The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-22
Recollections Of Montgomery
For More Than Sixty Years Back

| who attended the High School. His
| home was near the "old Race Track.
north OF Highland Park. de did not
attend school very regularly. fh'hK
he was too fond of hunting. One
noon he rode UP to the schoo,- hous.'
followed by Ave or six hounds.
hunters horn was suspended from AS
neck. He halted in the shade OF the
big mulberry tree and the boys gain
cred around. My father Kept many
ours and / was not afraid of dogs.
had never seen hounds ard was much
interested in these. They lay OH the
ground and respired rapidly, as though
much fatigued. One of them hal sn
enlargement on its side. The boys
asked many questions abouI shat dog
Tom said 1t was a very valuable dog,
cal operation perf1rmed "a IT. have
never seen Tom since that day.
Wick Parsons went home to dinner
each day. He would return to school
in the afternoon with q pocxet full OF
ginger cakes. At recess he would
swap with me q ginyercake for bis
cult. I thought Wick was crazy. Just
to think "a gingercake for biscuit
Why. a gingercake was more than
twice as large as piseuir, and ever
SO much sweeter; but, then. Wicks
father kept a bakery and. I reckon,
Wick had gotten sorter tired of Seet
things. His older brother became a
gallant general of cavalry in the SER
vice of the confederacy. His younger
brother. whose name l do not recall,
was among the anarchists who were ex-
ecuted in Chicago for the part they
took In the Haymarket riot.
The boys called Felix Ragsdaio
Happy Ragsdale. could see no
connection between the words. until
later on in life. suspect Tom Bugby
was the most gifted boy In school, but
I do not think he was very studious.
He was too fond of fun for that. His
dark eyes were ever twinkltng. On
Friday afternoons, Mr.. Morris would
require the large boys to declatm.
Toms desk was Immediately In front
of the platform. Whenever boy
would begin to speak and make ges-
lures, Tom would begin to Work his
own fingers and comfort his face in
such a manner that the speaker would
he thrown of his balance so. completely
that he could never recover himself.
When Mr.. Morris turned to learn the
cause of the boys failure. there would
sit Tom as quiet and innocent-looking
as though he had never played
prank In all his life. He died OF fe-
yer Just before the commencement OF
the war. he nau pcBun tHC PAoStASSo
of law In Montgomery. Had he lived.
and applied himself, he. doubtless,
would have become prominent In his
profession.
oliver Reed and his younger brother.
Raymond, lived on Perry street.
short distance south of the school
building. The boys who were fond OF
alteration, called the latter Raymond
'Rowdy' Reed. They both died or
yellow fever during an epidemic of that
disease about the middle of the ffties.
A south Caroline Visit.
The LIST of June AT, my literary pnr-
suits at the Montgomery High School
were brought to a halt by visit my
fathers family made to relatives In
South Carolina. As the results OF my
EFFORTS at that school, had destroyed
two pictorial primers and had forgot
ten the letters had learned at Mrs.
Dachney's school. But for the visit
to Carolina, /. doubtless, would have
DESTROYED some more primers. My
mother had objected to my mounting
the Winged Pegasus Mt my time of life.
but my father was resolved that
should have the advantages Of an edit
cation. got an education. 1t was
not of a literary nature. v