The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-01

as q trade dollar by constant use in
game called "Quoits" or Quates, as
these simple citizens call it, much in
fashion in that section of the country.
Without saying word he stepped fl
and staked the distance, drove down
the megs with stone and cut with a
barlow some slender twigs which he
trimmed into various unequal lengths
to be used as measuring rods.
The fat man and the two huntsmen
arose, stretched themselves, and went
to the manly sport with eager deter
mination. Without agreement the two
hutsmen went to one meg and the
couple of fishermen stood at the other.
The man with the rifle took up a
shingle that was lying near at hand
and spit on one side of it.
"Wet or dry ?" said he, as he tossed
it up.
"Wet," said the fat man before the
sbingle fell to the ground.
The wet side was uppermost and he
had the go.
The old-time races of boys at mar
bles never strove harder to win than
did those worthy sons of toll. They lost
heir lassitude, they were full of ener-
gy, their eyes were alive with inter
est. They laid themselves down on
their stomachs and measured the dis.
tance between the quoits and megs to
see which quot was nearest. The fat
man didn't lie down because he
wouldn't have been much nearer the
disputed distance than when he was on
his feet. They laughed and smiled
and grinned, and truthfulness to de.
tail compels us TO cay that they used
very big DIS. The good old words of sin
formed the staple of their expressions,
to be accurate.
At last the game was decided against
the hutsmen.
"Pitch off between you," said the fat
man as he walked back to the porch
and sat down. Thus narrowed down,
the last game was a short one. For
tune favored the meek squirrell-toter,
and the man with the rifle was put in
for the wished for quart.
With satisfied expression, the
whole party resumed their seats, with
the exception of the man who owned
his rifle. He took it into his hand
and walked leisurely into the store.
The merchant followed him and they
remained there in deep communion for
q long while. The stranger thought
it all very CURIOUS. The three gam
sters turned restlessly in their seats
and made uneasy jokes about their
absent friends. At last he returned
with an aged end battered quart pot
level full. He didn't bring the rifle
back with him. The merchant saunt-
cred out and resumed his seat. The
man with the quart pot handed it to
the stranger, who conrteously declin.
ed. He then took long, strong pull
at it himself, smacked his lips in at
testation of his good qualities, and
passed it to the fat man, who passed
it to the little man who was giving
grins of enormous size and easy of in.
depreciation. He handed 1t to the mer-
chant, who rather than discredit his
own liquor, took a sturdy swig at it.
Conversation had been a luxury up
to this point, which these economical
people had not been able to indulge
themselves in. 1t now became neces.
sity, and spontaneous.
"How is your wife got?" asked the
fat man of the man who now had only
an equitable title to the rifle.
"She's mighty poorly, yet" he an
swered, "the children has all been
down with chills and fever, and what
with nursing them and that last child
o'her'n, she amt been able to do much
since the spring"
"Thank God, I amt got no brats to
get SICK" said the fat man, who was
an old bachelor. "Pass around the
spirits" 1t passed around the entire
circle, only making a break at the
stranger, once again, twice, thrice.
The man who treated had the last pull
at it, and he saw the bronzed bottom
very plainly before he took the meas
ure down. In the short spaces that
elapsed between these rounds various
little scraps of domestic history had
been related. The man with the cat
squirrel had lately lost his wife, but his
sister was taking care Of his children,
and she was monstrous managing
woman, but she and the children had
been ailing, and not much able to chop
cotton this season. The little man had
lately been married to girl very
much his superior in stature as in all
other respects, and he was severely
twitted about a report in the neigh
borhood that she had spanked him
for not being as industrious as the
average man is expected by eXacting
women to he.
Now that the heavy and important
business of the day had been trans
acted, the conversation took serious
bent quite in keeping with it.
Agriculture became the leading topic
of talk, with the labor system and
national finances as tlankers.
The stranger listened in awe as each
husbandman foretold the certain
destruction and wretched condition of
his crops of all sorts. The wheat was
awful thin and had the rust. Oats
hadn't turned out what was expected.
Somehow or other the stand of cotton
was bad, and what there was of it was
overrun with grass. The corn was
yellow and twisted and wasn't going
to turn out anything and the tobacco
plants had been nearly all eaten up
by the flies. These were some of the
ailments of the crops, and the mer-
chant, who, it was said in the neigh
borhood, had mortgages on their little
farms and crops, encouraged the
depressing conversation by quiet ques-
tions. At last the fat bachelor asked
after an ominous pause. "What in
the HI was the matter with the coun-
try anyhow"
The little man grinned, as much as
to say that he knew, but his wife
warned him against telling and he
had no idea of disobeying her. Receiv-
ing no other response, he was forced to
answer his own question. Said he,
slapping his fat leg with his chubby
hand to give emphasis TO and 10 an.