Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-12-19
Bill Arp.
TELLS OF HIS BOYHOOD AND ITs
TRIALS.

wish was a hoy and had as
much mans sense as I have got now.
1t makes me right sad to see Carl
ana his schoolmates plotting and
planning for their Saturday frolics.
| want to go with them, but I can't.
| see them cleaning ont their guns
and loading up their shells and pat
ting the pointer dog and talking so
mcrrlIy about the birds they are 90.
ing to kill, but can't 90. want
to climb walnut tree and shake the
limbs and hear the music of the wal
nuts rattling down. l want to 90
chestnut hunting and cut off the top
limbs with n hatchct or if the trees
are large and tall show my skill in
Knocking the burrs down with sticks
us used to do on the old academy
MI. We boys used to take our
bundle of sticks with us to school
and hide them under the house until
playtlmc. want to 90 'possum
hunting and hear the music of the
dogs on the track and the welcome
bark when they had trccd one OF the
dusky varmints up a 'simmon tree or
black gum or under clay root.
what Il glorious frolic it was to cut
him down or dig him out and then
split stick for his curly tail and
and shoulder him and move on for
another victim. want to 90 coon
hunting and see the fight. I want to
90 rabbit hunting in the snow.
want to climb mlscadine vine and
hunt for black haws and May pops.
want to go to The mill and run a
horse race back and cry "school but
ter" as pass the country school
house on the way. Then the boys
would lay for us the next time and
surround us and attack us with
sticks and rocks and trash poles and
the way we ran the gauntlet was
thrilling. think Of all these youth
ful frolcs when | sec these boys
start out and want to go, but 1
can't, fm too old, my times out,
couldn't keep up. The spirit is
willing but the flesh is weak, very
weak. 1t makes me puff and blow
to run or fox trot hundred yards
now. My legs are overloaded with
corporosity but my arms arc all
right. | can chop wood on a wager
with most any man and win it.
1t was a rough young life in those
days, roughcr than it is now, for we
didn't wear shoes much, nor coats,
nor undcrshirts, nor drawers, and a
homemade cap or scalskin cap
would last two or three years, and
then be handed down to the next
boy. Sore toes and stoncbruiscs and
burrs in the feet or splintcrs in the
fingers were common to every boy,
for there was no aristocracy then.
Three yards of nankccn and shirt
and pair of galluscs set n school
boy up pretty well for summer, and
suit of country jeans and pair of
shoes was mighty fine for winter.
Our mothers cut out garments and
made them and it didn't cost more
than five dollars year for boy, all
told. But now it takes about three
suits year of store clothes for the
boys. Then there are ten dollars
more Tor hats and shoes. And there
are collars and cuffs and cravats and
handkcrchicfs and gloves and gold
buttons and so forth. went into q
store in Atlanta yesterday to buy mo
a coat and a young man measured
me and got out coat and put it on
and he said it fit nc beautifully and
| said it didn't and he said it was
not the fault of the coat but nv
shoulders were awkwardly built. I
asked him if he thought was de-
formed, and lie said no, not exactly
dcIormcd, but out of the proportion,
and so | departed those coasts. 1
tried another store, and they jcrkcd
me into bobtail cutaway, and said
il was Just splendid, looked so mob
by and gcntccl told him | wanted
a frock coat--a black cloth frock
coat and he curlcd up his lip and
said that nobody but lawyers and
preachers wore them now, and they
didn't have my size. SO I departed
those coasts and kept on trying until
| got what wanted but had to have
the sleeves cut off little to suit my
arms. IHu,ta Constitution.
EDOcl.