The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-24

AOrgot what brought him to my mind.
n have written about S1as Ford, his
oddities, scfapes and mi6fortunes. more
Khan once to d Messenger, Tor / WAS
fond of him. and he was ready a very
funny fellow. / recalled am OCCASION,
long before he and his wife moved cut
lweSt, when [ met Mrs. Ford day
i'm a store UP town, where she was max
ting some purchases. I remarked thu.
/ had not seen SaIas for some days, ana
asked If he was sick. She bit e lip.
lcolored slightly, End laughed a little, as
she replied that he was not exactly sici.,
ibut had mot been out Of the houSe for
IA few days. When I persisted in my
Inquiries Mrs. Ford said in a low tone:
FIN be through directly and II you Will
walk a little way with me, III tell yov
about it. I don't WAN to give poor III
las away in the store before all these
lmen, for they would never let UP Oil
him." I viii premise that the dwelling
Iof SiIas was as crooked and cranky as
Ihe vas. On the north, IN roof over
Ia lumber room was very steep and
higher than the middle OF the housa,
1.-THE roof of which was smartly sloped:
lon the south the roof Of the kitchen
Twas also higher than the middle, and
Iup Tear the Kitchen ceiling was a VIII
idow. A short time before sparks had
lcgught and burned a patch of h shin
lgfes on the steep rOof over the lumber
room, for which h insurance COM
Ipany had paid Silas 1925. He had ON
Isffingle5 ON the premises. So he declar-
led that he would save h expense of
Ia workman, and mend h patch hiru-
lself-and now you are ready for Mrs.
lFord's story.
! His wife warmed him., n Cd Inc,
THAT he was not used to climbing about
ION roofs, and would get hurt; but Slla5
Isaid tnat he could take care of him.
tself, mounted a ladder and nailed down
some cleats, got up his shingles, and
Iwent to work. Mrs. Ford was cooking
dinner in the Kitchen, and now and then
she wouId look up Through the window
ITO see Sflas crawling about in his
stocking feet, and hammering here and
There. She had made UP h corn bread
land put it into the stove, when a great
lc,attering of shingles and a yell caused
lher to look up with a start just i'm i'm
Ito see SilaS Slip off THE steep roof, and
lsAide along the middle roOf as IL ne
lwere on a toboggan-and blame me II
lhe didn't slide right through the kitchen
window e the ceiling, which was
wide open and land on his feet, stand
ling up ON the stove, which was as hot
las blazes. He bounced off with andther
Iyell and his wife dashed at him with
- OoNhCI vi ~ Va AN@ w" "NO
lon fire, and he plunged his feet into the
bucket. Mrs. Fore aid that after the
Ifirst fright and amaZemerlt she was SO
full of laugh that h could hardly at
to the poor fellow. His sCles were
l~blistered, so she got him ito bed, ami
dressed them with arinca cream and
dressed them with arulica, cream, n
Igling about all the h time. AS she
turned to leave the room, Silas sat up
ll, bod in Nd c1ioE1lr hic Rot fsyTToroouaD1 7 >
The exclaimed, "if you ever tell this
hing you and I separate right
straight"
Now" said Mrs. Ford, 81 have told
Ion Silas, because you and he are great
Friends, and are always joking each
other. Besides" she concluded as she
turned at the corner for her home, Civ
ling me "a SLY look, "SGlas owe syou n
for guying you SO about The May colt"
Silas Ford certainly did enjoy the
May colt catastrophe, and i'll was this
WAY: One afternoon [ went horseback
riding with my wife, and when we got
Ito 'tMile Branch" north of town. in
lStead of CROSSING the bridge we went
by the ford to Water the horses.
THE stream WAS high and in the mic
ls1ream was high and right in THE mid
IDLE of the stream the brown mare J.
TWAS Riding lay down-and so did l,
ISOuSed e head and Glars. The weather
twas warm and the water nsot unpleas-
and I do not think I would have
minded it if I had got amy sympathy.
in ali my acquaintance with her,
II never knew my wife to cough as she
Ibid When I and the horse scrambled to
our feet, and went s~plashing out of the
creek side by side. Mad as 1 was, I was
lreally alarmed lest she would fail off
Iher horse in her commissions of mirth.
las | rode sulkily by her side along the
road, laying h IL of THE highway
lat every step, again n again h
would break out. The aTmOred and
thelmeted old Greek before the walls of
ianclent Troy could 'sulk I'm his tent ,
with dignity suppose, but TT cannot be
idone by a man in a dripping alpaca
lcoat and white trousers, who has JUS
lbeen downed by a May colt. You know
jii lis said THAT a colt foaled i'm May will
lire down in water whenever it gets the
chance. That colt lay down-to that H!l
lSWeaT.
L asked Silas Ford how he came 20
iknow about my mishap at Mile
EBranch," but he refused to tell me. OF
Icourse my wife gave me AWAY, but Mrs.
Ford let me get wen. J. III. N.
Fayetteville, N. c., February s.