The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-08-16

81.
still pronounce mama and papa long with
the accent on the second syllable, while
our up country people pronounce it broad
with the account on the first.
Simplicity was the marked characters:
tic of the!past age-simplicity in habits,
| manners and customs. The people lived
and acted the truth of Pope's couplet:
"Man wants but little here below.
Nor wants that little long"
They we're honest; they were faithful
and true in their domestic relations; |;
they earned their daily bread, and had
no respect for money gained by trick or
hazard or speculation.
Their sports and pastimes we're rough
and rude, and their quarrels we're settled
without pistols. Court week and the
general musters were their semi.annual
holidays. An oldfashioned muster was
equal to modern "Mardi Gras." The
governor was the commander in chief,
but as he could not be personally present,
the militia were reviewed by proxy.
Every county had an aidde camp with
the rank of colonel. he held bis rank
and title as long as the governor held bis
Office, and he was expected 10 holler for
him and talk for him and boom him, and
if necessary, he.must fight for him on 8
suitable occasion. fthe governor failed
of re election, these colonels had to retire
too, and q new set we're appointed, but
the old set never Lost their title, and so
the state in course Of time got pretty full
of colonels. On muster day the colonel
wore cockade hat and red plume and
epaulssa5 and long brass sword and big
brass spurs, and horse pistols 10 the hol-
sters ofhis saddle, and he and his personal
staff rode up and down the lines review.
ing the militia, who we're drawn up in q
double crooked straight line in a great
big field, that was full of gullies and
broom sage. Some wore coats and some
didn't; some wore shoes and some didn't
but none wore boards, for in those days
none wore boards but gamblers. Some
were armed with shotguns and some with
rifles or muskets, but most of them car
ried sticks and cornstalks and umbrellas,
and they stood up or squatted down at
pleasure, and about half the time were
hollering for water. The colonel and his
staff rode up and down the lines on fine
horses that danced and pranced like
there were tacks under the saddles The
roll of each company was called and
every man answered to bis name whether
he was there or not. Then the colonel
took central position and faced the long
audience and waved his glittering sword
and exclaimed, Attention, battalion |!
Shoulder arms, right face, march n Then
the kettle drum ratified aud the fife
squeaked and some guns went off half:
cooked, and the militia gave three cheers
for the colonel and were disbsnded until
the next muster.
Old man Brooks was the chief musician
in my day and would not have exchapg-
ed this Office with the king of England.
He always played Brooks march for the
militia to locomote by. They never
marched or kept step by the music, but
they got along somehow by walking and
trotting and pacing and fox trottiug by
turns.
Old father Brooks played his part we'll
in the drama or farce, or whatever it was.
He magnifed his Office. He loved music.
He said his fife was his life and his fiddle
was his riddle. On his last bed he sent
for my father to come and see him. Old
and wrinkled and cadaverous, he mo-
toned to be propped up in his bed, and
then with an inverted chair behind his
pillow he pointed to his fiddle that ley
upon the shelf near by and it was handed
'to him. Hugging it to his old bosom he
smiled amid bis tears and whispered II
wish that / could play you one more
time" The night the old man died with
his left hand closed hard and rigid around
the neck of his violin.
After the muster was over then came
the horse racing on quarter nags and
horse swapping and of course some pugi-
listic exercises in front Of the groceries.
Jim Bowles was the center of crowd
from his beat and stripped to the waist,
he pranced around and popped bis fist in
the palm of his hand and jumped up and
cracked his heels together three times
before they struck the ground and gave
a wild Ipjum whoop and exclaimed:
"Pm the best man in Pinkneyville dis.
trict." About that time big Jim Robin
son jumped up in the center Of another
crowd and yelled, "I'm the best man in
Ben Smiths deestric," and Mic Rawlins
screamed like q panther from another
crowd and gritted his teeth, and shook
his hair and yelled, Gentlemen, my
Betsy Jane says I'm the best man in
Rockbridge deestrict, and reckon she
ought for to know"
It was just like gamecocks Growing
in the barnyayd, and, like the cocks, two
of them soon got together and went to
fighting, and everybody stood around and
shouted, "hands of, gentlemen stand
back, gentlemen. Hands off; let 'em
fight fair and square," And they fought
hard and fought long, and when one Of
them got to be the bottom dog in the
fight, and hollered "enough," the
show was over, unless the victor dared to
crow again, and had to tackle another
rooster. I have known Mic Rawlins to