Birmingham state herald., 1897-03-06
A REMINISCENCE.

The incident I am about to relate hap pened some twelve or fifteen years ago, when a certain attorney, who now wears | the ermine, was practicing law in a well l known town in West Alabama, and was loved and respected much more than falls to the lot of most men. He now resides in another part of the state, not thous- and miles from Birmingham. and is an honor to his section and its people. May God in His infinite goodness and mercy snare him to us "yet a little longer" It was then the custom in that section, and Is yet to some extent, for the young men who liked to hunt the nimble spur rel, to get up, annually, match hunt electing two captains, who selected their men like the old custom of choosing sides in our school boy days, to hunt against each other; the whole to conclude With Brunswick stew, to which the male | friends of both parties were invited These functions were always attended by some of the best people in the com munity and were really very pleasant and enjoyable affairs.
 For the uninitiated I will explain that
 Brunswick stew is a mixture of anything
 and everything good to eat, squirrels
 generally forming the basis of the con-
 glomera ton. Most anything that comes
 handy may be put in, in fact, l have
 never known anything that was kept out
 except the COOK 5 Olu Ddllereu tidt, WliiCH
 was accidentally blown into the large pot in which the mess was being cooked on one of these occasions
 Of course, a plentiful supply of some thing good to take, principally beer, with now and then a drop of the crayther," was always provided. and with ice ga- l lore, dominoes, a quiet game of euchre, target practice, vocal and instrumental | music, etc., etc, all went merry as a mar | riage bell.
 On this particular occasion the boys 1 had been unusually successful in bagging | squirrels, having killed, as I recollect, l something over a hundred, and all were l in high feather when they gathered at 1 the place of rendezvous, high bluff | overlooking the Warrior river, at about | Il o'clock in the morning. Their guests, l the judge, al we will now call him, being ! of the number, had already assembled, and were amusing themselves according l to their own inclinations.
 Pretty soon, the boys having refreshed 1 themselves in several different ways the | fun grew fast and furious, and, actuated 1 by spirit of deviltry, several of us en- tered into conspiracy to get the judge full. We agreed to go up one at time every few minutes to where the judge was sitting in carriage talking to some friends, and invite him to join us in a glass of beer, always having one ready for him on the spot. He was invariably accommodating and polite about every thing and gracefully responded to each invitation; he never seemed to suspect
 what was up as he knew all of us loved him and was accustomed to our treating | him with great deal of deferenee. The plan of attack was carried on out 1 very vigorously until dinner was an- nounced ready at about o'clock D. m. By this time most of our crowd had been fairly knocked out and the balance had nothing to boast of; as for the judge, he seemed to be just comfortably full and wholly serene We had made no calcula- tions as to his capacity for holding and though he was not very great in diameter he was, perpendicularly, in it, and seemed to have no bottom at all.
 He walked in very dignified manner and laid to with a violence that threat
 ened to destroy everything within reach and a coming appetite. An hour or more was consumed in doing justice to the elegant dinner and as we were five miles from home preparations were being made by some of the party for breaking up. The judge very deliberately and with considerable effort arose to his feet sig 1 naling to his son to accompany him.
 They went off behind an old out house
 where the Judges buggy stood and his horse was pitched, detached from the buggy, and being near but out of sight, overheard the following:
 B, my shon, hic; hish up buggy, hic, my boy, and leg, hic, go home to your 1 muzzer. Hish up buggy. hic, my boy. Look at me; hic, my shon, tdrawing him. | self up as best he could, to his full | heighD, your faZZer, hic, is only shober man, >hic, in zlsh crowd
 I By this time the horse had been hitched to the buggy and the judge, with all the 1 in and was driven off home.
 ! E. T. O'CONNOR.