The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-10

tiiiS Tcdu, VIII make it your road.
Will take you, Mr.. Stone, and macadamizt
the road with you Pat was given the
right of way
CORPORAL TRIM.
Perhaps the best piece of humOr even
paper letters written by Pat Winston
after Cleveland's first election to the
Presidency. He signed himself Corporal
Trim and wrote from Camp Desire,
Va, on the Way to Washington" He was
a member of two Drigades of office seek
ers; the Albemarle Aspirants and the
Piedmont Petitioners. These brigades
contained practically every well know
politician in North Carolina. Pat Win
stons description of them was piece OF
numor not surpassed by Swift, and was
thoroughly enjoyed by the whole State.
Pats humor and wit spared nobody and
nothing. He beld his father in great awe
and affection. but frequently made hin
an object Of his brilliant wit or over
towering EumOr. On one occasion his
| father wrote Il. series OF newspaper ar
tces on the Currency to the Norfok
Landmark. The papers were read with
eagerness by newspaper readers of eastern
Carolina. Presently some one began to
attack Mr. Winston's articles, using al
manner of i, sarcasm and ridcule. Every
week crowd in Windsor anxiously await
ed the coming of the Landmark to witnes
the brilliant duel between Mr.. Winston
ST.. and his unknown critic He would
guess and guess who his opponent was
1t was his son Pat. He sat around IL
the crowd who were all in the secret ano
listened with great merriment to the ole
gentleman's criticisms ~of his incognitc
soa
"Winston's Weekly" in whose publ
cation aud editing Pat Winston was en-
gagged at the time of his death, furnished
in every issue striking illustrations o
his wonderful power.
We append two extracts which show
the humorous and the tender pathetic side
of his nature
, OLD BILLY PRUDEN.
Old Billy Pruden lived in the little
town, in North Carolina, where the write:
was born.
He had nephew named Joe, whom
everybody called Joe Billy, whom he
was educating. One day Old Billy asked
Joe what the teacher told him that day
He told me, replied the boy, that
the world is round
Whereupon Old Billy took Joe Billy
away from school with the remark thai
1.-The Prudens might be fools. hut the.
were not such id fools as all that"
Yet. in spite of this incident. "Old
Billy" was by no means lacking in ac-
complishments. He once called on g
pair of sevens and won pot OF thirteen
hundred dollars. Ever afterwards, when
he held "sevens," he would exclaim: 'By
the Holy Gods, I've got Prudens." All OF
which goes to show that man doesn't ne,
cessarily have TO be an astronomer tc
play good game of poker. Cold feet are
OF more service in this particular line OF
business than any amount OF technical
learning.
Once Old Billy got very sick. He was
at the point of death The doctor gave
him up. He said to Billy:
Mr.. Pruden, / feel it my duty to say
to you that if you have any worldly affair:
to arrange you had better do So
Billy inquired: "How long have to
liver
We'll, SIR replied the doctor, "you
can not live longer than IL o'clock at the
outside, but if you drink single drop OF
water you will be a dead man in ter
minutes
After the doctor went out Old Billy
said to his negro servant:
Peter, you heard what the docto:
said. Well, 1 have arranged my worldly
matters. and as / havn't had a drink OF
water in three days, take that pitcher
and go down to the spring and fill 1t up
When Peter returned. Old Billy pro
ceeded to drink all the water in the pitch
err about a half gallon AT the end OF
quarter of an hour he said:
Peter, feel little better: take the
pitcher and go and fill it again
BY IL O'Clock Old Billy had drank
about three gallons of water and when
the doctor came at IL to be with his pa
tient in his last moments, he was rather
surprised to find him sitting IN at the
table playing "seven up with Peter.
All of which goes to show that the most
eminent medical practitioner is not al
ways able + ""all the turn"
CHRISTMAS.
Next Friday will be Christmas.
No other day recalls so many sweet
memories. AS think of it the past comes
back to me like a happy dream. i am
4 once more a child. l see the face of my
father, | feel his arms around me, I hear
his voice. see mother. Her face is
aglow with the light of love.
The well-flled stocking hangs by. the
chimney corner. The first light of a soft
Southern Christmas morning is creeping
through the window blinds. I hear the
stealthy footsteps of the house servants
as they creep to the door to catch old
masters christmas gift
/ christmas gift, Observation-Disclosures gift,
| Mistis' / hear them now.
/ see the village church above whose
simple altar were inscribed in letters made
of Southern foliage the words:
81 am the resurrection"
! l behold the faces of the little congre-
CATION radiant with the spirit of Christ
mas, so many of them bound to ME by
ties of blood and love. / hear the voices
of the choir chanting the Christmas carol
and, the peal of the organ reverberating
within walls decorated with glossy holly
and redolent cedar.
II. Il