Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1886-03-11
FRANCIS MARION POSEY.
CHM WHAT HAD ORTER BIN
CALLED POPSNOODLE.n
A Quarrel Over Christening and
and What Came of 1t. The Origin of
q Famous Remark.

A Quarrel Over a Christening and
and What Came of 1t. The Origin of
Famous Remark.
BY EDWARD PAYsoN HALL.
For The Sentinel
Imperiousness and ignorance were
unreasonably associated in the char
acter of that noted and venerable an
cestor of the Posey tribe, to wit, the
silver-locked and snowy-beardedP Pops
noodle Posey.- He was the most head
strong and oveIbearing, as we'll as the
most miserable deficient and mistaken
man who ever shifted through life the
wholesome breezes filtered, rarefed
and purified by their passage through
the pine cones and needles of the for
ests of Tar River And he somehow
absorbed tarry second nature, BY
continual contact, from the sticky
resin excluding timber-he inconti-
nently stuck fast to any notion he hap
pened to take, whether wise or foolish,
sound or rotten, polite or impolite,
till the dell pulled him loose at last.
Yet he had his graduated moods or
degrees of divergence from this stub
born standard or North Polar star of
his nature, toward fabbier and hum
bier extreme-only varied or regulat-
ed of course from the rigid centre by
the way the wind blew or the price of
saw-stocks, turpentine and cotton. He
Popsnoodle Posey, was no other and
no less than the bright original of the
man we have all heard of, who, when
returning from market, to strangers
inquiry regarding the price of cotton
made answers which have become
legendary.
When cotton was low, he did invar-
iably, and in the meekest prostration
of a broken spirit reply
"Down to fore'n baf-Gollamitey,
stranger, Ize ruinated, poor and needy.
lie frum Tar River, Norf Kerliner-
gimme chaw-ter-bak er, please SIR
When cotton was high, cooking his
old beaver on one side of his head and
cracking his whip scientifically at his
lead horse, he would sing out:
"Cotting in Camding is selling at
sewing and eleving, by hevings! Git
up thar Ball-whatd' l rub that bran
on yer nose fur? Clar the track,
stranger, or I'll drive over ye, shure p
His fourth son among flock of
five flial representatives, to wit, Pops
noodle Posey, Jr., had got little
money together about the time he be-
became efree," Ca ridiculous delusion
delusion as far as his allegiance to P.
p, Senior was concerned gone OH a
visit to some relatives down on the
South Carolina coast, and while there,
married, by the merest accident a
poor, but tolerably well-educated lady
named Bertha Hines then, returning
to his paternal prison, he had settled
on corner of his fathers farm. Not
long afterward, in the natural course
of events, his wife had presented him
| with an infant son.
Now it was the chiefest and chur-
lishest of the elder Popsnoodle's afore
said extravagant notions that every
one of his male descendants of right
ought to be called Popsnoodle, after
and in honor OF his own name, wheth-
er they were indeed so christened or
not All of his five sons would have
been called Popsnoodle, if it had not
been SO sternly forbidden by the sim
plest laws of custom and convenience
He already had no less than three
grandsons named Popsnoodle, each
/ the first born male of his three elder
sons families and each and everyone
remembered in his latest will and tes-
lament by special gift of 5000 pre-
MUM for sticking fast to Old Stick
fast's name. And, bless you, to be
sure Popsnoodle Juniors new son
must be a Popsnoodle too, by lua
non scripta, yet engraven on the fami
ly tablets and kept there by grand
paps foolish and tyrannical calcula
/ tions.
But too much of a thing, even 6
good thing, (Which this lacked of be
ing,) will rebel and turn on the stom
ach. The melody of Popsnoodle was
wearing out, in other folks ears al
least, no matter how musical it was te
"grandpap" Mutterings mot loud
but deep.'-inkling of incipient rebel
lion-had been in recent years grow
ing audible, and could now be family
but distinctly heard behind "grand
! pap's" back coming like pent.up vol
canic growls from his too musically
inclined sons and heirs and their var
iety loving and split spouses.
please, father, let me call hin
Francis Marion-it's such pretty
name," begged the maternal Bertha.
"Pap, I tell you what it is fur; ful
to christen him arter both Of us anC
arter all three of brother Jim's ana
Johns and Abraham's children too
will be more'n you orter ixpict!" re
monstrated Popsnoodle Junior, No. 1
"Grandpap, do read Aunt Bertha's
big book with the picters in it, Doc
tor Weem's Life Of Marion, ano
you'll like the name she's picked first
rate" put in Popsnoodle Junior. No
I2.
/ "He was the Swamp Fox" suggest
ed very meekiy, little Popsnoodl,
Junior, No. 8.
"And he whooped the Britishers,
was still the smaller Popsnoodle Jun
ior, No. As peace offering to the pill,
of agony now fast accnmulating OF
"grandpap's" back.
my back is broad, snarled the OLE
man, "and I kin bear it, / reckon, e
you all is tarmined to kerry you
/ pint. But ez shore ez you're born, 9