The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-05
Impressions Made Upon a Visitor.

lC'Sf Dill uiSu oA W AoHt JOS SAHoo
was in Sumter, Mr. editor. but me
and Buck Edge taken a trip up to
your town Last week, and was 50
nightly pleased, jest thought !
would write you letter about it.
Sumter has surely growed heap sence
I seen it. The people was all a NOV
ing about in mighty big hurry, and
ali oy EN- seemed to havs sumthing to
do. This was a good sign. | never
seen a town in my life that didn't 60
to rack eff most Of the men set aroun
whittlin sticks. Sumter is sure got a
move on her. Them big show win
dows taken Bucks eye, and l had
farely to pull him along to git him
away fun en-. We didn't drink notnln
but soda water the day we was up, and
we was told that a man couldn't git a
drop onless he went to see Leke
Windam. | think Buck sneked IN
and got jes bite towards evenln. He
was in powerful good yumor on the
way home. We staid over night AN
foun good lodgins, an I'm glad made
the visit.
Their was some things that sorter set
me tninkin. an [ amt never got EN-
right strait in my mine yet. a teller
come along drivin young mule. an
run into lot o buggies an wagon al!
spread out in the street ln front OF
somebody's stable, and | thought to
my self sech thing ort not to be al
lowed. To block up street with
wagins an things, and make 1t SO a
man cant scarcelyipass, ort to be agln
the law in any fust class town. wen
der why the town counsel don't make
q rule perhibitin any sech thing. L
don't believe it would be allowed down
here in kingstree Streets is public
property, an the law ort to require a
Stable Keeper to shet up the buggies
an wagins in his yard, and not leVe
EN- spread out all over the streets.
About the porest thing sen IN Sumcer
was the lectric lights. Buck sed them
big lamps on the streets was ekai to
1000 candle apiece. But Said to
myself, I says, that's lie, ef | know
one when I hear it or see it. The lit
tie lights in some of the stores wasn't
much better. Buck and me was look
in at q pair of shoes in one OF the
shops. an all the lights was a burnln,
and. doc NV cats, ef the clurk didn't
have to bring in lamp so we coulo
tell whether the shoes was sowed or
pegged. And Buck sed some OF the
stores paid So and $40 month for them
little lamps. Seems to me la be a
raisin row eff I was bein bamboozled
in sech way, an payin me money fer
it too. ,,-
One funny thing happened: Buck
wanted a patch put on to his shoe,. an
q policeman sed a shoemaker KEEP right
down ther on Liberty street, back o
Solomou's old stand So we seen a
sign. and a man told US that was
Shoemakers, an in we went. A oushy
headed feller come out to meet US,
and asst ef we wanted to buy organ
or fiddle. No, says Buck, | want to
git a patch put on this here shoe
We'll. says he, don't work Oh shoes; l
sell Origins. Come to find not, the
man was named Shoemaker, and that
policeman had jest guyed me an BUCK
into goin to music store to get a
shoe patched.
Ef YOU have the Karnival. you may
count on me an Buck coming up.
want to see your old town at its best.
I hope by that time you'll have the
wapins moved off the streets and the
liobts will be so man kin tell wheth-
er a shoe is sowed or pegged. Give
nv love to Tom Sumter and Bill
Jones and Bill Seal. They are all KIN
to me, and I amt shamed to acknowl-
edge neither. .Aleck Gamewell.
Puddin Swamp.