he inner.
tied the name, standing on a spot which we
had often seen occupied by his father, and
quite turn. We were young then, and oul
nurse was believer in ghosts.
Mr.. Silas Silverskin was pleasant to look
upon. He never suggested ideas of famine
pestilence, or want of any kind; owned 9
snug home and paying business. We will
not mention in what locality, because he
may have some fOrty-second cousin still
living, who might take offence at something
we may say, strict truth though it be. And
we fear the remarkable memory of Mr.. E
J. Scott, who, with the slightest clue, would
identify him.
Mr.. Silverskin had been rather late in
taking wife, waiting, he said, to "scrape
together something to live upon;" and Mrs
Silverskin had been rather late in taking &
husband, waiting, it wassaid, to get chance
In that respect they were well matched; but
"there all likeness ends between the pair
No two people could differ more, mentally
and physically. Mr.. S. was considered g
sociable, good-natured, and liberal man, and
might be so for if ever he was cross or un'
reasonable, it was only at home, where he
could not annoy his friends. If he ever did
give utterance to bitter sarcasms, it was
only in his own family. If he did snap and
snarl on slight provocation, it was only al
his own wife and children. If he was often
morose and unSociable, it was only at home
If he did pinch and save and grumble at ex-
penditures, it was only in his own house
and if man cannot throw off all restraint
there, we would like to know where he can.
lie Was slow and deliberate in speech, fond
"mouthing monstrous nothings." People
forgot the beginning of remark before ne
reached the end. He looked with suspicion
on all new comers to the town and imme
diately decided that "they were after nc
good" He opposed all new inventions
Book agents, he detested. Map sellers he
despiSed and if those two energetic Atlanta
map men, Hudgins and Tally, had then eX.
listed, they would have found graves here
Silverskin would have slain them, if looks
and buster could have done it. There were
no sewing machines here in those days, and
consequently, no agents. Had there been,
we feel assured that Silverskin would have
trained blood-hounds for their special bene
Messrs. Roach, Malone, Mckinley, Viii.
liams and the rest, would have been borne
to their afflicted families, one after the other
till the whole race was extinct, and our es'
teemed young coroner, w. Scott, and his ef
fcient deputy, Walter f. Stratton, if in eX
istence, would certainly have gone out # il
while in the performance Of such heavy
duty.
Verify, there was noble heart in thai
roomy body of Mr.. Silas Silverskin, but ne
did not make public boast of these amia
BILE and liberal sentiments, but only venti'
lated them at home, and in other safe places
Mrs. S. was a complete contrast to hel
husband. In person thin, in movements
quick, in speech rapid. She had good
face, lighted up by a pair of keen black eyes
which could at times express great tender
ness, especially when they rested on hel
children; and they could flash like fire
when her temper was aroused by the sneers
and sarcasms of Mr.. S., which were always
to her unanswerable. She used to say thai
she could find a reply for any direct asser
ton or accusation, but "Silverskin's round
about way of talking and insinuating, she
must own, outdone her; and way he hao
of looking knowing out Of those little greer
eyes of his, as if he could tell a powerful
sight of things, to make somebody feel small
if he had a mind to, fairly drove her frantic
and it come the harder because she wouldn't
crafty him by letten on to notice it," Don'1
be uneasy, dear reader, we haven't forgot
the poor little baby we left on the verge o
extinction. Well take her up directly.
Mrs. Silverskin was very neat in hel
person, and neat to a fault in her house
Her bedroom was the perfection of cleanli
ness and comfort. We cannot say beauty
because she had no fashionable chamber set
too fine for use she had no elegantly trim
med pilloWShamS, to be removed at night
revealing plain time-wOrn cases to SLEEP
on; she had no silk ''craZy quilt''-those
time-cOnsuming, money wasting things
that a friend of ours is now wearing out her
precious eyes over; she had no handsome
Splasher over her wash stand. How she
cOntrived to live without these modern i'm.
provements, we don't know; but she did
and her husbands careless, slovenly ways
at home (he was perfect pink of propriety
abroad) annoyed her terribly. He always
came in putting and blowing, as if he had
just got through the hardest kind of work
and was perfectly exhausted, when he had
just come from Cotton Town, where he had
spent the whole summer afternoon, playing
chequers or backgammon, at the shady store