Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-13
Corre8Dondence Philadelphia Times.

my udgb we ulOnb new no DdnuS Il
screechin' all sorts of unlikely noises"
''What did you do for music then to
dance by!" L inquired.
'Musicg Why, every fellow in old
COlumby county enamOst could pick e.
fiddle. You oughter seed four or five
whOppin' big fellers shuck thar coats an
tune up thar fiddles an go ter work,
while four er five more was a pattin' an
a singin'. Them was dancin' days, an
the FO'th was a big day in the piney
woods settlements.
ave didn't know what ice cream was,
but we had hull beef critters roasted, am
deer, an bar, an them that wanted water
could drink hit, but we allus had bar'l
of whisky with the eend knocked in.
"Ilit want this piZen stuff you git now
adays, but good rep Ticker that wouldn't
hurt nOthin'.
"We useter hev lots of fun in them days
an Pve seed morn a dozen fights durin'
the day thar.
"Thar was my young brother Sam onct
but shO' you don't keer to hear the ole
man talk, l know"
Eyes, do" replied eagerly. "What
did your brother Sam do? When was it
and where was itT'
By this time quite a little crowd had
gathered around the old fellow, and they
joined with me in impOrtuning him for
the story. Finally he took huge bite Of
''nigger twist and started in.
"Hit war down at the place you call
Lake City now. He called hit Alligator.
The Injuns give hit that name, kase there
was SIGH heap on them pesky Varmints
a stayin' in them thar lakes.
''Hit war eenamOst impossible ter keep
any shOats whar they was. Gators is
got lots of sense. They useter make raids
on the pens whar the shOats was fatten-
ing all the time. Some of the planters
had greet big pens, but hit want no use;
them gators would get together an take
nigh about every shOat Outen hit.
"PVe knowed a half-dOZen on 'em to
crawl Outen the water an go up to one
of these here pens. Four of the gators
would form a sOrter lane, an tOther two
would stand on their tails an lift the logs
off, an when the shoats run out the
tOther four would kill 'em. They'd gin
orally manage fer to git a shOat apiece
an then they'd take ter the water an
swim over ter little clumpy islam an
hev a sorter picnic.
''ButI war gwineter tell you about the
picnic we had when Lake City war called
Alligator. Hit war about fifty year ago.
There was a right smart crowd of the
boys thar from all around the kentry fer
miles an miles, an 'mOugst 'em war me
an my brother Sam, which was ten year
younger nor me, but powerful built an
not afeard OF nOthin'.
"rhar was lots of niggers thar, too, for
folks was mighty social in them days, an
we all he'd niggers fer ter wait on us.
Thar was one big powerful buck mig
ger thar which was called Black Alick,'
an he was a-cusSin', an a-blOWin', an
he reckoned that he mOut lick anybody
there was around them parts. Brother
sam had a-been drinkin' right smart, too,
an he felt as peart an sassy-like as the
niger did. Finrally Black Alick
jumped on my brother Sam an thrOwed
him plum on his back an jumped on him,
but Sam he was an ole rough an tumbler,
an he locked both arms around the mig
strike. He had a pair OF these here big
Mexican spurs on an he jess crost his
legs over the niger an war a-jammin
them spurs inter his TANKS fer all he was
with.
''At the same time he was a chawin' of
his face, an he had right smart chance
Of teeth in them days.
''The niger tried his best ter turn him
over, but Sam never Stacked his holt and
KEEP a-chawIn' an a-spurrin' all he could.
The Niger was game, eff he was a Niger,
an stood hit as long as he could, but arter
half his nose was gone he sorter weaken
ed like, bein' no hog, an hOllered fer ter
take him off.
but L seed that he was jess a-waitin'
fer chance to best Sam, SO l drawed my
knife an lowed I'd be dOg-goned if he
should git up yit.
"Then the boys wanted ter pull 'em
apart, an kinder made out that Sam
might get hurt am was willin' ter let go.
| Jess shouted "NO he don'ti Let him be!
Don't you see how Sam is a-lOvin' of him?
See how he's a-huggin' of him. Why,
he's a-lovin of him so that he's jess a.
eatin' of him up"
''The boys they jess did laugh, an finer
ly the Niger seed that we wasn't gwine-
ter help him Outen his scrape, likewise he
got inter hit his Ownself, an ne give a
desprit quick wrench am bruk lOos. L
tell you he was a sight.
'Sam had marked him SOS he'd know
him ag'in an he didn't stop ter say how
dy or gOOd-by, but jess put fer the woods
as fast as he could.
''Sam wasn't hurt at all, skaseIy; on'y
part on his nose was gone. an his left
eye looked sorter bad like whar the mig
ger he'd tried to gOuge it.
sole Deacon Miller said hit was jess
the most amuzenest fight he he'd ever
seed, an he he'd fit many one when he
was yOunker.
''By the way, mentiOnin' of the deacon
minds me of the joke he played on Jim
Simmons the next FO'th July arter Sam
he'd the fight with the niger. Hit war
down to Gopher Lope, an hit was a boss
time, tell you. Jim was greet, tall,
ganglin' cuss, sort of desput man like,
and he KEN in the grounds thar putty
full, fer he he'd been a-drinkin' right
smart with the johnson boys, who KEEP
store down by the river.
"Well, Jim he was a-crowin' am a.cus-
sin an a-makin' out jess as eff he was a.
spilin' fer a fight, firm off his pistol an
skeerin, folks, 'spesh'ly the winning an
children.
sDeacOn Miller was a-standin' some
ways off, with his back turned, an Jim
lowed ter himself that he'd have a right
smart Of fun Outen him; so he run an
Jumped upon the deacOn's back, right
about on his wethers, an thar he chung,
a-screetchin' an a-wh0Opin' like Iniun.
s'The deacon, he was blamed taxed mad,
but he didn't say nuthin', but he jess
reached around quick like an grabbed
Jim by the shanks an hilt ON y eff he had
a mortgage on him drawin' per cent. a
month. About % yards from that, as
nigh as kin remember, was jess about
the biggest brier bush l ever seed in all
my horn days. Hit was the thOrniest an
the brieriest, and the stickynist bush that
anybody ever seed. Dog my skin, eff the
deacon didn't trOt up ter that thar bush
an loosen his grip an dump Jim Sim
mons right far an squar' inter the mid
die of hit.
''Hit took him nigh about ten minutes
to git Outen hit, an he was the wust
scratched up cuss thar was in them parts.
The hull crowd jiss laughed and laughed
at him."
''Well, didn't he offer to ight?" said I.
Il should think he would have been mad
enough to shoot the deacOno
$50 he was" was the reply, SHUT you
see the deacon had his'n already out. and
Jim knOwed the crowd was agin him, fer
he had sOrter commenced the fuss like, so
he iiss wiped the blood often his face.
mounted his creeter am rid off,"