The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-01-28

and asked Zeb II there was any
liquor about the house. He said
yes his mother had some. They
gave him a bottle and he went TO
Nanny Venus and got bottle of
pot-liquor and gave to the strangers.
He charged them nothing for it but
made them promise not to open it
until they had gotten out of sight.
Zeb had kept in sight to see the fun.
Zeb's mother possessed a great deal
of skill in reducing Captain Vance's
old broadcloth suits to fit Zeb. The
following is poem he wrote when
he was boy in memory of the fact:
How dear to the heart are the pants
of my childhood,
When fond recollections present
them to view;
The pants that I wore in the Deep
tangled wildwood,
And likewise the groves where
the crab-apple grew.
The wide-spreading seat with its lit
tie square patches,
The pockets that bulged with my
luncheon for noon.
And also with marbles, fish-worms
and matches.
And gum-drops and kite-strings
from March until June.
The little patched trousers. the made
over trousers,
The high-water trousers that fit
me too soon.
No pantaloons ever performed great
err service
In filling the heart of US young
sters with JOY;
They made the descent from Adolf
phus to Jervis,
Right down through a family Of
ten little hoys.
Through no fault of mine known to
me or to others,
have made the tenderest branch
on our big family tree,
And having done service for nine
other brothers,
They came down to me slightly
bagged at the knee.
The little patched trousers, the sec
ond-nand trousers,
The old family trousers that bag
ged at the knee.
Vance was mischievous, but it was
said of him by an old mountaineer
with whom Vance had lived during
part of his school days that he was
ever honest under fire." When he
alighted as a student at Chapel Hill
his popularity Immediately began
Most Of his companions were long
term students and of course were
overwhelmed by cordial greetings
from their friends, and Vance, Of
course. was neglected and solitary.
| Determined not to be outdone he
rushed to a venerable old negro
standing near whom he had never
seen before, and shook his hand with
extreme cordiality. It was not five
minutes before every man had
sought his acquaintance and taken
J him in his heart. His life sparkled
with wit, and he was conspicuous
for his sense of humor. He was big
hearted and companionable, and
perhaps no student attended the
University at Chapel Hill and re-
mained such a short time as did
Vance, who gained such widespread
popularity. He possessed that rare
power of winning friends, was bless
ed with rare power of persuasive
speech His spirit was ambitious
and ever self-reliant, his integrity
was incorruptible. AS he left his
university to go out into the larger
world into a larger field of action
he went we'll equipped for the life
that lay out before him.
Leaving Chapel Hill, Vance imme-
diately began the practice of law.
This was in the year 1852, in the
same year he was elected solicitor of
Buncombe county. Long after
wards in lecturlng to the law college
of the District of Columbia he re.
ferred to his work as solicitor in the
following manner: l went out tc
court on horse back, and carried 9
pair of saddle-bsgs with a change
of shirts and North Carolina Form
Book in one end of the saddle bags
and it is none of your business what
was in the other end. Vance went
on with the practice of the law unit
he was called upon to run for the
legislature. A highly respected
gentleman, great deal older thar
!, Vance was his competitor, wh(
stated as one of his grounds Of OBJ