The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-01-02
SARGE PLUNKETT.
THE OLD MIN SPENDS A GLORIOUS
DAY At BROWNS.
The Last Days of the Old Year-The Story
of an Old Blacksmith and a Visit to
His Grave-His Faithful Dog.
Written for The Constitution.

Ring out the old! Ring in the new!
There was never an old year rang out
| with so little regret will ne the year 1895
| The year has been one of calamities; poliu-
| cal blunders, financial failures. floods
| storms and epidemics 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 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 thinS-a
| little mishap to Brown--has marred the
| pleasures of all the week. Brown mad his
! alarm clock in the shop up at Atlanta for
repairs, ana he went there on p. Texas pony
| he had snapped for, to bring 1t 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 social way,
| but the alarm had been set by the jeWeler
| and il went off while Brown and his new
| horse were going down pretty steep HILL
| The horse had been rowing all his life or the
| prairies of Texas and had never had good
| chance to hump himself down a hill before
and the alarm seemed to be a 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
Il leNdS morse would doubt as TO VINO came
out victorious-the horse, of course-and
Brown was a little SCARED up in TIE fray;
but he held to his little jug and all was
serene in a little while; but the horse is for
trade.
l spent last Thursday at Browns house.
and happier day l 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 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 joliest
person of all crowds against a 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
ola blacksmith. which l have mentioned bes
fore. 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, tin the passing
away OF an old year and the ring
ing in of the new refreshes our
and tap the old anvil which marks the
spot.
Close by the grave to this dav Il little
mound shows where the smithys forge had
STOOD. There were vet some remnants of
great oak trees where the old smlsh's
Child en- played in the shade and The lit'Ie
spring still runs out from bluff and spark
les across valley in the field The cid
smith was unlettered himself, but he work
ed 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 ringing out the old year and
ringing i'll the new upon every New Year
eve by hammering upon his anvil.
1t was only whlm Of this old black
smith to begin his new year in this way
People said it a superstitious rotion
that If he did a great days work on the
first day of the year, that he void be
blessed with health and plenty of patronage
throughout the year. Anwhoy he was al
ways 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 learn
ed to hammer the anvil into sounds Of
tnsling melodies that sounded out pom
the night loud and weird Every Child
would be awakened and drawn 10 the little
shop. The chickens would crow, the hogs
( (.
howl and bark. OF course the chickens
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 busting
energy and happy merrimenJ For years
these Et Cple were contented with II cir
lot in life and were blessed with an abund-
ance of the substantals of life, but a
change came.
The children grew, and with their growth
grew the idea of progressiveness. The old
smiths whims got to seem coarse with
them, and there was many more elegant
ways of making a living than by swinging
the heavy hammers. To the towns was
the thought that took possession of these
children, and to the towns they went. From
one town to another till to the west they
found their way. They soon 81 the
Whirly-burley of business One of trem
went to railroadng another to merchan-
dSing and another at something else. They
fairly successful, and upon one New
Year eve they CHANGED to meet at a hotel
in great city. They had heard from their
childhood home often but ever com
plant had come from their cid blacksmith
father. A God bless vou.' was always
received, and one time the sad news of
their mothers death ana that the old
smith was all alone.
1t was natural for the thoughts CT ttese
young men to turn to the old home. Would
not the old father hammer upon his anvil
as he used to do? Would it rot be Just the
thing for them all together to pay the
old home a visit? 1t was no sooner pro-
posed by the oldest than they all &gre d.
and i'll less than hour they We're speed
ing that way.
A fast ride soon brought them to the
little station where they to take it
afoot to the old home. there 20 Surprise 'Id
make the heart of 'aeir cd father
feel glad. They were soon at the
place after leaving the cars. but the sun
was shining brightly on a New Years day.
The night before the old anvil had rang out,
but 1t was not so strong or
as long-continued, the people
around had said. The sons went
into the dwelling first. The old fireplace was
cheerless-no blazing fire was there. as
in DAYS of wore. The old clock had &C ased
its ticking There were no walnuts upon the
hearth A cake was found upon the table
Mka9EA