The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-05-10
"REMINISCENCES.
The Good Old Days-Old- d-Time
Bars and Marcus Mishap-
First Drink of Whiskey.
Correspondence of The Robesonian.

Correspondence of The Robesonian.
The older one gets the more
one likes to hark back to Il s,
times when things were not sol
strenuous as they are at present
those good old days that exist
ed in every mans life, whether
he recognizes them now or not,
when life was one continual sun
shine except the winter morning
when he had to get up before
day to shuck the cows, or mind
the gap when hauling in or out
of the field.
Those old codgers who ruled
things in the early days of our
young boyhood were tenacious in
their use of awkward and cum
brous inconvenience. Take, for
instance, the old-time bars that
were used in place of gates.
What an Internal nuisance they
We're! | haven't seen one in
years, and l think it was one of
the first steps towards improved
farming that took place after the
war. However that may be, |
recall an incident that occurred
in those halcyon days alluded to
above.
Now bars, when we'll made and
properly adjusted to their diff
ferent parts, were not so very
bad after all, but when awkward
ly made they were indeed things
to make one forget his last
Sunday school lesson. The par
ticular bars that am about to
speak of seemed to have been
made without any definite rules
of construction. The holes in
and posts were bored out and the
ends of the rails were rounded to
fit the holes. One hot day in
July as Marquis De Lafayette,
commonly called Marcus by the
uneducated, among whom he was
which, was sauntering back to
his work after a heavy meal of
collards, bacon and hard cider, he
mounted the bars and sat on the
top rail with both feet locked
round the bar below when all at
once the bar turned and Marcus
fell backward with his face up
ward, and both feet securely
fastened between two lower bars.
He was incapable of extricating
himself until the boy who drove
the lowing herds slowly down
the lane came across him at sun.
down, and relieved him of him.
self. When asked afterwards why
he didn't ''holler," he said he
was afraid old Mars would fine
him out.
|. I remember we'll the first time
t I ever tasted whiskey. We haC
a big log rolling and Marcus was
deputed to carry around the jug
,, at proper intervals and distribute
drinks all round. After the roll
= ing wasover and the usual demon
strations of the victors over tn.
. vanquished had subsided and al
hands had repaired to the hous'
for dinner, Marcus and l follow
y ed in the rear with the jug.
! was very curious to know hov
the liquor tasted, and on Marcus
enlogistic comments upon it
, many great and good qualities
and also upon his assurance tina
: there would be no harm to tr,
the beverage, l turned the ju.
(there wasn't much in it, up t,
my lips and-"O, it burnt!" w,
were not far from the house ant
all the family were assembled Of
the front porch, of which circum
. stance we were both ignorant
and when accosted with tn
,, charge Of the dreadful sin O
= drinking whiskey, l felt YER
: humilitated indeed. Since tina
memorable day l have-but a
: my paper is getting too long
i will hold up for the present.
: Snyder.
Eo1,ot4oD;1lo NJ n D U n