The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-09


When the corn was shucked and the
shucks were penned then came the
treat and the supper. Afterwards came
the browning act of the evening-"the
christening of the boss" if he could be
found. Two strong negroes would
take him on a saddle made of their
hands and with the crowd following
and all believing like so many bulls
they would march three times around
the house; then enter the hallway,
seat the boss in a chair and sprinkle
brandy on his head, the captain giving
out:
Captain: cole marster's bin
anineted.'
Chorus: "He's gentleman for
shore
Captain: "He gin us all a supper"
Chorus: Hes gentleman TOT
shore"
CAPTAIN: "He treated us to brandy"
Chorus Hes a gentleman for
shore"
Captain: "Old mistess gin us coffee"
Chorus: "And she's a lady, too"
Captain: "She sweetened it with
shoogar."
Chorus: "And she's nifty lady
shore"
Captain: "Come set her side old
Marster.''
Chorus: "For she's nifty lady
shore
After this ceremony the clans sep
arated and for an hour. in various
directions, they might be heard on
their way home.
I don't remember but one such
scene at my fathers home, and that
was when / was a small boy. MY
father did not treat to liquor of any
kind after that, when his corn was
shucked, but the good suppers he
gave satisfied the negroes, and they
shucked just as well, if not better
without the liquor; and they sung
their songs just the same as if they
had been treated.
1t used to be thought that corn
could not be shucked, logs rolled, a
house moved, nor anything else be
done without treating the workmen
to strong drink; so, the master would
be seen, several times during the day,
bringing the jug around, and his APP
pearance always brought forth yell
from the wOrkmen. Sometimes they
drank too much and, as likely as not,
two or three fights would be the re-
suit. That treating ceased almost en-
tirely after the war; and but few
now living, remember the scenes
widow lady of my acquaintance
had a house moving right after the
war, and a white man who was her
business manager, insisted on her haV-
ing a jug of brandy to stimulate the
moving business. He maintained that
a jug of liquor would cost less than a
dinner, and that it would be more en-
joyed. The lady yielded, the liquor
was secured and duly dispensed, and
4 bo hr1t "a b11c
manager wcs too drunk to be able to
tell his name when the blocks were
put under the house, SO the widow
had to return thanks to the men, in
his stead, as he had found refuge in a
fence corner and had closed up like a
jack-knife. mo more liquor ever
comes upon my premises" said the
widow, as she turned and looked upon
her boss man, and she kept her word.
I saw a darby carrying a bunch of
fish along the street the other day, and
on the string was a founder And
that founder brought to mind some
things which happened fifty-four years
ago.
In the year of our Lord 1850, 1
taught a school on Federal Point,
eighteen miles below Wilmington not
far from where Fort Fisher was dur
ing the war. l could sit in the school
house and see the vessels out on the
ocean, and, at the same time, could
see the Charleston steamers, and other
crafts going up and down the Cape
Fear river. Those Charleston steam
ers were about the largest vessels that
traversed the Cape Fear in those days.
There was no railroad from Whining
ton to Charleston then, but steamers
Piled between those cities, completing
a through line of travel from New
York to Charleston.
Hon. John c. Calhoun died in
Washington city the 31st day of
March, 1880 and l remember seeing
enc of those large Charleston steam
ers carrying its flag at half-mast, az
t went down the river. in full view
II my school house. and the pilots,
wing on Federal Point, informed me
hat the remains of the great Calhoun
Xere on it.
But, you ask, what has all that to
10 with founders? Nothing, but
VIII tell the readers, if they'll be pa
tent, how the founders made a part of
he pleasant history of my sojourn on
Federal Point / boarded with q
AidoW lady who had an only child, a
-all graceful black-eyed daughter.
With whom l fell in love on first sight.
md with whom 1 spent many very
piazza fronting the river, and watched
he lights of vessels, a mile or two
from shore, going up and down the
stream, which reflected, in addition to
these weird looking lights. myriads of
stars. Talk about romance; you can
imagine how an up country boy, un-
used to such surroundings-the roar
If the sea, the broad river which lay
at our feet, the white sand beach,
which, in the star light, furnished
promenade, and a pretty girl to prom
enade with-you can imagine, [ say,
how an up country boy reveled in all
the delights of a first class romance,
Notwithstanding the days had to be
spent in the dull routine of teaching
children their a, b, c's, their alb abs,
ind how to make pot hooks and
hangers.
One Sunday night We We're sitting on
the piazza, the mother at the one end,
the daughter and the writer at the
other; the mother humming some old
time tune they used to sing, in her
young days, over ut the Brunswick
camp meeting: and we-well, we were
talking of poetry and flowers, ~
course; when all of sudden the
mother in tone of horror, remarked:
We'll, if that amt Hubby Grissom
catching founders on a Sunday night"
L saw the light and l saw a woman
Il l. L