The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-01-10
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Tho Old Man Spends a Glorious Day at
Browns.
AtiantG Constitution.
"Ring out the old Ring in II

Atlanta Constitution.
"Ring out the old! Ring in the
new ~ = Il I-7 tt u
{ There was never: :an!oldryear?:r ?:rang
out with SO little regret as will be the
year 1893. The year has been one Of
calamities; political blunders, inan-
cial failures, floods, storms and cpl
denies prominently mark the old
year. There seems to be willingness
among all classes for the old year to
pass, and every heart bounds with the
hope that the new will be kinder than
the old has been and that prosperity
will come with the change. AS for
me and my folks and Brown and his
folks, we have spent the last week OF
the old year in songs of rejoicing and
the pleasures of feasting. But one
thing-a little mishap to Brown-has
marred the pleasures of all the week.
Brown had his alarm clock IN the shop
up at Atlanta for repairs, and he went
there or Texas pony he had swapped
for, to bring it home. The horse only
SHE'D a little when the clock was
handed up to Brown and it licked
along in his lap for several miles in a
social way, but the alarm had been set
by the jeweler and it went off while
Brown and his new horse were going
down a pretty steep hill. The horse
had been rowing all his life on the
prairies of Texas and had never had
good chance to hump himself down
hill before, and the alarm seemed to
be plenty Of provocation for him to
do his best in that line. AS the
alarm of the clock sounded out, the
horse bounded forth and helter.skelter
they went, horse and rider, down the
hill. No reader acquainted with the
capacity of Texas horse would doubt
as to who came out victorious-the
horse, Of course-and Brown was a
little SCARED up in the fray; but he
held to his little jug and all was
serene in little while, but the horse
is for trade.
spent last Thursday at Browns
house, and happie3 lay have never
had. His good wife was at her best,
and that means much. A jolly crowd
had gathered there-no one would
pretend to be other than jolly at
Browns house. 1t took three tables
to feed US all but there was plenty
and to spare Of the best dinner we had
set down to since the war. There was
plenty of variety all the day through,
| and old and young strove with each
other as to who should give the most
cheer. There were some nice people
out from Atlanta without city air,
| and jolly old Mrs. Kimbrough had to
| stir herself to hold her reputation as
| the jolliest person Of all crowds against
| lady from the city who was almost as
fat as she-fat folks for happy folks
but all were happy, and all OF US
will ever hold in happy remembrance
our Thursday at Browns in 1893.
Not far from Browns is the grave
| Of an old blacksmith, which I have
| mentioned before, but it will do to
tell on every new year. This grave is
marked at its head by an old anvil.
The Oldest inhabitants have almost
| forgotten the brawny smith who sleeps
in this lonely grave, till the passing
| away of an old year and the ringing in
| Of the new refreshes our memories,
and then we saunte2 over and tap the
| old anvil which marks the spot.
Close by the grave to this day a
little mound shows where the smithy's s
forge had stood. There were yet some
| remnents of great oak trees where the
| old smiths children played in the
shade and the little spring still runs
out from a bluff and sparkles across
valley in the field. The old smith
| was unlettered himself, but he worked
cheerfully at his forge to give to his
children opportunities he had never
known, but with all the advance Of
progress, there was one custom of his
he never departed from. 1t was ring
ing out the old year and ringing in the
new upon every New Year eve by
hammering upon his anvil.
It was only whim Of this old
blacksmith to begin his new year in
this way. People said it was super
stitious notion that if he did a great
days work on the first day Of the
year, that he would be blessed with
health and plenty Of patronage
throughout the year. Anyhow he was
always found at his anvil in the little
shop at midnight of the old year, and
his good old wife would heartily join
with him in making the old anvil ring
out in the stiffness of the night. The
old people learned to hammer the
anvil into sounds of tingling melodies
that sounded out upon the night loud
and weird. Every child would be
awakened and drawn to the little shop.
The chickens would crow, the hogs
would squeal and the dogs would prance,
howl and bark, Of course the chick
ems would have their sport, and good
cheer, prepared by the weather Of the
occasion, and all in all, the New
Years morn found the old smiths
home place Of bustling energy and
hanny merriment. For years these