The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-30

! DICK, WHICH Iedu as lOIlOWS:
Dear Brother Jack:-I think I'm
! even with you. Love to the Colonel.
DICK"
/ used to go to Beaufort when a
young man, before Morehead became
so prominent and / spent many pleas
ant days at the hotel kept by Mr.
| GEORGE Taylor; a very unpretentious
! house, but a good place TO boari
nevertheless He had an old boatman
! named Caesar. and many were the
| times that he sailed us across the
| sound, over to the fort, over to the
banks, or to any other point we wished
to go. one time, the last sail / ever
| made with him, / became greatly
alarmed, and for moment or two
! thought our chances, to weather IT.
| tie storm that came upon us, were
| rather slim. A dozen or more Deo-
| pie were on board our little boat, and
we were heading right TO sea--in fact
were about on the bar, when a squan
| suddenly struck US. The rain was
( binding while the Wind was blowing
a gale. Caesar undertook to turn
about. and it was then we were at
the mercy of the waves, and to me, it
really seemed impossible for our little
boat to live. But the faithful. fear
less negro got his boat about at last,
hOisted sail, and soon we We're safe 1T
Beaufort. We found Mr.. Taylor stand
ing on the wharf very much excited,
and said as we came along side the
wharf. 81 never expected TO see YOU
all again. when | saw that squall strike
you. out there in the channel" Ana
| he began to scOld Caesar for Ventur-
ing so far out, but we told him it was
not the Negroes fault.
A funny thing happened. at Tay-
lOrs hotel, on one occasion. Quite a
/ n ri of a he
Taylor House and we had to be
crowded into two rooms. AS ! re-
member there were four of us young
men, each having a sister: Frank Hug
gins and sister. Frank KOonce and
sister, John Haywood Jones and sis
ter myself and sister, and an old
WidoWer The men occupied one room
while the girls occupied an adjoining
room, with a door between. OF course
both rooms had TO be on good be-
havior because conversation could
| be heard in each. | don't mean to say
that we went to bed like lambs. OPEN
| ing not our mouths, for that would
not be true. We would talk to our sis
ters through the wall, and our sisters
would talk back at us. But, finally all
We're asleep and / expect we all slept
soundly and sWeetlY as it was late
before we stirred in the morning. The
first man up was Frank Higgins. and
opening his eyes he beheld hanging on
the wall a ladys garment, and, to
have q little fun, he put it into the
old widoWer's valise. After awhile
we all had risen and dressed, and
were about ready, in both rooms. to
go out to breakfast, when Frank
Higgins remarked he was about out
of collars, and asked the widOwer if
he would lend him one.
"Of course" he answered. and seiz-
ing his Valise. and opening it in haste.
he pulled out the garment, and hold
ing it out at arms length as if afraid
of the thing, he exclaimed: well, I'll
be dinged!" The boys shouted. The
girls asked: what in the world is the
matter in there"
There stood the widower holdInS
with thumb and forefinger, the strange
looking garment, repeating every now
and then as the boys guyed him and
charged him with stealing: well, I'll
be dinged!'
Our sisters couldn't stand it any
longer, so open the door flew, and
such a shout was never heard in the
old Taylor hotel as dinned the old
widowers ears; for our sisters took
in the situation and clapped their
hands and stamped their feet ana
screamed as they beheld the tableau-
the widower holding up the garment
1Ounu IN MS NallSe, ana AGAIN say lllS'
"Well, I'll be dinged!'
Old man Taylor heard the noise. and
fastened to the scene for our rooms
were on the lower floor; and no one
laughed heartier than he. We We're
we'll prepared for breakfast. for the
fun we had enjoyed was better than
a tonic. and what made it better than
a tonic, it lasted longer Indeed. IT
does me good--promotes digestion
whenever l think of that morning, ana
the frolic we brothers and sisters had,
at the expense of the old WidoWer,
who. by the way enjoyed it quite as
much as we.
How many of us are living? L think
about half are dead; the remainder
are here yet; and though we are In
the sere and yellow leaf, we love to
think of the spring time when the
currents of life ran boldly and the buds
and blossoms were fragrant, and life
seemed but joyous dream God
bless the old boys and girls, whose run
was fun indeed. unalloyed with the
formalities conventionalities and by
pocricies of modern society.
Last call. If you want copy OF my
book of "reminiscences send IN your
name at once, or you may fail to get