Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-10-07
that ole Judge Turner called King Doo-

Jefferson county. He''-
"Took it all back when met him at
this yer very ford with good big hick-
ory stick" Uncle Jimmie said dryly.
cts 'stonishin how persuasive sech er
thing looks-when thar's a good big
man that amt afraid behind hit.
"Ole Tom an Bob. they. fell out over
Henry Clay an Andrew jackson" Squire
Eecock ran on. "Lordy, but them wus
times when men wus wuth believin in.
I've cen about quit believin in anybody
these days, less'n it is Ike Harria He's
one er the ole Blue Hen g Chickens right
up and down. But he couldn't hole er
candle ter Gentry fust time ever clap
ped eyes on him. 'Twus at er barbecue
in the year O. governors lection. I
went ter it from my brother Ben's. He
lives over in Dyer, an we'd gone there
a-visitin. Pixy wus the least little trick
then. My, how the women thar did
hand her round ermong 'eml Wife got
right skeered-'fraid sonebody'd steal
the child But no sech thought never
entered my head. She did do the cutest
things! Thar wus er preacher thar that
day-looked like he wanted ter eat her
up. His wife didn't have no child, an,
oh, my, if she didn't look black Mt himl
She wus one er the Shelby stock-p'ison
Jealous the last one of 'em, an low down
in thar ways. I always did say ole Ned
Shelby oughter been hung fer KILN
| that felIer RrownD-
"H-h-hl 'Twus ole Judge Turner got
him off, too," Uncle Jimmie edged in,
drawing the gray horse ont upon the
bank nearest town. The squire at once
refined Blacky beside him, flung leg
over to join its fellow and sat leaning
comfortably upon the pommel, not,
however, losing word throughout the
arrangements.
browns wife-his widder ruther-
wus er clinker," Uncle Jimmie heard
him say. At the same instant he heard
also the sound of horses feet coming
at gallop from toward town. An
other road branched from the highway
some 30 yards before it came to the
creek. Evidently there were several
riders. At the fork of the road they sep
arated. Two of them went the upper
route. The third came gathering upon
the pair Of takers. As he dashed past
he whirled his hat above his head and
gave laughing whoop. 1t was the tall
fellow who had rushed away from the
group on the piazza.
Looking after him, Uncle Jimmie
said, with a grim smile: "Somp'n'l
happen som 'whar ternight. Ned Wylie
is the mischeeviousest boy! But you can
say this fer him, bad as he may be. you
never ketch him at no ra'ale low down
meanness, an it's my opinion that you
never will"
The squire rumblei on: "Thar amt
never no tellin whut er woman will er
won't do. Now, Jemima Brown -
the widder's sister Marg 'ret-it did beat
the Dutch, the woody dance she led po'
ole Cap'n Pegrum. He wus ten years
straight a-courtin her, an she promisin
all the time ter marry him when this,
that an t'other wus done, an at the last,
why, she ups an runs off with er tree
peddler that wus lazy as er fattenin
hog an ugly as homemade sin. Twus
that way she got her come uppance.
Besides keepin her po' as Jobs turkey
he turned out ter be as mean as gyar
broth-fact is, the meanest man ever
wus in the county exceptin maybe ole
man Joe Bob Armistead's g son Joe. He'd
a-cheated his own father in his dyin
hour. Reckon you never knowed erbout
the fight be had with Tip Taylor. You
see, they both wanted the same gal,
Mary Blain, that useter teach school.
Pixy did think the world an all Of her.
She come from up moth; but, bless yo'
soul, she loved to be waited on same as
ef she owned 20 niggern. AS I started
ter tell you, little Joe Bob an Tip-you
know Tip, not much bigger'n a plea
yune, but not afraid O. nobody, not even
eff he wus big as ole Golier-Tip an
him, they hitched an hung one night at
the meetin house-Salem church it wus
an Brother McPounder holdin er re-
vival over thar. He's preacher wuth
talkin erbout-he wus, rutler. amt
never ra'aly got over losin him in my
feelins, po' good mani He always useter
be tellin Pixy he'd ride 100 miles ter
say the ceremony when she got mar
ried."
"Humph! never did see much in
him. I'm bound ter say it ef the man is
Dead" Uncle Jimmie said, sitting
straighter in the saddle. his hands
olinching hard about the reins. Evi-
IDENTIFY he was nerving himself for tre-
mendous encounter. The squire was
talking still, but as Uncle Jimmie
raised his voice he stopped short and
listened acutely while the other said:
Besides he wus 50 narrer. All you
close communion Baptis'es is sorter
that way. You cain't hep it, seein
whut you believe, but he wus the big
otedest one O. all that ever I run er-
cross, an that's sayin heap, since I've
erbout growed up among 'em."
That settled matters. A firebrand in
stubble does not fame more fiercely nor
more instantly than did Squire Eecock's
controversial wrath. With a hoarse, po-
lemic roar, the outrush of words began.
Uncle Jimmie, too, threw his leg over
the saddle and made ready for long
strife Of tongues.
The moon climbed big and red up the
dark worlds eastern rim. 1t stood high
and white in u midnight sky, yet still
the argument went on. Great horned
owls went hooting overhead; screech
owls cried, shrill and eerie, through the
moonlit world tree toads sang tumultu-
ously, and crickets checped, but not a
note Of all the sylvan chorus came un-
derstandingly to the ears Of the dispu-