The Cairo bulletin., 1910-12-25
"A Blackberry Craze
BY Nj. QUAD
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1910, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

Hawkinsyile is village in the
shadow of certain New England
mountain. 1t is called the LATEST
place In its state. and rightly so Ten
years ago a stranger came along and
gave it its deuthblow. and in a rather
queer way
There was n tavern ut Hawkinsyille.
There was little need Of one. as very
few strangers ever found the place,
but there was one, and 1t was kept
by lazy man. There was a black
smith shop, and its owner was lazy.
1t was the same with the butcher, the
cooper and others. Laziness and CON
tent prevailed.
Just why this laziness should have
irritated a traveller who rested at the
tavern for few days was puzzle.
He was not in the best Of health. and
he wanted peace and rest, but the lazi-
mess and serenity OF others appeared
to gall him. The weather WAS hot
and of an afternoon about 200 men
would occupy the long veranda of the
hotel.
1t was about time for the blackberry
season to open. The mountain sides
and the fringes of the highways were
thick with blackberry bushes, and the
crop of berries promised TO be unusual,
ly large that season. 1t was from see
Ing freckled faced boy with q basket
of berries on his arm that the stranger
must have got his idea. The landlord
was lazy. His son. who waited on the
table. was lazy. The stranger called
them into consultation. He first swore
them to secrecy. Then he admitted to
being Il resident of Philadelphia and Il
wine dealer. He had invented a new
champagne and the basis of 1t was
blackberry wine. He was up in that
blackberry country to secure it.
The lazy landlord lazily figured. but
his figures proved 10 him that he could
make more profit in one day picking
berries than running his tavern for
sixty. -Four dollars per day were his
figures, and there We're four of them
to pick and press. The four started
out next morning. Yes. they let some
OF their friends in on the ground
floor. That was the reason why Haw-
kinsyille got the blackberry craze In
two days it had everybody wild
There is no man so lazy TINT he
won't pick blackberries. The bushes
are high. and you don't have TO bend
over. In some cases you can sit down
and pick. All you have TO do is to
reach out a hand You can fall asleep
take refreshing nap and then wake
up and 60 to picking again. The cham
pion lazy men of Hawkinsyitle got q
move on them. Four dollars day
and they could keep together and tall
| as they picked! The women went out
The children went out. Old grand
fathers and grandmothers went out a
certain citizen who had been told that
he would die within three days braced
up and lived two weeks In order "a
give his family chance to so berry.
ing.
When about forty people are engag
ed in hunting the blackberry there
must be results. They came in ~
night with full baskets and pals. and
before they slept the berries were turn
ed into wine and bottled and juggpd
and kegged. The champagne man was
on hand to speak encouraging words
He even went OUT and did a little pick
ing himself and turned over the her
ries to the widows and the fatherrS>
One day lightning rod man drnv'
into the town. He Ind been there h..
| FORE He knew how lazy every hoAN
was. and he lonGed TO throw strpB
uosity aside for awhile ami mngl'
with them. No one on the tavern Sc
randa--only lame man IN SiENt al
the streets The town was dead.
"Yaller fever?" he asked OF the Ia VI,
I man.
Nope"
"Choerar
"Nope."
SMALLPOX aroundT
"Nope."
'aThen what does this mennT'
'Blackberries and $4 day"
When the lightning mau had henri
the full particulars he shut one eyt
and held 1t closed for a long minute be
fore saying:
"Jest SO; Jest SO. Blackberry boom
Blackberry champagne. Blackberr!
stranger. Well, 1t amt any of my III
neral IL town is bound and deter
mined to kin herself It won't do NJ
good for one man to talk"
whats the matter?" asked the lam
man.
"Oh, I amt wanting to interrupt th
fun. but femme ask you II you eve
heard that champagne was made o
blackberries
II never knowed bow II was made"
swell. mebbe you'll find out Whel
the inhabitants come back tonight jes
tell 'em | was here and when | hear'
about the champagne business ! wink
ed my eye--the left eye, Tell 'em
never wink that eve unless there
something doing"
1t was the last of the blackberry sea