The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-14

gentle, the suns rays were genlal. Nature in her every expression gently, delicately suggested restfulness.
 z The advance guard of civilization which stopped upon the ridge there fell asleep like the army of the evil prince in the fairy tale and it never moved again. In the early days many stragglers came to the ridge to fall victims to Its seductive somnolence. but there never came enough of them to make stir or hustle.
 In this way was born and grew the town of Cassandra. The name was given it by Dr. Mortimer Archibald, who in its earliest days rode in with his saddlebags full of books and surgical instruments. He was Virginian and classical scholar but in the long after years In Cassandra he appreciated the grim humor of the still dull village, bearing a name suggestive always of vehemence and violence.
 For full three-score years Cassahdra slept and for that matter 1t still sleeps. The town has gone neither forward nor backward. The history of its tenth year would read Identical with the written record of the sixtieth year of It's ex- istence In Cassandra there has been no energy, no progress, but the town has ever held contentment and restfulness.
 Cassandra Is cut squarely in two by a
  ridge and drops suddenly over it's brow when the town is left behind. In that part of the town called by courtesy, the business section the road is lined with mulberry trees which partly shelter the long, one-storied buildings used for stores and offices. each being supplied with wide. wooden verandah, the summer refuge of the male residents of Cassan- dra. The small cluster of stores is sur rounded by a hundred or more homes' wherein are housed the towns six hun- dred inhabitants.
 Commercially speaking the town has not arrived. At present the time for its commercial arrival seems far distant The more substantial citizens own pian- tations scattered about in the country lying around Cassandra. Negroes make a careless, vain struggle for productive crops from the unresponsive lands. The plantations yield for the negro laborers and the white owners bare existence each in their different modes of life.
 half dozen stores live upon the needs of the town people and the plantations. The tariff drawn from hauling the drum. mers to and from the railroad station two miles away supports and sustains modest, unostentatious livery stable. A lawyer and a doctor find enough need Of their skill in the town to keep body and soul together and a dentist comes from @ neighboring town of more importance every two weeks. These, barring the gin house and grist mill run intermEtently are the industries and commercial actiyi- ties of Cassandra.
 The important business house of the town is the double store of Jeptha Allen. which at times makes quite a brave dis play and in the minds of the residents of the city assumes metropolitan airs and importance The proprietor began life with a certain knack for trade and with more energy than his neighbors. These gifts lifted him to the position Of the most important citizen of Cassandra and his store Is the center of the life of the town. Saturday Caccandra almost wakes up. Aliens store in the afternoon actually becomes busy Many negroes and few white out-of- town visitors come to get supplies.
 A scene gentler or more peaceful could hardly be imagined than the business portion of Cassandra, on week day. eomnuleut mule and sleeping dog divide thd shade of a mulberry tree. With his hands under his chin negro In serene hanniness dozes the hours away on a store verandah. A second verandah holds A party of white citizens languidly whit fling and as languidly discussing the poli- 
 tjcal situation.
 On the wide porch of the Alien store perchod upon soap boxes and badly scar rod chairs an unenergetic crowd chin fin hand watches with absorbing interest A game of checkers between Tom Kitch- ems and old man Isaac Lynn.
 Checkers, locally known as drafts, is distinctly an institution in Cassandra Of all games drafts is sacred to the lazy Co devotion Cassandrians to drafts. the game almost assumes the importance of religious rite The draft board Is the only thing I that is never idle in the town.
 All day long the draft players and their knot of watchers dodge the sun. The E game begins in the morning on the ground under the shade of the trees. in front of the verandah and ends at night fall in the rear of the store. The devo- tees of the game remain always in the shade following 1t closely in its daily Journey.
 In his pre-ominent skill and devotion to the game Isaac Lynn, the tonk patrl- arch at 80 gives proof positive that his wears sit lightly upon him. The ease and dexterity with which Uncle Ike can pro feet a gill of tobacco juice in the eye Of A sleeping hound ten feet away is the uonder and admira ton of his friends.
  ..o +he patriarch's endurance and staying nowers. whereby he routed a bevy of jok- are led by Tom Kitchens The Jokers laid carefully a scheme by which Uncle yl,e WAS to be chained to the draft board +ba vhole of a long summer day. The 3olers determined to mako him admit one time that he had enough of checkers.
 He was invited in the early morning to +ol,e mart in a game. As soon as one of +ha old mans partners became tired an- ether of the jokers took his place. Re ,,ef succeeded relief at the othsr side of the draft board, but Uncle Ike steadily tent his place. He let the dinner hour ro hv unnoticed. For thirteen hours, from early morn till dewy eve the patri- o,ob kept his place and made move for move against every man pitted against bjTn When the shadows of night fell the natriarch arose cramped and unsteady on his feet but happy in the consciousness that he had won a majority of the games a., +ba long drawn out contest.
 "Rut boys, femme tell you." said Tom 1,,tobens the originator of the trap that touad "I-rcle Ike, had drafts on the t-n,. that night. He walked home with
 5H,t hoard before him and he passed ou,n gate while he was lingering out ny move. When set down to supper % roistook a plate of syrup for man ne ,N,,.,dorn and crowned it with nap ,i m Ute darter showed him a cup Of cor k'n ns he Jumped it with biscuit
 iee ,dra a. is and has always been a
 Cass"., aIigious community. It is peopled Rallya md