The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-06-09

III the night ana SIeaf MS own prop
erty.
Il never heard father say Il word
about it but onct, the day of ter he was
defeated, when he quietly remarked
bat he was wondering, after what
was printed bout him in the Argus,
if the town would elect constable such
Il emery cuss as he must be.
In the campaign when father ran
for constable, the Democrats nomi-
Lated Pierce and King for President
and Vice-President, and the Wings put
UP Scott and Graham: | remember /
had 1--WE or three fights with Wing
Toys because they hollered: The
democrats eat dead cats and rats, and
the Wings dine off nice roast pigs"
But we got even with them when we
yelled:
Who tainted at Lundy's Lane:
Winfield Scott, when the me was
playing:
Rally, boys, rally; We'll make the
woods ring
For Franklin Pierce and William r.
King,'"
Some such conversation as this Isl
las doing the conversing) was going
on between SilaS Ford and me one at
ternOOn down in his vegetable garden,
whittier l had gone to buy two hum
.dred tomato plants. | was sitting on
what was called a rustic bench, which
looked and felt like Il lot of cypress
knees punched together, and Silas
was down on the ground, digging up
plants at the rate of about n every
two or three minutes, while he talked
and talked and talked, and chewed
and chewed and chewed, | wondering,
as l had wondered a hundred times be-
fore. what he did with all his tobacco
juice. Just then the latch of the front
gate clicked, and the Widow Black,
with her veil down over her face, pass
ed up the walk, and entered the house.
Ten or fifteen minutes later Mrs.
Ford came around the corner Of the
house, and down the garden path.
She greeted me in her CHEEKY way, and
drew Silas aside, where they talked
earnestly for a moment, and SilaS said:
There's jist eight dollars Of it" Then
there was ii littI more talk. and Silas
puIled out his rusty old wallet, took
out some money, and said: Here's
two five dollar bills" His wife shook
him by the arm. laughed, called him Il
old soul, after ALL" and returned
to the house.
Silas Ford worked good -four or five
minutes in the ground in silence; then,
sitting back on his heels, and looking
up at me. he slowly observed: But
there's ~curiouser things in this world
than pOlitics-and that's women. What
do you suppose that woman of mine
wanted? Do you see all these garden
~1 3.-1 L~-C T % INV wiz n w
all they arm: she did a good part Of
the work. and anyhow / told her she
could take the money: and you'd be
surprised at the MAN. things she has
bought for the house. Well, [ had
eight dollars of hers in my pocket, and
|she is going to give it to Widow
BLACK to carry that poor blind daugh-
ter to Baltimore to have her eyes
worked on for catterick."
| remarked that | thought | heard
him say something about two five
dollar bills" A dull flush came over
.Silas Ford's lantern jaws, and this
time he did spit, as he replied: well,
/ gave two dollars of mine to make
even money
Poor Silas Ford! If he be living yet
lin the home in the far west, to which
he moved some years ago, may h
shabby old wallet still have a nest egg
for Mrs. Ford, and a dollar or two Tor
|Silas when he wants it, and may life
iyet have some savOr for them both!
In old Fayetteville Gong before my
|day) lived Mrs. Glass-for aught |
know a relative of the famous Mrs.
who kept the snuff and tobacco
shop in the Strand, and entertained
Jeanne Deans, her young kinswoman,
when she went up to London to get a
pardon from Queen Caroline for her
unhappy sister Fife, as told in SCOTS
of Midlothian"
Our Mrs. Glass-whO was 4 bust
|linc. epper little confectroEcr and
|dealer in lemonade and ginger-pop-
had two ~rosses in life: Il business ri
Iva, AID a husband. The former was
Monsieur MorenS, a dapper. eNcltable
little Frenchman, who never attempt
ed to emulate the pies and cakes of
lis competitor, but wiled away from
her many a customer by the superior
of his wine and ale. You
lsee, Fayetteville had not then been
Educated up to being good Ike 1t is
II was NlchSu olu IdySteS'iHN'
land Monsieur MOrens or anybody else
who paid the license could be guilty OIL
the enormity of q%uenching the public
thirst with sparkling wine or foammg
IGle.
Mrs. Glass's husband was d good
acknowledgements fellow,
lwho was supposed to assist at the
and around the shop, but
ihe found metal more attractive" Ill
talking politics and retailing gossip ON
the street corner or the benches
iaround Cool Spring. All day long the
II dice of Mrs. Glass could be heard,
I"Frederick. Frederick" in a high
istaccato that BODIED i'll for Frederick
Ii he did not turn up promptly.
| But Frederick atoned for petticodt
government at home by asserting MS
lspirit abroad, which was very martial.
land he joined the Independent Light
iInfantry-but "'subrosa', for he knew
THAT his wife would put her foot down
lon if. as fostering rebellion and con-