Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-02-14
Au,aoruns department.
PLEASED WITH THE CHILLS.

in those bottoms who were born with
q chill and who have never shaken II
off.
Some time ago while riding through
the Muscadine neighborhood, came
upon a man sitting on log near the
roadside. He was sallow and lean,
with sharp knob cheek bones and hair
that looked like soiled cotton. The
day was intensely hot, but he was
sitting in the sun, although near him q
tangled grapevine cast most inviting
shade.
"Good morning." said I, refining up
my horse.
"Hi."
"You live here, suppose"
"Jest about"
"Why don't you sit over there in
the shade? ?"
"Will when the time comes"
"What do you mean by when the
time comes'?"
"When the fever comes on"
Having chills, are up"
"Sorter."
"How long have you had them ?"
"Forty-odd year."
"How old are you?"
"Forty-odd year."
"Been shaking all your life, p"
"Only half my life; fever was on
the other half"
"Why don't you move away from
here?"
"Becaze I've lived here so long that
I'm afeerd I might not have good
health nowhar else"
"Gracious alive, do you mean to say
that having chllls all the time is good
health ?'
"Wall, health mout be wuss. Old
Nat Sarver moved up in the hills some
time ago, was tuck down putty soon
with some new sort of disease and
didn't live more'n a week. Don't be.
lieve in swappin' off suthin' that I'm
used to fur suthin' I don't know moth
in about. Old-fashioned, everyday
chills air good enough for me. Some
folks when they git up in the world,
mout want to put on airs with dyspep.
sia and bronkichus and glanders and
catarrh but as I lowed to my wife
the other day, old chills and fever war
high enough fur us yit awhile. A chill
may have many drawbacks; but it
has it's enjoyments, too"
"I don't see anything about chill
that can be enjoyable"
"Jest OWN to how you air raised, as
the Teller says. When I have a chill
it does me power Of good to stretch,
and tell you that a fust rate stretch
when a feller's in a humor amt to be
sneezed at. I'd leave watermelon most
any time to have a good stretch. High
o-hoo!" He gaped, threw out his legs,
threw back his arms and stretched
himself across the log. "It's sorter
like the itch," he went on. "The itch
has its drawbacks, but what a power
of good it does man to scratch. Had
a uncle who cotch the itch in the army
and he lay thar and scratched and
smiled and scratched agin. In order
to keep up with the demand of the
occasion, he sprinkled lot of sand in
his bed and tuck off all his clothes, so
that every time he turned he'd be
scratched all over. He KEEP this up
till the itch killed him, but he died
a-scratchin' and a-smilin', and reckon
he was about as happy dead man as
ever lived. Wall, my fever is comm
on now and I reckon I'll git up thar
under the shade"
He moved into the shade and
stretched himself again.
"How long will the fever last?"
asked.
"Wall, don't know exackly; three
hours, mebby."
"Then what ?"
"Wall, I'll funter around awhile,
chop up little wood to get bite to
eat with, swap hoss with some teller,
mebby, and then fix myself for another
chill"
"Have you much of family?"
"Wife and grown son. He's about
the ablest chiller in the country; wy
when he's got a rale good chill on he
can take hold of a tree and shake of
green persimmons. WY, he wins all
the money the niggers have got, shak'
m dice. Wall, have you got to go?'
eyes"
"Wait till my fever cools down g
little, and I'll beat you outen that nag
you're ridin."
"No, 1 don't care to walk"
"Goodbye, then. When you gil
tired livin' up thar among them new
tangled diseases, come down here whal
everything is old-fashined and hon
est"
BT "What fine little fellow" said
the patronizing old gentleman who
had been elected representative fol
c.. farpoc from hIc pOn