The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-07-13

Our childhood was spent in the
midst Of an old fashioned family.
There were seven sons and five
, daughters, and we knew nothing OF
. that dainty care which surrounds the
families in many Of our present house
holds. Our parents held a great city
, in horror, AS for them. their chill
dren must be brought up in the coun-
try. Thirty acres about the house,
within walking distance of the vii
lage. and an outlying farm, a large
portion of it covered with the prime
val forest, was thought to be little
enough to. furnish scope and right
conditions for the sturdy develop
ment of the sons and daughters.
Work there was in abundance, and
it must be done-such work as had
to be met with ak, and spade, and
shovel, and rake, and hoe, with horses
and wagons. and plows, and har7ows,
and all the implements known and
needed in a large garden or on q
large farm.
The lighted candles and lamps IN
ticipated the day by several half
hours in the winter, and in the sum-
mer the early sun vas the signal call
to the early labors. Such a life, too,
was not without its perils; colts were
wild, and sometimes had to be bro
! ken, and horses would sometimes run
away, and there was scarce a boy OF
seven who did not bear marks of the
mishaps he had had with animals on
the place.
But it was not all work. Our faith
er knew how to recognize a boys ir-
repressible demand for recreation and
fun; so he permitted us to have dogs
and guns outdoors, and musical in
struments and some games for indoor
life.
All work, he we'll knew, makes the
lout and degrades to the level of a
machine-turns a mans character in
to a hard and bare skeleton; while
fun and recreation, in due proportion
with work, clothe the bony structure
with muscle and flesh, and puts the
i flash in the eye, and the roses in the
cheek. If the work was we'll done
through the week, school faithfully
attended and lessons learned, Satur-
day afternoon wag our own. How
those closing hours of the week
, gIowed in our anticiDations, and the
prospect frightened our animal spir-
it's over the entire six days tasks.
There was the hunting party for
that afternoon, or the ball clup, or the
riding match, or the long excursion
to the magnificent forests which ap-
preached to within a mile or two of
the village. Or, at least, but often the
best in the summer, was the party for
a long tramp to the distant water,
which was deep enough to challenge
the skill Of those lucky youths who
had learned to swim.
With what profound admiration we
looked on those boys who had come
from a distance to attend the institu-
ton of learning in the village, and
who told Of the great rivers and lakes
near their homes, and what wonder
I full feats in swimming, and diving,
and floating they could perform. TIC
our youthful minds, that had never
seen a river or lake, these beings were
looked upon IS little short of super
natural. At the least they doomed
up into the majesty of real heroes
We owe it to one of these river reared
boys that we are here now to per
this incident.
Indeed, we wv all we have done in
life to that sturdy swimmer who had
learned his strokes in the Ohio. That
Saturday afternoon stands most con
spicuous in our memory, and is a:
yesterday, though it passed, with it:
incident, far back in the past.
The long looked for afternoon hat
come; our party was formed for {
walking excursion some four miles tt
a splendid forest, where ran a clear
deep stream. 1t was q hot Afternoon
in July. Many we're the walking
challenges given and taken on thu
way, and many were the stones shiet
at the birds, and great was the ex
element when a seven foot black
snake made his appearance, and tn
party surrounded the creature ant
gave it battle to the death.
Of course we were all in a RET
hot glow when We arrived at the BAN
of the far away stream. The KNOWING
ones warned US we must not plung
into the water while We were so mucl
overheated. What fun in a summe
swim beneath the o~verhanging trees
The run oVe the moss covered bank
the high leap into the air, the up
right position, arms laid close to tn
sides, the compressed lips, the close
eyes, the shooting into the flood, th
shutting off Of human voices, the gure
ling of the waters, the refreshin
GOODNESS Of the plunge TO the bottom
the strokes downward, the wonderfu
spring upward, the buoyancy OF til
waters and the lightness of the bod
all produce tides of sensation whic
fiji; to the overflow the boys cup c
JOY.
But nearly all this we had to lear
a~fterward. and subsequent to the PEI
81 - E1ot Jnu