Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-01-07
A Letter from Nj. Cook on Christmas.

Fort Madison, january 5.-Editors
Courier: Not having written YOU In
some time, I thought would give you a
few Christmas dots. We noticed a
communication In your paper from Tu.
galoo just before Christmas, signed L..
In which the writer wished The Courier
force and the devil, too, happy
Christmas: The people in our vicinity
did not think the devil had any right to
take an interest In the celebration Of tho
birth OF our Saviour, and so we left him
entirely out this time, and ChristInas
passed off very nicely. Mr.. Corbin out
OH the supply of mountain dew above
us, and the devil will not stay where
there 10 no bad whiskey. He crossed the
Iugaloo river into Georgia, and owing to
the fact that was very we'll acquainted
with him, and knew him to be a meddle-
some old scoundrel, went and posted
my ferryman at the river not to put him
across the river any more until Christ
mas was over, and 80 we had no trouble
with the old scoundrel during the
Christmas. am getting tired OF him,
anyhow. He has had the cheek to try
Ito act as guardian for me for about
twenty years. This is why had nv
boat locked to prevent his crossing,
tnough he got in some pretty good work
posi- our place.
The men of the vicinity had q shoot
ing match to shoot for a turkey. They
all had plenty of bad whiskey, and the
devil went along as usual. Some drank
raw whiskey, some took eggnogg and
some took Thorn and Jerry. When tn ose
who drank Thorn and Jerry got full,
Jerry wanted to shoot at the same time
Ihom did, and with the same gun, and
they both couldn't use the same gun at
nnn nd =
notion to go home, and Jerry wanted to
travel one road and Thorn another road,
and, of course, they had some trouble
jerry struck Thorn with the gun and
broke the gun, and Thorn got rock
about as big as pumpkin to throw at
jerry. 1t was 80 heavy he could not
throw 1t, 80 he ran with the rock and
went home, and don't know where the
deVii went. hope no has gone home to
stayn&t de makes his visits too long, any
We'll just before Christmas my wife
was, taken sick, and was not able to pre-
pare anything; 80 I was thinking that
forNonce in forty years l would not have
anything extra to eat for Christmas.
But in this / was very much mistaken,
and l was agreeably surprised when the
good ladies of the town began to come
in with the good things by the basketful
cake and a dozen other kinds of cake:
baked turkey and dressing, sweet pickles
and pies of all kinds, and boiled ham.
There was a whiskey house in Macon, Ga
which Hent us some peach brandy, and we
already had the honey. They also sent
us some nice port wine. When began
to uncork the wine my wife said that
was for sacramental purposes, so told
her that was not in the habit of taking
the sacrament, but owing to the fact that
there was no particular time set apart
for that purpose, might as we'll begin
now. just tasted it and pronounced it
good enough for any thing. We are
very thankful to our friends and neigh
bors for the many good things. Surely
there are no better women in the
United States than in the Fort Madison
vicinity. May God bless them.
Well, Mr.. Editor, you should come
down and see for truth that our little
town is on boom-twelve new build
ings going up; some already finished
everybody made good crops; there was
no freshet on the river to destroy the
crops, and everybody il happy, or APP
pears to be. Fine country, fine climate,
good health, prosperity on every hand ;