The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-03-04

and makes them himself, and wish you
conld see how nicely and how quickly
he can do it. Our school teachers had to
make the pens for all their scholars, and
it took about half their time. for they
had to mend them oftcncr than make
thcm. When the first split wore out
he had to split itagain and trim it down
to new point. His knife was always
ready. Poor man He died before the
steel pens were invented and never got
the good Of them.
But we were used to these ways and
never thought hard Of them. Judge
Lester used to run over to our house Of
a cold morning and say to my mother !:
Please nam, lend Inc chunk Of fire,
and used to go over to his house and
do the samc thing. But We didcnt let
it go out often. We knew how to cover
up fire in the ashes so as to keep it till
morning. I remember going over to
Forsyth county once when an old Indian
lived there by the name Of Sawncc. He
didn't go off with the rest ofthc Indians,
but lived on a mountain called Sawnee
mountain, and he had some grand-sons
about our age. George Lester and Cic-
ero Strong were with me, and we gave
an Indian boy some money to show us
how they got fire when their fire went
out. Hc took two dry hickory sticks
about a foot long and as large as my
thumb and little bunch OF dry grass,
and started off on run; and rubbed the
sticks together SO rapidly than you could
hardly see them, aud tho friction made
fire and caught the grass, and he came
back in half minute with a blaze in
his hand. fused to go down to the stor.
at night with my father and he had
finder box nailed up by the door and
would strike the steel with the flint and
make spark and let it fall on piece Of
punk and light it, and then he would light
his candle from the punk. But matches
came along after while and stopped all
that. / remember the first matches that
came to our town. They were called
Lucifer matches for some folks thought
that the "old boy" had something to do
with them. They smcllcd strong Of
birthstone and were sold at 25 cents
box. Now ten times as many sell for
nicklc. Bnt about lights. Dipping
the candles was one Of the notable
events Of the year. It was almost as
big thing as hog killing. The boys
prepared the canes or ratds about GU in
number, as large as tho little finger
and nearly yard long. They were
smoothed at the, point and put away in
s.s,..dle to dry.-When the time come,
tho sfirst cold weather. in the fall, our
rnother would get out the. candle wick
and wind it round a pair Of cotton cards
end ways and after q good deal was
wound would cut one end with the scis-
sors and that made the wicks when
doubled just long enough for a candle.
Three or four canes were then intcrlaced
through the back Of an old fashion chair
to keep them steady while she loopcd
the wicks around them and twisted their
ends together. Seven wickx were put
on each cane and when the cane was ia
ken out and held horizontal the wicks
hung down and were about two inches
apart. When all the canes were full
they were laid upon table ready for
dipping. The tallow WAS melted in a
big washpot. Some bceswax WAS added
and little alumni. Old plank were placed
on the floor where the dipping and drip
ping was to be. Two long poles or
quilting frames were placed parallel on
the backs Of chairs and were wide
enough apart to let the candles between
and hold up the canes. The bispo had
t" be kept nearly full all the time. A
cane Of wicks was let down slowly in
the pot until the cane rested on its
edges. Then it was lifted up and al
lowed to drip awhile and then placed as
number ono between the long poles
where, if it dripped any more, it was on
the old plank. The first course was
long and tedious, for it took the loose
cotton wick some time to absorb the
tnllow. After that the process was rapid
Tallow would harden on tallow quickly
and at every dripping the little candle,
got larger until after while they were
large enough at the bottom ends to fl
a candlestick, and that ended the Job
They were left on the poles over nigh
and then slipped off the rods and placed
in the candlcbox or an old trunk.
Seven times sixty made 42O candles
and that was the years supply. Onl,
| ono candlc r,c nsvs 81 for Tho .. .hlI> Z,