The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-07
PLUNKETT'S MEMORIES
The Old Man is Opposed to Mod
ern Changes.
THE GRAVEYARD BY THE CHURCH.


cranky, and that professor what teaches at
the academy says I'm err mono-maniac on the
subject of progress"
That professor" spoke up Brown, sis al
ways er throwing out his highfalutin words"
II don't know the meaning of their big
words continued Plunkett, but I've seed
the day when just as smart school teachers as
ne Is wore jeans to church,
and it was home made at that"
I'D like to see," spoke up Brown, zone of
OF these here since-the-war gals, with that
hump on thar back. stand up by the side of
the Georgia gals with the pretty homespun
dress, that they'd made themselves er during
the war;
eyes," continued Plunkett "the women
done mighty well during the war, and they
suffered heap, but they didn't make much
fuss erbout it, like the mon"
"Thats the way wimin is" chimed in
Brown, "Wimin suffer and don't take on
much. My old oman made me ershamed of
myself on that. 1t used to be that when had
the tooth ache or head ache I'd groan
Ground and quit work and knock
thunder outen the children and tho old oman
when she was aching would jest go erlong with
her work erbout as common, till l didn't be-
leve she was hurting much. One day when
she had the toothache, an warn't saying much
erbout it, the doctor come erlong the road and
she stopped him and set down III er chair and
had five teeth pulled fore she ever got up and
didn't make no to do over it either. I'd always
been 'er getting billing drunk when l had er
tooth pulled and then, with er pint of liquor
under my shirt, I'd howl and kick and talk
erbout it for er week. but quit after 1 seed
her and haint had no excuse to get drunk
since.
a.,
day when we made everything right here at
home, and the farmers didn't have no mort
cages on their places then"
"Salt," spoke Brown, 1--WE made our salt
during of the war;
eyes," continued Plunkett, "every smoke
house in Georgia was dug up during of the
war, and the dirt put in or hopper and run down
like ashes when you make lye, and it made
mighty good salt too"
"They needn't talk to me" continued Plum
kett, "I've seed the day when er shoemaker
could settle down at any cross road and make
as good er living as any man need to want,
and I've seed the day that I'd rather been er
blacksmith than to have been sent to the legis-
lature."
"Snce these progressive times-as they call
| em-come in, shoemakers and wagon
makers and blacksmiths and SIGH like get or lit
! tie mending to do, but they have erheap of
| time to set GROUND and cuss the dullness of
their trades Its railroads and machinery and
! progress that has made it so, and don't see
any good such things have done the country
| cepting to build up towns here and there,
where you'd least expect it, but / told EN- so.
I'm old Knownothing days the men in my
settlement were going GROUND pulling their
mouths to one side, and winking and making
every kind of sign that you'd have to jine to I'M
| derstand, and they'd harp on the things from
| the old country er coming over here and perish
| ishing out our mechanics, and they said they
| were going to stop their goods and them too
| from coming, but they didn't built was pretty
| warm times for erwhile, and the whole settle
smcnt got stirred up and were erbout to jine
the Knownothngs, but Ben Hill made an APP
pointment to make er speech, and failed to
COMO, AMI / know in reason that if Ben had er
got ermong en-, thar wouldn't have been one
left outside of the Knownothing party, but in
place of his coming, there come along in few
days fellow by the name of Lochrane,
young Irshman, and the men and wimin
both gathered to hear him speak, and that set
tied Knownothingism in that settlement
"Lochrane," continued Plunllctt, "worlled
on the wimin. He told eTbout the faithful
wife that had followed him from ercross the
ocean, and how she had died at Savannah, and
how he had promised her to visit the grave
and keep il green and how. after erwhile, their
two little children had died and were laid be-
side the mother, and then he drew picture OF
how he would feel, if the knownothngs were
successful, standing at the graves of these dear
ones Just before returning to the old country.
He cried, | cried and everybody cried, and
dinged if it wouldn't or took Ben Hill to
counteract that speech, and as he failed to
como there warn't but three knownothing
votes cast at that precinct, and we learned ar
ter the election that Loehrane didn't have no
dead wife and children.
"They are still err talking" continued the
old man, d" and the niggers they are beginning
to take hold Of these signing organizations
There's been er fellow GROUND or talking er-
bout what he calls the knights of Labor, and
there something up ermong the farmers erbout
what they cal! an alliance, and if the niggers
git to winking and blinking at each other, and
the whites have their signs, it will be bad
times with me and Brown, for We arc too old
now to jine any of 'cm."
"Well," spoke up Brown, "Tm erfcared of
these organizations. on crcount Of the niger
for if his siety tells him to quit work, he's
MORN apt to do if, but [ hope he II get his
chickens from the whites who have set the ex-
ample Of forming these organizations.
THE church is good enough for me, without
haunting up secret things to jine. Continued
Plunkett," but thar'5 no use in talking for
they'll do just like some Teller that wants ef-
flee tells them to do and they'll never under
| stand that when er felcr gets in some high
Office and begins to get rich he ceases to be one
| OF us, till they try it seyenty-fyo or thirty
! times, like have and then they IL want some
/ body to kick 'em all over big horse lot for
/ not knowing il before
/ "Thar's too much progress. too
much machinery too much or
! ganization, too much change. Magnify
/ the church and keep it pure, that's my
/ notion" said Plunkett IS lie stopped and
| dipped his pipe in the Goals, preparatory to
/ taking q smoke. After a Whit or two at his
! pipe, the old man continued
"Look at the old churches Of tie land.
| They arc being torn down in order that they
/ may be moved TO some railroad station We
used to cherish the church, for there we'd
! meet and know and love each other and serve
/ orr God. In the little graveyard near by,
we'd bury our dear ones, and meeting days