Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-12-11
WHEN STARS FELL.
Bill Tells of the Shower of the Leo.
nidS in 1888.
his OTHER EARLY REC0LLECTICNS
Ills Journey to Savannah, Where lie
Took Sailing Vessel Fer Boston
Return By Land.

I
ages. but his seven does not ft ou,
oay-nor indeed, did they fit his OWN
day with any distinct lines of demarca-
ton between them They glide into
each other and it is hard to tell where
tho one quits and the other begins. w,
nave infants and school boys and low.
erS, Out very few are soldiers. and moi
ono In a hundred ever becomes a ius.
tee or the peace. His sixth age docs ro,
20 justice to cur mon and women ~
three score years and ten. for most ni
them grow fat instead of lean. and ou
Dig manly voices have not turned Il
preble, nor do they pipe and whistle ir
their sound. can still sing base To tn,
iong-meter doXology and my wife car
sing Mary had a little lamb" to th,
oaDy' AS TO the seventh age. which nc
pictures as second childhood and mere
OBLIVION without teeth or taste or eve,
or eurs or anything. we never see then
our Old people die before they get Il
mat. But in the life OF every man ant
woman there arc epochs. events. mil,
stones. as 1t were. that stand out prom
inent In memory ah1 mark their prog
ress from youth to oil, age. NV earlie,
recollection Is the killing Of our do:
Hector. who was supposed to be mad
and it grieved us, for we loved him ant
ne loved us. Next | recall the falling O.
the stars IN 1888. My father held me Ill
ana with my feet upon the top railin:
OF the bannisters, l saw them com,
down In myriads as quietly and softl,
ae snowfakes and they went out a
they neared the earth. They were sep
arate and distinct as the stars. but al
near together as the sparks from tn,
chimney OF an oidtime blacksmith
shop. George Lester was my playmat
and lived close by and the next morn
ing he and hunted all over his moth
W's garden to find some signs OF Tn,
stars that fell, but found none. Will
they were falling our negro cook, Aun
Ailsey, was down on her knees pray
Ing, and as she clung to my mother
night gown she called on Jesus to coiLu
and take us all to heaven. That mig
was an epoch and it is worth being
years old to have witnessed it,
next remembrance OF note Is journ
TO Savannah with my father
mother and brother, where we took
sail vessel for Boston. | remember
magnificent double row Of china trc &
In the long street. and wonder If IN
is n person living in Savannah "
was living there then and remen.S
that row OF beautiful trees that
long since dead and gone. | rene
that voyage OF thirty-three d,
around Cape Hateras, where our 6
was almost wrecked. and mother II
FO CT ,r,,tr Iii
prayed for deliverance. remem
when we reached Boston and how.
ter our visit was over, father bough
carriage and pair OF horses. and
Journeyed by land from Boston
Georgia and never crossed a railrc
for there was none to cross. rem.
her our stop at tho natural bridge
Virginia. and how we walked ay
down in the gorge and looked UP
afterwards stood on the bridge {;
leaned down from the dizzy height
When | was about ten years oil
had another epoch. for | had fight
Sunday at camp meeting and
licked and my fine Sunday clothes "
NIL spoiled with mud and dirt.
country boy said / was town
and was dressed too fine and he vi
gwine to take the starch outen IN
ruffled shirt. And he did. | fought n
hard as | could, but he licked me an
l cried, had gone TO the spring to &c
some water and the fight came Of
there. My father whipped me mex
morning and the school teacher 60
ready to whip me. again. but shove
him my legs and he let me off with
fnJK NV anicAdn hog Lee ~
delible impression. We had TO wal
two miles to school and about half wa
there was big gully that wo used L
slide down in. One morning Bill Nal
THE and Overton Young and Jim vii
son and myself stopped to slide dow
and Bill pulled out deck OF cards an
said he would show us how to play.
had never seen a deck before in IN
life, but | had hearn tell OF EN-. The
were mighty pretty and he taught Il
how to shuttle and cut and deal an
turn Jack and play seven-up. On
morning Tom Wilson and Jim Alex
ander came along as they were going I
school and heard our racket in TN
gully and they caught us playing card.
They slipped up on us. for we ~er
completely absorbed in the game. an
Tom said: "Well. you are the younges
set of gamblers ! ever saw in my lif'
The sheriff will get you and put 20
all in jai! before night" l never wa
scared so bad in my life. | couidn
study my lessons nor eat my dinner a
school and watched for the sheriff a
day long. But that cured me OF car
playing and | never handled dec
again until got to college. College wa
good place to plav cards then; IL
good place to kick a ball now. To.
Winson and Jim Alexander were good
hearted boys and never told on u
Tom died years ago and Jim died la.