The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-11-23
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Reading the Inscriptions Upon the Tombs
and the Memories it Revived.
Atlanta Constitution.

graveyard, where he knew people IN
the long ago, and read the inscrlp-
tions upon the tombs and study over
She people that these will call to
mind.
Brown and / went back to our old
home with the full intention of stay
ing a week, but everything was SO
changed that we were glad tc leave in
q day. AS we passed along the roads
we used to travel it was but natural
10 ask for the folks we had known,
and we found so often that they were
dead that we thought the best place
for us to see anything We had ever
known was in the gra, eyard, and
there we went. Familiar names were
there and were about all we saw on
our trip that was familiar. These
names stirred up many memories
some pleasant and some bad. The
good old people whom we had known
and who caused no surprise at finding
dead, these were remembered with
feelings sadly sweet, and we fingered
at their graves the longest. In some
Of the names we found those whom
we had known as young and romping
youths, and now and then we would
come to a baby's grave where we knew
that all It's kin had moved away and
left it all too lonely. We had linger-
ed for long while among these graves
and we're just fixing to leave when we
saw upon newly erected stone the
rame-ssLucy Dawson.
We knew Lucy and felt what a
nockery there might be sometimes in
the glitter Of these tombstones. We
knew her when she was baptized in
the old pool at Hebron and we knew
her when she was the pet Of all the
settlement, and we knew her father to
be rich and knew that she was raised
as tender as tiny flower, but we
knew her ending, as weread, erect
cd by her husband we both at once
muttered, "Mookery, mockery!'
Yes, I saw Lucy when she came
along the road moving to her new
home soon after she had married John
Dawson, and perhaps there might be
some good in telling her history. She
was rosy and blooming then, and she
looked SO happy when she pulled back
the wagon sheet to speak to me and
Brown that it would have took harder
hearts than" ever .ours have been not
TO hare wished them happy life for
the future. And for a while joan
did SO well and made most devoted
husband, but later, and sad it wss, he
got acquainted with four or FIVE rowdy
fellows and that association grew
: stronger. and stronger until it ended
as I am going to tell. At first John
met the advances of these wild fellows
timidly and eoldly, but after while
he came to rate them as generous to a
fault and to excuse their rowdy ways.
The associations grew from just an
occasional hunt together, with now
and then a meeting at the black
smiths shop, to one of friendly at
sachment, and SO familiar did John
become with these rowdies that his
little wife ;took notice of it and re-
solved that she would stop it if she
could.
John promised at once to break of
from these rowdy fellows when Lucy
made mention Of it, and he took her
on his knee and kissed her, stroked
Her pretty hair and laughed at her for
being scared that ever he would have
anything to do with drinking whiskey
OF of forming any habits that would
cause him to forget or neglect his
young wife, and really John did be-
lieye everything that ke said, for he
was good fellow, and this should the
more impress my young readers with
the danger that turks in evil associa-
tions.
More than month had'passed since
John had made these promises TO
Lucy and she looked happier and
sweeter than she had ever looked be-
fore, and new gates and pretty orna-
ments around.his place spoke we'll in
favor Of John new ways, or his "new
leaf" as he called it, but cursed be
she ties which bind to evil ways-the
poison was there and the fruits would
come.
It came when John was at work in
his new ground out Of sight of his
house. He was whistling as he work
ed and was no doubt thinking Of the
sweet wife at home, when the rowdy
a ~ oroooron.o on III o;r