The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-14
THE PAST AND THE PRESENT;
A TRUE TALE OF BOTH TIMES

Iner and stood before the .nusing four
one OF the new Corners was very fat
He was very red from the eXertion
Of pulling 800 pounds OF human ma
lure up the hill. and he famed him.
self as he stopped With & hroud, band
less straw hat He wore a neaVy
reddish moustache that gave him a
fierce bull dog expression, ana the
most innocent young preacher in his
first passionate would never have ms
taken him for the G. w. {. !. Oh
dry community His shirt coilar was
open. very open. and he simply SAID
las he nodded at the party, hot
"Haye a seat?" said the Squire.
e'Believe 1 will he said, as he took
the SQuire's chair. who vent pack
into the store room to fetch another
His companion was small freckle-
| faced. weavil-eaten washed out look
ing man with red hair no sign OF
beard. with big hands, with little
islands of Derspiration standing about
on them. He carried the poles ana
had on a live oak with one poor lit
tie mud cat. Nobody asked him 20
| nave n seat. but he gravit2ted over
| to the cal-squirrel man. tool: seat
by him on the bench. Looked at him
and grinned
Good Fishing about nere2" aske i
the stranger
Nothing like it was before the
| war" said the corpulent hot man. (1e
| had been an oVeTseer aod dated everv-
thing from the war; give caught
cats as big as dogs down at the Ferry
Hole"
The stranger looked surprised, the
huntsnen looked incredulous, the
| merchant didn't look at all and the
| AZ fiefa ti,
over his inward 10y of not having to
lug sucn catA
The man with the rifle said that all
| the squirrels scented to be cats since
| the Cast fresh" Same thing with the
| fish SAID the RrUm old 800 FOUNDER,
! and thereuDon al! relapsed into n state
| of Drofounc meditation on the subject
| of cats.
Among men or real genius there IS
| a free-nasOnry in finding out each
| others thoughts that is only equalIad
bv the intuition that leads man who
wants q drink 10 divine a similar dis
position in ,uen VINO are addicted to
and fond of the Juice of the grains"
Without looking up. the man who
was now deeply absorbed in toying
| with the long, graceful tail of the
dead squirrel, said in a voice full of
emotion, and that would have stirred
the breast OF a stoic:
81 wish somebody would treat TO a
level quart
Nobody responded. nobody moved a
muscle-not even :: nerve quiVered.
They stood it like iuen-Who did rot
intend to treat but who languishad TO
be treated.
It is due to Che strict veracity Of
| this story to stale circum5tantially
I4I,. Al, ,I.,ft L,ti IJ1a
wasn't that sort OF person. his
breast may have stirred. for no r1an
| knows what IS III a man'c breast at
| such times, but II Is q matter OF fact
| that no other portion of his body dld.
The shutting OF his feet would have
beer = grateful SoUnu tc these thirsty
| toIlers.
Lets nitch for it," said the. tarry-
| headed man. as he laid down his cat
in the sun, vanished around the cor
ner of the store and returned with
four horse shoes that had
| been cast by the original wearers but
were kept bright as a trade dollar by
constant use in a game called 'Quclts
or Quates, IS these simple citizens call
| it. much in fashion in that section
of the country. Without saying a
| word he stepped off and staked The
distance. drove down the megs with
|
slender twigs which he trimmed into
various unequal lengths to be used as
| measuring rods.
| The fat man and the two huntSmen
arose, stretched themselves, and went
| to the manly sport with eager deter
| mination. Without agreement the two
huntsmen went to one meg and the
couple of fishermen stood at the 9TH
| er.
| q; nn1y n
| single that was lying near at hand
and spit on one side of it,
wet or dry?" said he, as he tossed
| it up.
] ''Wet," said the fat man before the
single fell to the ground.
The wet side was uppermOst and he
| had the go.
The old-time racers or boys at
| marbles never Strove harder to win
than did those worthy sons of toll.
They lost their lassitude, they were
full of energy. their eyes were alive
with interest They laid themselves
down on their stomachs and measured
the distance between the quOltS ana
megs to see which quot was nearest.
The Cat man didn't lie down because
he wouldn't have been much nearer
the disputed distance than when ne
was on his feet. They laughed and
to detail compels rs to say that they
used very big DIS. The good old words
of sin formed the staple of their eX-
presSions to be accurate.
At last the game was decided against
| the hIntsmen.
"Pitch off between YOU" said the
fat man as he walked to the porch and
sat down. Thus narrowed down the
| last game was a short one Fortune
favored the meek squrrel-toter, and
the man with the rifle was put in for
the wiShed-for quart.
With 2. satisfied expression, the
whole party resumed their seats, with
the exception of the man who owned
the rifle. He took it into his hand
and walked leisurely into the store.
The merchant followed him, and they
remained there in deep communion
for q long while. The stranger thought
it. all very curious. The three game
sters turned restlessly in their seats
and made uneasy jokes about their
ahsent friends. At last he returned
with an aged and battered quart pot
level full. He didn't bring the rifle
back with him. The merchant saun-
tered out and resumed his seat. The