The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-04-29

"Yes you have but you darsnt owl
'em," which remark tended to discon
cert the Major no little.
Mr.. Burt once said to me, "Hill
would like very much to have yol
come in my Office and study law un
der me. 1 have made some pretty
good lawyers out of some very rough
material"-rather left handed com.
pliment don't you think?
When was comparatively a young
man, being fond of good horse, ]
generally had one. At the time OF
which I shall speak, I was not bur-
dened with surplus of flesh, which
in fact has always been the case with
me as far back as I can remember.
On this occasion, having what I
thought an extra good horse, I rode
around in front of Mr.. Burt's Office
and was showing the horse to him.
After critically examining the animal
for a while, he said, "Hill you must
treat your horse better than you do
yourself, for while notice that your
horse is in good condition, can't say
as much for yourself"
Sarcasm was such a prominent con-
stitutent in the make UP of Mr.. Burt,
that he couldn't forego the pleasure Of
giving expression to it when occasion
offered, even at the risk of offending
his best friends.
I once heard him make remark in
the court room during court about Mr.
John H. Wilson, member of teh bar,
rather an old man who didn't do very
much in the way of practice. He said
"look at Wilson he sits over there anf
looks wise like an owl. He is an
Equity Lawyer"
On one occasion I went to him to
collect a small account which I had
against him for copying some papers
on file in the Judge of Probate's Of
fee, where I was employed as clerk
for my father, who was the incumbent
at that time. 1t happened to be in
dog days."
Mr.. Burt took the account and
looked at it while when he turned
to me and said, "Hill I am surprised
at you; dun man in dog days-dun
man in dog days, why I am perfect
ly shocked" and so he went on until
1 became almost persuaded, that 1t
was perhaps not exactly right to dun
man in dog days-so left him with
out getting my money. f..
Mr.. and Mrs. Burt, his wife, were
as handsome a couple as ever saw;
both being large and stately and both
most dignificd bearing,-but what de-
tracted somewhat from the latter was
the fact that she had the appearance
of being proud and ahughty-in other
words a little too dignified
| At one time she had an old lady
living with her as house-keeper.
This old lady was from the Prov
ence of Ulster in Ireland, and was
possessed Of a good deal Of that spirit
of resentment which is being mani
tested by the Protestants Of that
tcountry at the present time, in pro-
posing to fight the whole British Gov
ernment rather than submit to the
law in reference to Home Rule. So it
to the best mode Of cleaning cut-glass
happened that one day as she and Mrs
Burt were discussing the matter as
the old woman ventured to remark
well Mrs. Burt, I will tell you how it
is done in Ireland at which Mrs.
Burt drew herself up and said, Sin
Ireland! Why you don't pretend to
say that they have cut-glass in Ire
land?, AS quick as flash the old
woman said, "Yes Mrs. Burt they
have cut glass in Ireland, and more
than that, Mrs. Burt, there are thous-
ands of people in Ireland who would
think themselves as much above you,
as you think yourself above me-" and
getting her bonnet she walked out OF
the house. 1t may have been barely
possible that Mrs. Burt knew better
and said what she did, merely to tease
the old woman.
There were two other rather re-
markable characters whom I over
looked in mentioning the list of men
of peculiar characteristics-one OF
these was Elijah Wilson and the 9TH
er Matthew Owen.
While these men did not live, i'm
mediately in town they spent good
deal of their time here. Lyjah, as
everybody called him, was a wagon
maker by trade, and had a shop
short distance from town. AS I stated
he spent a great deal of his time In
town, and being fond Of strong drink
he generally imbibed pretty freely II
II when he was where he could get 1t
He was rather a skinny old fello"
adm what muscles he had in his arms
stood out pretty prominently