The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-04-28
'.ALETIER FROM
DICK TO PATS|E"
Abbeville, S. c., .
April FL, 1915.

apr Il, 1S1o'
Mr.. Pat Roche,
Darraughs, S. G.
Dear Patsie,-It has been so long
since 1 saw you that 1 thought /
would write you a few lines. We
all miss you very much. Old man
Thomson came up Saturday, hoping
to get up a game of set back, but
as you did not come nothing was
doing. 1t was certainly a great
disappointment to us all.
We have not been having much
set back recently. The Greenville
street players still lead the league.
Those fellows up there must play
with signs, or some kind of foot
work. Old man Jim Stark and
Bill Greene came over to Jim Nc
Millan's house the other night to
play a game; they phoned Jim they
were coming, and told him to get
his best partner on u street. Jim
made a little fun of them, saying
that he would get MCGOWAN Hill or
Major Nance, but I guess he thought
he had better get the best player he
could, so he sent for me. Well,
those fellows trimmed US up just
like trimming a tree. Old man
Stark caught my Jack every time;
he called it "chawing" on a Jack,
and then said, Hi! vi! as if he had
done something; you know we never
say anything when we catch a Jack.
Uncle Jim did most of the talking
and all the laughing; you can't get
Bill Greene to say a word when he
is in a game Of set back, especially
if he is winning.
Well, those fellows just cleaned
US up. We played and played, and
tried all kinds of tricks, such as
walking around our chairs, swap
ping chairs, turning our pockets
wrong side out, and taking off our
shoes; but they just kept beating
us. I must say that I believe it is
science; Jim says it is luck, but 1
call it science.
We went up on Greenville street
the other night. I had never been
up there before, neither had my
partner, and we came very near get
ting stalled. When we got to the
door, a servant met US with a silver
tray; she held it out and my partner
put his hat in it. I didn't know
exactly what to do, so we just asked.
When you call on that street I find
that a servant always meets you at
the door, and you are expected to
have an engraved card, which you
place in the silver tray; the servant
carries this back, and if they want
to see you, they are at home; if
they do not want to see you, they
are not at home. W. learned that
much.
While we were there, they served
refreshments. Those fellows up
there can eat these green olives
just like you and 1 ate green apples
when we were boys, and celery to
them is just like collards to US. They
eat these things and seem to enjoy
them. Of course we did the best
we could, and we got through very
well; but a fellow who tries to run
with the Greenville street crowd,
must be a sport. When you clay
by" your crop and come home, we
will go up there some night and you
can see for yourself how they do.
Jim Nc. has been right sick.
While he was sick, he couldn't eat
anything except milk punch. Yes,
he was sick a good while; and when
he got up, he had toothache so bad
that Mrs. Mcmillan had to give him
a good drink every night before he
could go to sleep. 1t seemed like
his tooth never would get better, so
she made him have it pulled. Jim
says that it must have been his jaw
bone because it aches very bad at
night still, but Mrs. Mcmillan says
she thinks it will get better without
any more medicine; so Jim has gone
back to Dyson.
MI