The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-01-14
SARGE PLUNKETT.
CHRISTMAS OYER AND THE FAH"
ERsHdvE GONE TO WORK.
Some Cruelties of the Oiden Time NJ 0"
mas Tide-A Young Lovers heso"0
from q Terrible situation.
For The Constitution.

For The Constitution.
The fun and frolic and fuss and furry OF
the Christmas holidays has about cease"
and the people have gone to Work lor SlAo'N-
er crop.
1t does me good to see with what energy
the young people have begun the ne" year
The pasture fences are being REPAIRED
briars cut and rocks piled. This next week
every plow win be running, gardens WIN pe
started, manure hauled QUE and the Turdl
districts of old Georgia viii be scehe "a
clustering industry from now until planting
time. Though two fresh graves are TO De
seen In our little settlement graveyard
one that of an aged lady, the other that Oh
a small child who had just came among US
and the further misfortune of one nttle boy
getting his arm shattered in a rabbit hunt-
despite OF this. the holidays have been NIX
ed with considerable merriment and the
usual romping. Three couples have married
one a runaway match. The venerable OLD
Hardshell, Elijah Webb, united the run
aways'' and after the ceremony turned the
"big room" OF his house over TO the youths
folks to the number of thirty, ana the
night was spent in the innocent plays u
Christmastide-such plays as receive the
sanction of the good old preach ers ana 's
cheer the hearts CT all and leaves no SUNG
for the morrow.
Of course We old folks cannot join In plays
and sports as we used TO join, ana sup
pose that is why we are most in genera
striving by comparison to make the old
times the best times. In this connection
we have had revived an incido mt OF CHRIST
mas in the forties. which will vie in rude
ness with anything of the present age
About the year 1916 or 1877, on Christmas,
there was runaway match planned I" take
place between here ard stone mountain
The day OF Christmas was spent at the
mountain by the young men who partlci-
toy
rowdy crowd had engaged in the sports
common at such places in that day ana
time. "Gandcr pulling" shooting at tur-
keys-sometimes shooting for beer, was
common sport on such an occasion ana, OF
course, there was no contact with females
to lessen the participation in the strong
drinks of the times. BY the time Tor our
crowd TO start home, among whom was a
wild brother of the bride to be, they were
all pretty well filed with whisky and had
plenty more along in bottles as a reserve
We must leave this rowdy crowd along the
road to their homes, singing, shooting ana
bowling in manner fully up to anything
modern in order to introduce the BRIDE
groom that was to be- and who was the
sufferer before the night was through.
This young man-This bridegroom To be
was what was called in those days sun
day school scholar" That means that he
had always been n moral boy and had ever
refused TO JON IN any sports Win an I'M
moral faint. This should have recommend
ed him, il seems as n suitable sou-iu-law.
but it did not. There had been a sort OF
Il feud between the older set of the fami-
lies, and thus the trouble.
But upon this Christmas night these
young people were TO steal away and set
married. The young man was ON his way
and the young lady was already waiting
for the signal which would be soon given
and away they would fly TO some good old
preacher and be made one forever. The
signal was given and the young people did
fly, but they were not fleet enough 10 es-
cape this set Of rowdies, who made theJ
: apuearance Just as the old people discover
1t their daughter was gone. i {
wild ard impetuous always, was
his drunken assoc