Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1921-05-26

jump: Here's a snake. Here's
snake" 1t frightened mother half to
death and broke up the meeting for
awhile. a little later had harrow
ing experience at home. Mother had
a quilting. Aunt Rena McClanahan,
Aunt Bet Fuller, Mary Barbee and
Minty Sorry, all then single women,
Martha and Sarah Everett and IL and
Prudie Pruitt, all young girls then,
were present. About two o'clock l
was up in the lot alone and saw what
locked like red top onion. / pulled
it up. 1t was about the size of big
nniddle-man marble. l pealed it and
took a bite. Instantly it set me on
fire and l broke for mother, yelling
at every jump and clawing at my
mouth, shouting in despair: "I'm burn
ing up" l didn't know how high the
blaze was above my head. Mother
and the quilting crowd met me at the
door with outstretched arms, frighten-
ed out of their senses. / couldn't tell
them what was the matter. To find
out the mystery mother asked me to
take her to the spot for further in
vestigation and all the women follow
ed in a gallop, hair down and painting
for breath, and me still yelling and
SOLDERING like a 'mad-dog. When we
reached the fatal spot a shout of joy
went up from mothers heart, saying:
It's nothing but an Indian turnip,"
and then they all laughed and laughed
and laughed. / didn't for it got my
tag just as every reader reading this !
incident knows who ever touched an
Indian turnip. read afterwards the I
definition in medical books of Indian
turnip is wake Robin" l can bear
testimony that it certain1v woke
shirt-tale boy sixty years ago.
But how 1 wish / couIa turn back i
the wheels Of time and be around
there and see things as they were
then. Mother and all her friends at
the quilting party are now dust The
old preacher at the school house has
Joined the innumerable company The
old school house then surrounded by
beech timber has passed out of sight
and the beautiful grove of tall tim
Der converted into a field. The roads
are all changed. The old settlers are
all gone. Hallowed memories come
rushing back as / sit and think eff that
old school house. Old John Smith, as
we called him, taught there during
the Civil War, and one day he said:
/ Children there is something dreadful
ly wrong in the elements" We all
ran out in the yard. Above us, un-
seen, deep rumbling like a train,
passed over. No one ever knew what
1T was. Many citizens now living
doubtless remember the day and the
profound silence and paleness that
gathered on all faces. | will never
forget a race between old John Smith
and George Dale across the Turner
McCIanahan hill, and, how this old
teacher saw Eli Everett laughing and
made him stand on one foot and took
EMS book and slapped him and de-
manded he quit laughing but Eli had
not laughed at all. It was his natural
way CT looking as all who know Eli
well know. | don't think ANYBODY
ought to be punished for what nature
mas done for them. Eli was born with
a smile on his face and it is still there
and John Smith couldn't beat it ont
OF him. wish l could go back there
and with Gus Meachern, Turner and
Gus Johnson, Poke Dale, Henry Pru-
1T, Willis McClanahan, Frank Han
klns, John and Ed Atwood, Willie and
Smith Gill and brother Jim B. slim
away at play time to old Abe Hunt,s
apple orchard and fill our bosoms with
morse apples and hide then in the hol
lows and roots of the old beech trees
about the old school house. The old
orchard IS no more and old man Hunt
ana VIE are asleep on the hill where
father and mother sleep. Abe HINT
was Norman, Joe Smith a Norman
apostles having baptized and cast 40
devils out of him. DR.. Sneed of Alex
anofla found on stump that night
what ne took to be a snubbing child
and asked what it was doing and II
fepIed: I'm devil cast out of Abe
Hunt and have no where to 90" when
was boy this was common tale
Io!d by everybody. On this account
l mad a peculiar feeling when about
the old man, especially on two occa-
ions. | thought he was from home
one morning and l crawIed down
rotton row and broke open a fine mel
ION and lay low eating it when inst
over me the old man said: '.I'n here
I'm here, | say" but minute later
! was not | went through a crack
~ the renee a rabbit couldn't have
gone through. On another occasion
l concluded as the old man was from
nome would privately borrow
whlte onion from a pile in a little
cedar house in his yard. / ran NV
arm above the elbow through a crack
and moved it up to the onions and
just then old Bull, a dangerous old
cur dog, freed me and old man HINT
came out and beat the dog off and
pulled me down where the crack was
largest and said: "Help yourself to
the onions, Johnny" / said: "T
don't want any inguns," and made
break for liberty and won. These
things come back to me as / look
backward. It's wonder boy ever
gets through. When Uncle Abe Hunt
Gled, father, Jake Fisher and Henry
bradley dressed him. AS they put on
er: Button it, Fisher tbouob+ =
was Hunt who said Button IT. and
! EaintnI 49,, - ..1