The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-12-19
WHEN THE STARS ALL FELL
Bill Arp Tells About the Great
Meteoric Shower In 1833

Atlanta Constitution.
Shakespeare tells of mans seven
ages, but his seven does not fit our day
nor indeed, did they fit his own day
with any distinct lines of dcmarcation
between them. They glide into each
other and it is hard to tell where the
one quits and the other begins. We
have infants and school boys and lovers,
but very few are soldiers, ahd not one
in hundred ever becomes a Justice of
the peace. His sixth ago does not do
justice TO our mon and women of three
score years and ton, for most of them
grow fat instead of lean, and our big
manly voices have not turned to treble, +,
nor do they pipe and whistle in their
sound. | can till sing bass to the long
meter doXology and my wife can sing
Mary had little lamb" to the baby
AS TO the seventh age, which he pic
lures as second childhood and mere
oblivion without teeth or tasto or eyes
or cars or anything, VIC never sec them
our old people die before they get to
that. But in the life of every man
and woman there arc cpochs, events,
mile stones, as it were, that stand out
prominent in memory and mark their
progress from youth to old age. My
earliest recollection is the killing of our
dog Hector, who was supposed to be
mad, and it grievcd us for we loved
him and he loved us.
Next | recall the falling of the stars
in 1898. My father held me up and
with my feet upon the top railing Of
the bannisLcrs, saw them como down
in myrads as quietly an. softly as
snowllakcs and they went out as they
ncarcd the earth. They were separate
and distinct as the stars, but rs near
together as the sparks from the CHM
ncy of an oldtimc blacksmith shop
George Lester was my playmate and
lived close by, and the next morning
he and L hunted all over his mother y
garden to find some signs of The stars
that fell, but found mono. While they
were falling ou, negro cook, Aunt
Allscy, was down on her knees pray
ing, and az she clung to my mothers
night gown she called on Jesus to come
and take us all to heaven. That night
was an epoch and it is worth being Is
years old to have witnessed it.
My next remembrance Of note is q
/ journey to Savannah with my father
and mother and brother, where we took
| a sail vessel for Boston. | remember
the magnificent double row of china
lees in tho long street, and wonder
now if there is a person living ir
Savannah who was living there then
and remembers that row of beautiful
trees that are long since dead and gone
l remember that voyage of thrty-thrcc
days around Cape IIattcras, where ON
ship was almost wrecked, and mother
held fast unto her children and silently
prayed for dclivcrance. | remember
when we reached Boston and how, af-
ter our visit was over, father bought II
carriage and pair Of horses, and we
journcycd by land from Boston to
Georgia and never crossed a railroad
for there was none 10 cross. | rcmcm-
her our stop at the Natural Bridge in
Virginia, and how we walked away
down IN the gorge and looked up and
afterwards stood on The bridge and
looked down from the dizzy height.
When | was about ten years old |
had another epoch, for had a fight on
Sunday at camp meeting and got
licked, and my fine Sunday clothes
were all spoiled with mud and dirt. A
country boy said was town boy and
was dressed too fine and he was gwinc
to take the starch outen my runlnd
shirt. And he did. | fought as hard
as | could, but he licked me and |
cried. l had gone to the spring to get
some water and the fight came of
there. My father whipped me next
morning and tho school teacher got
ready to whip me again, but | slowed
him my legs and he let me of with a
talk. My next episode has left an in
dclible impression. We had to walk
/ two miles 10 school and about half way