The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-12-19

thoro was a big gully that we used to
slide down in. One morning. Bill Malt
bic and Ovorton Young and jim Will
son and myself stopped to slide down,
and Bill pulled out deck of cards and
said ne would show us how to play.
had never seen Il deck before in my
life, but had hcarn tell of 'em. They
werc mighty pretty and ho taught us
how to shuttle and cut and deal and
turn Jack and play scvcn-up.
One morning Tom Wilson and jim
Alexander came along as they were
going to school and heard our racket
III tho gully and they caught us play
ing cads. They slipped up on us, for
We were completely absorbed in the
game, and Tom said: Well, you arc
the youngest set of gamblers l ever
saw in my life. The sheriff Will get
you and put you all III Jail before
night" l never was scared 80 bad in
my life. | coLldn't study my lessons
nor cat my dinner at school and watch
cd for the sheriff all day long. But
that cured nc Of card playing and l
never handled deck again until | got
to college. College was sood place
to play cards then; it is good rl ,cc
to kick ball now. Tom Wilson and
Jim Alexander were good-hcartcd boys
and never told on us. Tom died years
ago and jim died last month in Allan
Ia. lie got to be u great doctor and
everybody loved him. Whcu rccciv.
cd the telegram that told me he was
dead | felt like another prop was gone,
and that now only one was left
brother Tom in Rome. Mallbic is dead
and Young and Jim WILSON,. All my
schoOlmatcs arc dead except one and
all my school teachers and college pro-
fessOrs alo dead.
For several years there was no epoch
no episode. Every day was alike
until 1 began to notice the girls with a
peculiar longing emotion and brushed
my hair moro carefully and carried Il
cleaner handkerchief and wore tighter
boots we'll polished. In fact, got to
be dandy in my dress. Shakespeare
makes fun of the lover and dlsmisscs
him with a line. Says he sighed and
wrote poetry about his swccthearL's
eyebrows. We beat that in our day.
| didn't sigh a bit for my sweetheart
was IL bad Off about me rs | was about
nor, and we were too happy to sigh.
We soon became engaged, and she
fixed the day away on in June,
but l judged it backwards to
May, and then to April and at
last to March, to all OF which she
blushingly asscntcd. | wrote poetry,
too-noL 10 her cycbrows-bu to her
from head to foot. Here is the last
verse, which is only a sample of what
l could do in those halcyon days:
when incense on the sacred altars
Its odors seemed in fragrant clouds
SO may my wishes all to heaven turned
Procure rich blessings for thee from
the skies"
This is pretty good, think. In
1864 some Yankee soldier came along
and stole the album and carried it off
rs a trophy and gave it to his sweet :
heart. She kept it twenty years, and
married another fellow and sent the
album back to him, and nc mailed it
to my wife with n nice apology. lie is
gentleman, though 1t took him long
time to repent and reform. OF course
our marriage was an epoch--a big
milestone. My wife was only sixteen
and as dOcllc as pet lamb. took
her young, believing l could train her
if she needed training. For year or
two l could make her do just as |
pleased, but later on ! could make her
do just as she pleased and now she
makes nc do just as she pl1ascs, TOO.
But it is all right, and have got used
to IT, Yesterday ! received letter
from friend asking me to help Inn
about choosing a wife. He is n widow
CT, with one child, anu wanted II wo-
man over 30 and under .40-a settled
woman and he said he would max,
! hcra good, loving husband, etc. Well
| talked it. over in the family and
named scvcra good old settled gnls
and my wife stopped sewing and sad
'"I don't think you arc a very goot