The age-herald., 1901-10-27
Where Years Are
 Lightly Borne.

'T reckon you will come around to agree with me that the mountain country of North Carolina has a right to be called. healthful when I tell you about some of the folk that are alive and kicking down there yet" said B. W. Hor- ton of Burke county. North Carolina .At Cherry Mount. not long before l came North. stopped to chat minute or so with Aunt Sallie crowder. as she was milking her COWS, while her husband, Uncle Andy. was chopping fire wood near by, with swing to his axe as hearty as a woodsmans. Aunt Sallie had passed her ninetieth year. and Uncle Andy was 94
 "As I was driving one day to Ruther- ford in Rutherford county, I met ex- sheriff Andy Long going home. He was riding frisky young mule. He stopped, and I stopped.
 How old is that mule, sheriff? asked him.
 Well, suh, said he, they say mules get to be powerful old, but if this here mule lives to be as old as l am, he'll have to live ninety-three years yet. He's just three years old. this mule is.'
 '' Great Gabriels hornr I exclaimed You're not 96, are you sherif?
 Ninety-six last Tuesday, he replied. And away he went on his three-year-old mule as chipper as a cricket.
 T met Uncle Billy Wade not long afterward. and I asked him If he had any Idea how old Sheriff Andy Long was. for I thought the old fellow was stretching it a little. Uncle Billy was busy at his forge. for he Is worker in iron and brass, as well as a carpenter IL. T .lNa aI.-Y until he had finished a job of welding. Then he pondered moment and said:
 Well, the sheriff is either three or four years older than I am. Three, I think. And I am 93 past
 John Long and his brother Preston were gathering their corn as I came along by their place. They are brothers of Sheriff Andy. I stopped and couldn t help referring to the amazing age and vigor of Andy, as well as to the haleness and heartiness of their neighbor, Uncle Billy Wade at 93.
 Why, yes said Preston Long, they are doing quite well for men of their age, but I reckon me and John here'll be right smart ourselves when we git to be as old as they are. John'll have to live longer than I will, though, to get to be as old as Andy or Uncle Billy is. John is only 90 now. He's the baby of the family. I'll be 92 in month from now Then John Long wanted to know If 1 had heard about Aunt 'Rintha Coving- ton. said I hadn't.
 She sprained her ankle said John, and she says she's mighty glad she ain t so old as Granny Holifeld of Ellenboro, or she be fearsome she'd be lame for the rest of her life. She's only comin' 91, Aunt 'Rutha is
 How old is Granny Holifeld, for goodness sake I said
 fs
 Prestca. Is 1t 1l6 or IF that Granny Hol- field isy
 Hundred and seventeen past, said Preston. And the record of it is down, too
 And found out later that such was the case.
 And Aunt Charlotte whitesides, con tinued John Long. Did you hear about her?'
 q told him had not.
 Aunt Charlotte is Aunt 'Rlntha' s young sister. She's only S9. I heard you speakin of Aunt Sallie Crowder We'll Aunt 'Rintha Covington and Aunt Char lotte Whitesides are both sisters of Aunt Sallie's. You know Bill Struther's olt Billy goat, Capt. Kidd don't you?
 ''l had often heard of that ugly old goat that everybody in its neighborhoot was afraid of.
 Well, sir, said John, that goat has out-butted every nigger they could get tc go agin him and run everybody out of the pasture lot that dared to try and go across it. Aunt Charlotte went out to gather snake root and other roots ana yarbs the other day and she took a short cut across the pasture lot. The fghtin' goat seen her and went for her at once He butted her over before Aunt Charlotte knew what was comin. When she got up and see the goat standin tnere ready to come agin, she grabbed him by the whiskers and the horns and Topped him on his back so quick it al. most made his eyes bulge. and before he could get over his surprise she Knocked him all the way out with a fence rail She went on her way, and by and by tn, goat came to. but they say that when ever he sees Aunt Charlotte, come int that field he goes way oyer to tother sid, of it. r.r
 T found out elsewhere that it was Z fact about Aunt Charlotte licking tha, goat terror, just as John Long had tolt me Uncle Bob Lattimore confirmed tn. statement Uncle Bob had just come ir from days squirrel hunting when saw him. He had a nice bag of birds too.
 Yes. sir! said he. Aunt Charlotts fixed that pesky Capt. Kidd, and might, quick, too, she did. If I wasn't quite ar young I'd just try to get her to oui, bein' a widow, but she'd only laugh ai a youngster like me. I've only jest turned s2 If I was only Ben Harman of Kin't Mountain. now, I'd be after her in less than no time" said Uncle Bob.
 How old is Ben Harman?' I asked Ben was 9S last June said Uncl, Bob, and he can chop more wood in s day than any other man in the noun. tains.'
 Uncle Bill Hosten, Uncle Bob's neigh Dor and rival in raising big watermelons corroborated this about Ben Harman o Kings Mountain. Uncle Bill ought tt know because he and Ben were boy, together although he admitted that Ber was three years older than he was.
 T tell you we are healthy down f, that corner of the Tar Heel Statel Dy Ing is the last thing people think o down therei" said Mir. Horton.