The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-09-17

throughout the length and breadth Of
the land as flight -witted," or fool
lsh, and inoffensive and given to
quiet and solitude. He was not an
idiot by any means, but as one apart
{ from all mankind, giving no heed or
thought to his surroundings, obeying
no law, but the dictates Of his own
free will.
He invariably wore the childish
grin Of one whose mind has been dis
turbed by the inserutable working Of
nature, but Tena always said Bud
was good enough till you reused him
up, then he would clean up the kitch-
en- and the Old Boy himself could do
nothing with him. So Bud had been
given a free hand from his childhood
up.
So under all these conditions, we
might be safe in saying, this was a
peaceful and contented household.
But it is of Bud that I wish more par
ticuEarly to speak. There. were no writ.
ten chronicles Of the times kept, but
all these events Of which I write,
came down orally by tradition, and If
there be any now living, who were IA
miliar with the house Of Fundel-
winder, who think I err, in my state
ment, they must mark it down to the
lapse Of time, not to Intentional or
wilfull discrepancies.
While Bud loved solitude and lone
illness. he had a friend who was ever
faithful, and followed like shadow
Watch, his idolized dog.
Watch was Of no known or partic-
ular breed, but was composite,
mixture of every race or genus dog.
Bud was wont to take long rambles,
followed by Watch, with that slavish-
ness known only in the dog, but be
would always turn up at nightfall. No
uneasiness ever seemed to be felt for
his welfare on these rambles, and his
homecoming could always be known
by the savage crack of his long whip,
with which he was ever fortified, and
by The joyous yelps Of the delighted
Watch.
In the spring Bud made whistles
out Of the young branches Of the pop
lar and hickory, and the shrill noise
he emitted was nerve-racking. In his
wanderings around Little Mountain,
or about Dennis Sultan's still house,
or up and down Crooked Branch,
Watch would sometimes tell, by his
savage baying, that he had treed a
terrapin. This never failed to delight
Bud, and he would squat upon his
launches and urge Watch to "siek
'em." It was glorious fun for Bud
to see Watch darting in and out, as
the crustacean thrust back and forth
J its head. And should the terrapin
close himself up for good, it would
send Solomon into spasms OF delight
to see the outwitted dog bite and
scratch to make it move.
So the Fundelwinders moved peace
ably along in the even tenor OF their
way during the first stages of the
war, with no thought ever bestowed
upon the possibility Of Solomon's be-
inc called into service. He had pass
ed two conscriptions unscathed, al
ways being Exempted" without ques-
tion. Tena always said Bud was as
likely TO shoot friend as foe, when
he cot into one Of his "tantrums.
But toward the last. when the army
kept dwindling, and other peoples
sons being killed, and, Lee chad
robbed the cradle and the grave
yet still kept calling, then some ma
licious persons, no doubt, began say
inc Solomon had sense enough and
should 60 to the army. He could stop
a bullet, perhaps, from some better
man, they would say, and he should
not be allowed to fool about, when
every man that could carry a rifle
should be at the 'front.' Uric Slice,
a one-legged discharged soldier, was
in the forefront Of such banterlng,
and vowed he was going to report
Solomon to the enrolling authorities IN
Columbia. This put Tena upon her
mettle. and she flew into towering
rage. She had her own notions and