The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-14
lest village of the rolling hills, with
EdWard Wondsnn

| lest" village of the rolling hills, with
Edward Woodson
| the account of sudden death of Ed
Woodson. as everybody called him.
the local editor of The Observer. Ger
tainly it never came into my heart to
take up his work. Why he was
counted a humorist! and he was He
could beat Baily, the Danbury News
man, in the comical exaggerated de-
scription of Il simple accident, a form
of fun then much affected. 1t was
dull soul that could not laugh at his
version of rSe-swapping on Cedar
Hill, retired locality on the town
line of Louisburg, bold knoll thickly
studded with cedars growing around
little open spaces, sort of rustic
Rialto where Rosinantes were ex-
changed with little regard to values
and with no regard to truth In de-
'Scribing their excellenCes. No respect
able lawyer would advise suit for
fraud in a horse trade made at Cedar
Hill-unless perhaps an allegation Of
no fraud could be maintained. He
touched such subjects as these with
the pencil of rollicking fun--he un-
derStood the motives and the lingo
and had a relish for the rascality. he
laughed at We recall King Charles
telling his courtier that he saw the
rascal relieve him of his gold snuff
box and explain his not warning him
by the admission that the pick-pocket
winked at him and in that way took
him into his confidence. SO these
registering country rapscallions took
Woodson into their confidence and ho
never unduly betrayed it.. A good fell
low, sure enough-not summer
friend who borroWs in winter, but a
Woodworking fellow loyal to the mar
row, with as courageous a hand In
battle anu heart in hardships as ever
belonged to any man. No man 9
enemy but his own, and not his own
in intent. 1t is not eXaggeration to
tell a thing as one sees it and recall
ing the drolliries of Charles Mathews
and Toole and Crane, none of their
deliverances ever provoked such mex
tinguishable laughter in my sides as
Woodson in Toodles. He would have
been a great farce actor. a good full
sketch of him, making the world
happier ought to be written by Mr..
Justice Montgomery or John Wad
dell, of Warren. They were his school
mates, learned business with him, tent
ed with him. saw him stand on his
own threshold and Single-handed for
a while defend covering ashen, ter
rified servant against a bowling black
mob because he claimed his protec-
ton They could tell you all about
Ned Woodson, the local editor of The
Observer. If l don't get on L will
never get on The Observer. BRETT
don't recall how 1 heard that work
was to be had on the paper. Wood
sons place would likely be filled ty
some one in line and by transfer at
least one place would be vacant, so
/ wrote a message to Hale 81 Saun-
ders and in the presidential phrase
was "delighted' to be invited to talk
it over with them, which meant for
them to look me over and for me to
do most of the talking. / had met them
both socially, but when / came to
talk business they looked awfully
solemn, and I would have been glad
of q continuance on most any ground.
Anyway [ was a good deal dis
illusioned about the sort and amount
of work to be done, but l just went
blindly on not making any manly re-
solve but dimly conscious that unless
did take hold there would always
be a disagreeable small voice that
would be nagging me for backing
down. I was soon so hard at work
that / hadn't time to do anything eX-
cept to keep my work from running
over me. Not even to pinch myself
to be dead sure that / was on a real
live daily newspaper. But / was and
don't doubt, but that it will interest
many, for we are not all dead yet,
to call rolls of some of the men who
were as much on the paper as L was,
quite. 1t may encourage the i'm
patient or busy reader to know the
beginning of ones new life is longer
than the succeeding spans, because
after you get we'll into it there is the
monotony of daily grind that kind
hearted story-tellers sometimes insist
on emitting. SO with the promise
that the slack will be taken up as we
get little farther out, | will say it
is very pleasant to see grow out Of
the August air just in front of me full
size and that was pretty large, the
semblance of Captain Dick Saunders,
the business manager l had known
Captain II. b. Saunders when he kept
one of the finest drug stores in the
State at Chapel Hill, and no amount
of evidence, written or oral. could
shake my belief that nobody ever
made exactly such peach ice soda as
he made, and this will be vouched for
by all the bellies, and they were bellies,
on the Hill-daughters of the pro-
feSSors and old-time residents and
refugees from Virginia and Eastern
Carolina. And his receipt for smok-
ing tobacco would make the Kings of
the Royal weed rich beyond the
Glasses of '65, SO, 81 and '68-after
that the seven lean years when there
were no classes, and with no classes
no university worth mentioning. Like
this: When the catachlysmS of 1868
was brewing things were so scarce
that the guests of an institution fami-
liar to our ears under the old-time
euphoniSm of the 'poor-house' had in
sufficient bed-clothing to keep alive
what little STRENGTH an unsuccessful
fight with life had left them and a
certain keeper" as he was called
discovered a genuius for combination
since very common grown and nolens
volens had these guests paired off
and duly locked in Wedlock. One of
these Sabine brides, happening on her
round in search of a few extra COM
forts, was met with these words:
"And so Mrs. Blank, you have mar
ried since you were last here?' Yes
Marin, / has, but such a poor mar
riage as it is Such a poor UniVer-
sity as it was when Solomon Pool was
well let that pass. With the Univer-
sity down went drug store and ALL and
Captain Saunders with his good wife
daughter of Governor Brandon, OF
"A +n ,nY,ly n hYin