Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-04-05

A friend. sweet, singing wind? will he
supply my need?
In his life. his love he will be friend
indeed.
In a week Tatters was, much to our
pleasure, able to follow us to the saw
mill. AS one Of the boys said. he had
come up hill from the valley Of the
shadow Of death with rush.
Tatters was, at first, very careless
around the saw mill We had to be
careful more than was pleasing to the
boss to keep him from being caught
by some falling tree or crushed beneath
some rolling log. And all the while
our eyes were on his doings, for we
knew that If he proved to be one from
the gutter that he would have no
chance to improve. The boss, since he
run run things in that part Of crea-
ton. would quietly desire us to get rid
Of him-to spurn him from our pres
ence.
But we were not only mildly sur
prised but pleased to find but very lit
tie in his life that merited censure.
He was so upright in his ways that we
world, when we found that his up
rightness was always ION the spot"
have fought for him as hard as he
fought every dog he met. No matter
how little or how big the dog was,
Tatters would interview" him. If the
dog was little. Tatters would, without
grievance. give him a sound thrash
ing in order, we said, to show his su-
reriority If the dog was big, mere
bear beside Tatters, Tatters would
show his sharp little teeth and snarl
savagely just to show, we believed
that he was afraid of nothing. and was
not to be run over.
AS an enemy Tatters was strong and
treacherous: as a friend he was tender
and faithful. No obedience did he
give to strange folks, and no hospital
ity to strange dogs He was always
"at home" to tramps. 1t gave him the
keenest pleasure to wait, as If asleep
until the tramp cautiously ventured UP
to the back door. Then he would sc
suddenly awake from the pretended
sleep that the tramp, cursing the crit
ter at his heels" would leave for other
PARTS. Then, feeling sure that Tatters
had left, he would sit down to rest and
wish that that all-fired dog was In
ther bottom O. perdition.'
But to each of us at the sawmill
Tatters was a willing slave. No task
that we imposed seemed too irksome
for him to dc: and our commands
were his ready obedience. He was sc
sagacious and made himself so usefu
in many ways that we counted hin
one with us. He saved us so much
worry. prevented so much trouble, anc
so delightfully."- amused us with his
pranks that we began to call him Sal
walton Tatters." instead of just-"Tat.
ters,"
In being as he was the servant unto
many, his deeds of a single day fur
nished US fireside talk at night. Dicl
Henderson. the giant from the east, a!
we called him. said that Tatters' pres
ence was conducive to mirth an(
pleasure. And we, knowing this a!
we did, thought it really wonderful
that we had endured the telling irk
someness Cf the place, before the win
ter wind blew Tatters in"
Pursleys sawmill was a lonely oil
place. It was, as one Of the boys said
miles away from where singing w'n1
blew curls of gold and brown agains
rosy cheeks. Save for Mrs. Daley ant
the little girl, there were no velvet!
voices thereabout: and the things w
saw but seldom were things We longe'
for most.
Often after a days hard work, w
would gather around the old stove an
wish that we had the mail-the ca
gerly read newspapers and letter
from home and HER-which we knev
were in the little postoffice at Cros
Roads. But Cross Roads was eigh
miles away. The mail carrier cam
round only once month, and of-el
the letters were when they came, lat
with news and love.
L. Tatters changed all this. 1t seeme'
a way with him to come along sid
with help" for he became the ma
carrier 1t took him some time to b
fitted for the service. Though Willing
enough, he seemed slow to catch on t
the business: but when once he learn
ed it he was to be relied upon.
1t all started this way: Severa