The news & observer., 1904-11-13

for it, and, in every other conceivable
way a great many may say almost
ail-are striving after that evil root.
/ never believed that other people
cared very much about listening to
ones complaints; so / don't usually
complain; if | can help it. But. | hap
pened to an accident the other day
that has caused me no little annoy
ance besides considerable pain; annoy
ance, because / have been unable to
locomote with that celebrity which is
expected of one of my usual sprightli-
hess; and pain, because | cannot be
content to lie abed or put my leg in a
sling.
1t happened at Louisburg the other
Jay. l mad stepped from the cars and
was assisting some ladies down the
steps, displaying Il gallantry inherited
from my ancestors. (for as far back
rs the memory of man runneth, they
were noted for waiting on the ladieS).
little thinking that my gallant services
were to be rewarded with a downfall.
But. alas, SO ii befel me. While i
was looking at the ladies whom / was
assisting, q half dozen dressing cases
and valises had been set down. right
behind me, so near to my feet, that
when / turned about to shake hands
with friends who were approaching
(and not seeing the dressing cases), l
took a fall six feet long and one hun
dred and eighty pounds heavy. over
all the valiSes: and my left knee COM
ing in contact with the sharp cornNr
of a dressing case, or granite peb-
BILE, / don't know which. L received q
very painful hurt. from which ] haye
not entirely recovered, at this writing.
I've had stiff leg; yes, While in
LouiSburg where. among my old
friends, / was so desirous of showing
off to the very best advantage. l had
to hop-couldn't help it. l hated to
admit that | fell down. So. to some
who asked me why | walked with "a
stiff leg, L told them what / heard a
man say of his stiff leg, when l was a
boy. He said it represented his aris-
tocratic blood. Yes" said he, my
father was a plebeian with big hands
and feet; as active as a cat and as
lnpolished as wild bear; but my
mother mad blue blood in her veins,
and put on ariStocratic airs and was
as stiff as if she had been made of
wood and gowned> in buckram; SO, /
got my stiff leg from my mother-its
an aristocratic leg"
| | have been hopping about until
few days ago. when it occurred
to me / ought to set out my strawberry
plants. So, hopping to the tool housu
1 got my fork-spade and long-tooth
rake and went to work. My wife soon
came out and said: you look like
l.spading that ground with that stiff
knee.'
Don't you see said /. II can stand
on the stiff leg and make the other
do the spading." And / did. / set out
all my new plants, worked over the
old bed and raked it off, just in time
for the good rain that came that night
and all next day.
! [ had presentment it was going
to rain soon. Old people can tell
when it's going to rain, by their corns
and rheumatics; but I'm not old
enough for that. l think it's going
to rain, sometimes, but it don't; and
l think, sometimes, it won't rain, but
| it does. The only sign to me. that
has any certainty. is, to see the rain
falling.
} There was wisdom in that old ne
| gros answer. who replied to the ques-
| ton of circuit rider, who reined his
horse up to the fence and asked:
Uncle, what do you think of the
weather."
The old negro leaned upon his hoe
handle, surveyed the clouds attentive>
ly for moment, looked at the preach
er, surveyed the clouds again and
said: Boss, its my 'pinyun it'll rain
harder, fair off. or keep on drizzlmg
jes like it is
do you think it's going to rain ?'
one gentleman asked another in my
presence, one day.
II can't tell -~u unless I was at
home" he answered.
"How's that?" the gentleman in
quired.
'If 1 was at home, and should say.
tits going to rain and my wife
should say: mo it amt" I'd know
1sli oh sl1x
wrong.
''Some people depend a great deal
on the moon for rain. but l put a
sight more dependence in an old
fashion thunder cloud an old farm
er facetiously remarked in my hear
ing once; and L guess he was right.
Speaking of the moon reminds me
that some people are very much gov
erned by it in planting seeds. You
must plant such thinoS as grow in the
ground in the dark moon," and
those that grow on top of the ground
in the light moon" / heard very
heated discussion on the subject, one
day, speaking of Irish potatoes. One
man said he planted in the eight
moon" and he made good potatoes;
another said he planted in the dark
moon," and he made good potatoes,
and so they had it. There was a gem
tleman present whose potato crops had
been. comparatively, failures for sew
eral years who, after listening to the
controversy about the relative excel
lencies of the light and the dark
moons, arose, and said, as he was
about leaving: Thank YOU. gentle
man for your information. / see
where I've been making a mistake.
Instead of planting my potatoes in the
light moon" or the dark moon
I've been planting them in the
ground"
/ never could understand how the
moon had anything to do with the
growth of thinPs neither has it been
satisfactorily explained to me how it
is that tides are effected by the moon.
nor why it is that cats eyes are eff
fected by the tides But. there are so
many things l don't know. ana so
many unexpected things come to pass,
I've about made up my mind to be-
lieve anything I hear. So. when a
man tells me a marvellous story 1
simply say: My My! is that SOP
I've got a right smart sprinkle Of
green truck in nv garden right now,
such as corn, butter beans, tomatoes
and the like. The frost has been kill
ing things all around but somehow. it
has not killed NV ynpnta hloc