The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-12-04
"REMINISCENCES.

REMlNlSUENCEN.
A paper written by Maj. J. b. Tred-
well a few weeks ago, spoke of Robt
II. Roddy, among others. 1t was the
writer's privilege and pleasure to num-
Der Mr.. Roddy among his friends ;and
a truer friend man never had than he.
He was gentleman in the true sense
of the term /; he was a scholar; he was
born newspaper-man, prolific writer
of vast information on any and every
subject. He wrote with an ease and
rapidity known only to those Of expe-
rience and practice. Mr.. ROddy was
charitable {; his charity reached out to
all classes he was kind; his kindness
extended to the whole human family;
he was humane; he would not know
ingly harm any created thing he was
a dutiful son, a loving brother, a de-
voted friend. Mr.. Roddy, like great
many others, had ambition, energy
and aims far in advance of his physical
strength; for he was sufferer from
disease during all the years the writer
knew him. He was soldier who
shirked no duty that it was possible
for him to do; and his place was al
ways in the front, only when physical
" unable to do duty. Ii was long after
the war was over, that Mr.. Roddy,
broken down by disease. aggravated,
without doubt, by exposure on the field,
applied for pension; and, when the
writer examined him, ii seemed strange
to him that any man could suffer so
acutely and intensely, and yet be cheer
ful withal, and resigned to his fate.
Unfortunately, Mr.. Roddy did not live
to enjoy bis well-earned pension very
long, and he died at the comparatively
early age of forty-nine years. Mr..
ROddy had no more fear or dread of
death than if it were merely "A change
from one room to another. He was
absolutely devoid of both physical and
mental fear. Had it been willed other
wise, and his life been prolonged to the
allotted time of man, he might have
accomplished great good. He was
devout member ofthe Catholic Church;
aud, believing thoroughly in its teach
ings, and the facilities for religious in
struction not being readily obtainable
here, ne felt il to be his duty to go where
he could obtain religious consolation
and, in a conversation with the writer,
he said he intended to go to New Bal
timore for that purpose. 1t seems,
sometimes, as though he had an intui-
tive knowledge of his early death, as
he appeared to he so anxious to go;
and he only lived few days after ar
irving at his destination. He died
surrounded by his church people and
the priest of his choice, and was buried
near the church in New Baltimore.
Some time prior TO the late war, Mr..
Roddy, who had been editing paper
in Somerset, and later in Uniontown,
came home to recuperate, his health
being bad. About that time sort of
catch question was in vogue in Somer-
set, among the young men and boys;
possibly i. originated in that town. a
young fellow passing along the street
would meet another, and, holding out
his hand to shake hands, would say:
"Any COOS to-day" Pronounced o
long, IS soft The other fellow would
say: "Any what?'' The first one
would reply: "Any COOS to-day" Of
course, a repetition of the question did
not enlighten the second fellow to any
extent, and the more he inquired
"Any what?" the less he knew the
accent being variously changed in ask
ny the question by the first speaker,
so that great deal ofsport could be
had-more than any one can imagi ne
who never tried it, or heard il tried.
OF course, the questioner knew no more
about the meaning of the question than
the one of whom the question was ask
ed Mr.. Roddy introduced this to the
boys in Petersburg and it was really
amusing to notice the countenance of
any one who had never been asked the
question or heard it asked, to be APP
preached by some one who, with IA
long face and serious look, blandly in
quired "Any COOS to-day" Then,
as the accentuated the question on its
different syllables, with repetition after
repetition, the look of blank amaze
ment grew on the face of the other fel-
low, until il was sight to behold. 1t
is no uncommon thing in Petersburg
to-day to hear conversation of that
kind between town boy and boy
from the country, or somewhere, who
is in the dark in regard to it. The
writer can see the scrio-comic look on
Mr.. Roddy's face to-day, when he
thinks about il, when there was fun on
hand, as he used to see il in the days
long agone. And the swift-rushing
years can never blot out the memory
of his kindness TO him in his callOw
boyhood days, or the pleasant hours he
passed i'm his company. As intimated,
this nonsensical question had become
adopted and acclimated, so to speak,
by the boys in Petersburg, before the
late war but it had been more or less
changed i'm its phraseology, so that
some of them would say: ANY goats
fo-day?' and some abbreviated it to
plain oats and inquiry would be made
whether the party spoken to had "Any
oats to-day?'' At that time James Al
bright, now of Ursina, was keeping a
general store i'm Petersburg, and did a
good business. Among his patrons
was queer genius, a man almost
swithout country" since he had no
relations here, by the name Of John
Harmon. He became indebted to Mr..