Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-01-12
AN OLD MANS OELUS|0N.
A "BOOLl'' Story.

"oooo "ouiN ooiii now pSoh uaN ~
the river in momeut Of perverst
oussedness taken it into its head tc
change its course, leaving only 9
muddy little slough of back water tc
become stagnant and foul in frcnt Q!
the once busy levees of Poolsville.
Grass grew high and rank in the
deserted streets and the cattle grazed
complacently in what had once beer
the city park, the pride of all the in.
habitants.
One by one, family by family, as
they felt the tightening hand of nc.
cessity had gathered together theil
belongings and reluctantly sought
new locations, where railroads.
steamboats, and advancing civiliza,
tion afforded them tho means OF
transporting and marketing the pro-
ducts of their labor, until now there
was but handful of the populacc
left and they were those that owned
nearly the entire property of the
town and had grown old watching
its decline. The youngest, man in
the town, 1 think, must have been
Allen Gordon. Ho had been cashier
of the Poolsyille bank for the past
30 years, and at the lowest calcula-
ton could not have been day under
SO.
The bank was owned by old Judge
Westwood, and the letter heads
would tell you that he was president,
and Allen Gordon, cashier. Why
this bank continued to do business,
or, | should say, continued to occupy
its quarters was a mystery that no
one could answer, since they had not
been known to do any business for
the past 20 years, but every morning
promptly at 8 o'clock Judge West
wood could be seen vending his way
down the street with the dignity be-
coming the president of the Pools
Vile bank.
| remember him as though it was
yesterday, walking erect and straight,
looking neither to the right nor the
left, his head slightly bowed, as
though studying some Of the intri-
cate financial questions that were
sure to harass him on reaching his
office. Reaching the post office he
invariably stopped and the following
conversation always took place, never
varying:
"Ah, good morning, John. My
mail, please, or has my cashier al
ready been hcre?"
"Nothing this morning, Judge"
"Ah, nothingP Good morning"
"Good morning, Judge"
Passing on down the street he would
sometimes encounter old man Stcese,
whose place of business was known
as the Poolsville Mercantile company,
and had been Il business of some con-
siderable pretensions before provi-
dence had been so unkina as to
change the course Of the river.
These two old men lived entirely
in the past; to them Poolsville was
the same bustling place as of old
they seemed to take no note of the
decay and ruin of the old town; to
them each foot Of it's sod held some
sacred memory of days long past.
chanced to hear their convcrsa-
tion as they met this morning.
"Ah, good morning, Samuel. How
is business to-day ?"
"Good morning, Judge. Good,
very good, thank you. How is it
with you?"
"Very brisk, indeed, thank you.
am very busy with the new road, as
you must know. All, Poolsville will
be a great city whom the now road
comes, Samuel"
1t was at this moment that espied
Alien Gordon coming brlskly down
the street. The new road was q
revelation to me- must find out
something bout it. Tapping him
on tho sh der, | asked "Mr. Cor
don, about the new road the presi-
dent of your bank is working on; my
connection with the Bellovillo Jour-
nal forces me to pry into this affair.
i must confess it is a startling piece
of news, and ] am ashamed that
have allowed it to escape me-"
A sad smile played for moment
around Gordon's mouth, then, putting
his fingers across his lips as if to
command me to silence, he shook his
head sadly.
"He builds it AMI finishes it every
day. he said. "By noon to-day the
road will be completed, and Pools
vjlle's streets will be peopled with it's
thousands, and tho rumbling Of the
oars and the screaching OF the wins