The leader., 1900-03-07
| THING OR TWO IN OLD Law.
RENEE.


RENEE.
We are just home from ten days
trip to Lawrence county where the
towering pine trees are yet standing as
the plastic hand of nature planted
them hundreds of years ago. 1t makes
us feel bit sad when we look upon
those familiar "cut faces" under whose
wide spreading branches we spent so
many happy hours in days agone,
playing "deer and dog" They seem
almost like our kinfolks, but it is only
a question of a short time when the
sound of the woodman's axe and saw
will be heard among them end there
will be mighty crashing and cursing
and whipping and begging and tearing
up the earth in general. If these old
pine trees we're to appear in the judg-
ment and testify to all they heard
from the first tap of the woodlands
axe until they reached their place of
destination, it would be doleful story
indeed. But the world needs them and
they must go.
En- route we touched at Big Springs,
Fair River, Malcum, Nola, Hooker's,
Silver Creek, Arm and Monticello. At
Arm we called to see Uncle Davie
Ward, who is now 81 years old and is
the only living uncle of our better-half.
1t is real interesting to hear Uncle
Dave tell of the country as he knew it
so years ago, when his father moved
from Georgia and settled near where
he Uncle Dave is now living. "Plenty
of game here then, Uncle Dave?" we
the panther and wild deer were as
plentiful as rabbits" he replied. Did
you ever get into tussle with bear,
uncle Dave? well, no, except one
night when | and another boy by the
name of Jim Breakfield went into
fathers field to sit for deer that would
come in and eat our peas. We walked
up on an elevated tree that had fallen
and lodged in the fork of another tree
and we took our position about 20 feet
from the ground. Jim and were each
armed with an old-fashioned flint and
steel musket, and hadn't set long when
a very large bear climbed over the
fence and began tearing down the
corn. We held a hasty council as to
whether to shoot him or not and final
ly it was decided for me to make the
first shot and Jim was to hold himself
in readiness. By this time Bruin was
coming little too close to the end of
our log for comfort. fred and wound
ed the bear and he began growing,
swapping and pitching around, and by
the light of the moon discovered that
he was nearing the end of our log
which rested on the ground. l said,
Jim, for Heavens sake shoot the darn
thing, for | believe he's coming right
up the log. Jim, with deadly aim,
pulled the trigger, but his gun snap
ped. By this time Bruin had located
us and sure enough was coming right
up to investigate the source of his
trouble. Jim sailed out and | didn't
think that there was room enough up
there for me, an empty gun and bear.
By the time l hit the ground Jim was
half way home and | was not long in
reaching that point myself. Next day
we went back and there was Jim's gun
stuck muZzle foremost in the earth
and we found the bear lying just out
side the fence MORALLY wounded, and
we soon finished up our job in day
light"
"Uncle Dave, when l was boy, re-
member dropping corn for you once
and saw you blowing with the first
leather lines that Il ever saw" "Yes,
Allen, and have them same lines yet"
"What you don't mean to say you
have the same pillow lines that you
plowed with forty five years ago ?'
Eyes, sir; will get them and show 'em
to YOU"
So we walked into the back yard and
the old gentleman brought the lines,
remarking, II have made fifty
nine crops with these lines and last
spring my horse was little unruly
and | had to get another pair" where
did you get these lines, Uncle Dave ?"
"Well, sixty years ago 1 lived with old
man John Sharp and he purchased
some leather to make betting for his
gin.and | made these lines from the
trimmings. And now, Allen, l will
show you something else Here is a
pair of harness which was worked on
the lead horse that pulled my fathers
family from Georgia just so years ago."
"Have you anything here that Noah
had in his Ark, Uncle Dave %
The old man laughed heartily and
began telling us his plans for pitch
ing" another crop. We cured a bad
cancer trouble on Aunt Mandy, his
wife, last year, for which she is saying
a whole lot of good things in our favor.