The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-01
THE PAST AND PRESENT.
a True Story, BY Peter NJ. wilson, I'm
IIaIe's Weekly, 1874.

| On steep bank OF river tnat Has
more names than one, and not a hun
dred leagues from the State capital,
there is what is known in our vernacu-
lar as Country store" In high wa
ter the red ripples play around its
underpinning and in times of drought
the coating of mud left there by the
spring floods is washed into queer-shap-
ed squares and jagged circles. The
store is kept by silent man a shaven
upper lip, a chin beard and fiorid
complexion mark him as a specimen
of the natives. His hurley form warns
Off provocation cold grey eyes speak
shrewdness, and contempt for vests,
collars and cravats is intimated by
their marked absence. He retails what
is called general merchandise" a
name quite broad enough to include
m DIST as we'll as dry goods. He sells
for cash only or on approved security,
and his goods never leave his store
without sufficient gage.
What stranger who was passing
through the country and stopped to
rest himself and his tired horse saw
and heard, is what we wish to tell.
He was seated in the porch in front
of the store talking to this merchant
prince of the neighborhood. Their
chairs were tilted back and rested a
gainstt the railing of the porch. They
had exhausted politics and agreed that
the weather was hot and favorable to
crops of all sorts.
Just as the merchant Lit off fresh
chew of tobacco and put the twist
back into his breeches pockets two
men emerged from the woods and
walked to the store door. Neither had
on coat. Both were barefoot. One
carried rifle ON his shoulder, the 9TH
er toted small cat squirrel that they
had killed. They jerked their heads
in a familiar manner, rather than
bowed to the store keeper.
Good morning, gentleman" said
he.
"M0rning," said they, together.
They stared, not rudely, at the
stranger, and sat down on the bench
that was at the end of the porch oppo-
site him.
"All your folks well, Squire" asked
the man with squirrel, of the mer.
chant. (Of course he was squire
being a Squire expedites the collection
of debts and gives an awful solemnity
and power to cOntracts.)
OTIS mighty nigh the hottest day
we have had this year." said the man
who had laid his rifle across his knees.
"Well, reether," said the merchant
in an absent tone.
"Trade good, Squire?" squeaked out
the cat squirrel man.
"Ain't been no customers here to-
day." he growled.
A silence as solemn as that which
falls upon crowd Of hilarious young
bucks when solemn looking tract
agent comes upon them with a sub
scription paper, .reigned for few
minutes. The quartette sat and chew
ed and spat. Nothing was heard but
the tapping of the waters against the
willow bank and the croaking of a
rain crow hid in the tree that stood in
the edge of the woods.
After few minutes, low voices were
heard in the rear of the store, and pre-
sently two men rounded the corner
and stood before the musing four. One
of the new corners was very fat. He
was very red from the eXertion OF
pulling 800 pounds of human nature
up the hill, and he famed himst If as
he stopped with q broad, bandless
straw hat. He wore heavy, reddish
moustache that gave him fierce, bull
dog expression, and the most inno-
cent young preacher in his first pas
torate would never have mistaken him
for the G. w. G. IT. of dry" COM
munity. His shirt collar was open
very open, and he simply said as he
nodded at the party, "hot!
"Have seat?" said the Squire.
"Believe I will" he said, as he took
the Squire's chair, who went back into
the store room to fetch another.
His companion was small freckle
faced, weavil eaten, washed out look
ing man with red hair, no sign of a
beard, with big hands, with little is
lands of perspiration standing about
on them: He carried the poles and had
on live oak with one poor little mud
cat. Nobody asked him to have seat,
but he gravitated over to the cat
squirrel man, took u seat by him on
the bench. looked at him ank grinned.
Good fishing about here?" asked
the stranger. =.
"Nothing like it was before the war"
said the corpulent hot man. (He had
been an overseer and dated everything
from the wary "I've caught cats as
big as dogs down at the Ferry Hole. )"
The stranger looked surprised, the
huntsmen looked incredulous, the
merchant didn't look at all, and the
little man gave grin of satisfaction
over his inward joy of not having to
lug such cats. =.
The man with the rifle said that all
the squirrels seemed to be cats since
the "last fresh" Same thing with
the fish said the grum old 300 FOUNDER,
and thereupon all relapsed into state
of profound meditation on the subject
of cats.
Among men of real genius there is a
free masonry in finding out each 9TH
er's thoughts that is only equalled by
the intuition that leads man who
wants drink to divine similar dis
position in men who are addicted to
and fond of the "juice of the grains"
Without looking up, the man who
was now deeply absorbed in toying
with the long, graceful tail of the dead
squirrel, said in a voice full Of emo
tion, and that would have stirred the
breast of stole:
81 wish somebody would treat to a
level quart"
Nobody responded, nobody moved a
muscle-not even a nerve qulvered.
: Thv stood it like men-whO did not
intend to treat but who languished tc
be treated.
1t is due to the strict veracity Of this
story to state circumstantially that
the Store keeper didn't stir. He wasn't