The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-09-10
Tate Springs Reflections.

= Tate Springs Reflections.
I viii be bold enough to assume,
Mr.. Editor, that your constituents have
sufficiently recovered from my form
er epistle to justify me in writing an
other. There is nothing to do here
but read, write, eat, drink and sleep.
I prefer the writing, and hence these
desultory epistles. I expect to come
home in another week. I met a ven
erabFe old gentleman at the Springs
last night about 10 o'clock who has
been here since May "a He is an
ardent devotee to the water. He says
the '.flu'' left + NJ most wreck last
winter; that his sustatory nerves had
lost their functions, and nothing had
any taste to him; sugar and shoe pol
ish would be the same in his mouth.
A weeks use of the water brought
him to himself and his purpose is to
remain here until the middle of next
month; On the other hand. Mr. Box
er, a Jewish baker from Birmingham.
says the. water is worthless to him
his stomach is constantly on strike,
and he is going back home tomor-
row, where his wife will feed him
on soup. He is an interesting charac-
Ger, and loves to lecture to others on
the law Of dietetics. He helps others;
himself he cannot help.
We had some confusion in the ho-
tel last night The elevator weights
broke lose and fell with a loud crash
from the top of the shaft. In a trice,
the lobby was filed with folk who
were anxious to know what had hap
pened. Mr.. Perrin (once Sumter
citizen at the A. c. ID and myself
kept our seats, willing to wait few
tminutes until the news should come
to us as to the meaning of the crash.
The elevator is out Of commission to-
day, and the guests have to toll up
several fights of steps TO their rooms.
BY the way, Margaret DeLand, In
| a very charming book entitled "Small
Things" tells us how she was con-
verted to the change, and always
speaks of an elevator as a lift as
| is done in England. Her conversion
came through the elevator boy, who
said to her, Madam, I can lift you
down or lift you up, but cannot ele-
vate you down" In this case at least
1.-the English are wiser than we are,
aud we also should say "lift."
Once upon a time-this now is a
Tate Spring story-once upon time
there was an Egyptian prince who
had very beautiful daughter. Her
hand was sought by many admirerS
each one of whom lost his head. Tic
prince had decreed that no man could
win his. daughter except he be able TO
| tell an endless story. Many young
fellows tried to make such story
but each one failed and had to sur
render his head. At last, fellow
who dwelled far UP the Nile came be-
fore the prince and offered to make \
trial to win the princess. The faith
er admonished him and said a fail
ure would cost him his head. This
did not deter him, and at set time.
I in the courts Of the palace, he began
his story. It was about a great no
! beman in his land-a man of vast
wealth who built granary. He
built it mile long. a mile wdie, and
a mile high. This great structure he
filed with barley in the grain. There
twas. neither door nor window; the
lgranary was sealed against all those
who would extract even so much as a
pint OF the grain. Up near the roof,
| however, there was a small auger
| hole which had escaped the keen eye
of the carpenters. In course of time
ert-not of rain, but of locusts-mil-
lions and billions and trillions of 10
Gusts. They alighted upon the roof
Of the granary. and one Of them dis
covering the little hole in the wall.
| went in and brought out grain Of
the barley. After this. another locust
went in and brought out another
grain of barley. Then a third locust
went in and brought out a grain of
barley. The story that was to have
no end would be continued the next
day. When his auditors were seated,
the young suitor began, Another To-
Gust went in and brought out grain
Of barley" so the next day and still
the next, another locust went in and
brought out a grain of barley" As
the astute youth had been careful to
prepare supply OF barley and locusts
almost inexhaustible, the prince saw
how he had been trapped, and con-
sented to the marriage Of his daugh-
ter to the man whose story would be
endless. in as much as there would
virtually always be one more locust
and one more grain Of barley. and the
words that made up the rest Of the
story could go on to the end Of time.
Another locust went in and brought
ouht grain of barley" They were
therefore married and lived happily
together ever afterwards. which same
ought to be possible with all those
al. Jof