Evening journal., 1910-12-19
By M. QUAD

place In it's state. and rightly so Ten
years ago stranger came along and
gave It its deathbow, and In a rather
queer way.
There was a tavern at Hawkinsville. |
There was little need OF one. as very |
few strangers ever found the place,
but there was one. and II was kept |
by lazy man. There was a black
smith sheD, and It's owner was lazy
II was the same with the butclAr. the
cooper and others. Laziness and con
tent prevailed.
Just why this laziness should have
irritated a traveller who rested at the
tavern for a few days was n puzzle.
He was not In the best OF health. and
he wanted peace and rest. but the lazi.
mess and serenity Of others appeared
10 gall him. The weather was hot.
and Of an afternoon about 200 men
would occupy the long veranda OF the
hotel
II was about time for the blackberry
season 70 open The mountain sides
and the fringes Of the highways were
thick with blackberry bushes. and the
crop OF berries promised TO be unusual
" large that season. IL was from see
ing freckled faced boy with basket
OF berries on his arm that the stranger
must have got bis idea The landlord
was lazy. His son. who waited on the
table. was lazy. The stranger called
them into consultation lie FIRST swore
them 10 secrecy Then he admitted to
being a resident Of Philadelphia and a
wine dealer He had invented a new
champagne. and the basis OF Il was
blackberry wine he was up In that
blackberry country to secure H.,
The lazy landlord laziIy figured. hut
his dgures 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
qgures. and there were 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-
lSinsvile got the blackberry craze In
two Nys Il had everybody wild
There Is no man 80 lazy that be
won't pick blackberries The bushes
are high. and you don't have TO bend
over. In some cases you can 81 down
and pick All you have TO L is "a
reach out a hand. You can fail asleep
take refreshing nap and then wake
up and 70 TO picking again. The cham
pion lazy men Of Hawkinsville got q
move on them. Four dollars a day
and they could keep together and tall
az they picked The women went out
The children went out Old grand
fathers and grandplothers went out
certain citizen who had been told tina
, he would die within three days brace
; up and lived two weeks In order I
give his family a chance TO 20 berry
ing.
when about forty people are enRal
ed In hunting the blackberry ther
} must be results They came iD n
4 night with full baskets and pals. an
before they slept the berries were turn
ed into wine and bottled aud jugge
and kegeed. The champagne man wa
on hand TO speak encouraging words
He even went out and did little pict
ing himse and turned over the bel
, ries to the idows and the fntherlesl
I One day lightning rod man drov
- into the to l. he had been there bs
5 fore. He new how lazy everybod
= was. and longed to throw strer
= uosity asid for awhile and mingl
with them. No one on the tavern "
randa-oniy lame man In sight o
the streets The town was dead.
''Yaller feverT he asked OF the lam
man.
Z Nope"
"Cholerar'
h ''NOpe"
"Smalipox aroundg"
"Nope."
''Then what does this meany"
"Blackberries and 81 a day"
/ when the lightning man had hear
the full particulars he shut one ey
and held It closed for long minute b
n fore saying:
o "Jest so: Jest So Blackberry boor
e Blackberry champagne. BlackberI
. stranger Well. II amt any OF my &
y neral II town is bound and dete
Il mined 10 XIII herself II won't do {
g good for one man TO talk"
3 whats the matterY' asked the Ian
man.
"Oh. amt wanting to interrupt II
fun. but lemme ask you II you ev'
e. heard that champagne was made
r blackberries?"
" 81 never knowed how II was made
"Well. mebbe you'll find out. wh'
I, the inhabitants come back tonight je
70 tell 'em / was here and when ! hea
ST about the champagne business I win
m ed my eye-the left eye. Tell 'em
10 never wink that eye unless there
pr something doing"
ia II was the last OF the blackberry ss
H. son. The bushes had been stripped
four miles around On the last day
picking all the green ones had be
taken AS well. The pickers came ba
to nnd the champagne man gone TIL
!, came back to learn what the ilghtni
"A man had said. They clung TO tn
h faith for a week. and then they der
e. ed that they had been cadoodled. Th
they called a public meeting and .
sr solved that every burned critter in
p town Of HawkinSville be lazier III
D. ever to make up for this boom
le And that's why there have been
q ~ funerals In the town since. The p
=, pie are too lazy TO die.