Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-03
OLD 81 IS DEAD
He Never Did Any Work and Yet He
Never Missed a Meal.

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ioss'I'In = snSn, - igsv,,s s,e ssa,,alr sticks"
.ho,,,,i,l ~ ,,.as i,,;. j. e,erred to-
% Il acrsaa N ,cter-,t and he did every
thing 1noss,blA I'd merit this role.
Eariy iaEiife 81 decided that work,
was both distastefuI and rrinecessary.
Beyond cutting firewo6d. repairing his
shlngle roof when the leaks became
really bad, and milking his COW, he
never stirred 4 finger so far as his
own place was concerted. Z He raised
bumper crops OF weeds. on his farm,
which he inherited from his father,
and which was once the finest along
the creek. His fences fell down, so
did his barn and the kitchen roof. He
never even bothered with the wreck.
age, except to move the kitchen stove
into the sitting room. -
Cooking was as abhorent 10 MIN as
any other form of work. Making cof-
fee was as far as he ever got in the
culinary line. He poured the cofree
into a bowl and sopped 1t up with
bread. He very seldom had any other
food in the mouse.
Tall, Thin and Gaunt.
Any one who ever saw 81 will never
forget him. He was unbelievably
tan, and, despite an excellent appe-
tito q thin 40 a reed. HIS straggiing,
brown;sb- gray beard and peaked face
,o,,o h,,o. tho nearance OF an ancient
soun. str.aaved far from the scenes of
forest raveF-v and getting rather out
a. aIboyw,s IN the process. He walked
u,,th sbambline. awkward stride
which seemed slow until you tried to
keen I'D with him for an hour or two.
Rrown .overalls. hickory shirt and an
.r3,,ieE felt hat of uncertain shape
! nd color represented his wardr e,
,,,,th tho oddition, of a COAT in cold
,oat,ar .lssl:. 800: ~
y S,.,tna -, unt;, O'clock or @. 40 he
.o.rdnd a.. rank extraya seance. and
bs often den1ored the fact that his
neiehhors wasted money on coal oil.
"uben Il eets dark 7 go to bed" he
s.;d -.
A, A,w,vs weIeore ncrafter,n
rI,s orsto,,, was toy, cot I'M at day-
break and stare off either up or down
the creek, according to his schedule.
He always contrived to arrive at the
house of a neighbor shortly before
break and start off either up or down
could do some work to pay for meal.
The task set for him was usually a
mere pretext, such as picking up some
chips, cutting few sticks Of wood or
milking a cow, He was then ready to
do ample Justice to the hot cakes and
fried eggs of the housewife.
Breakfast over, he would take the
road again, and obtain his dinner and
supper by similar tactics. He always
carried "a small tin bucket in case
scraps were given him. Sometimes he
started out with this filed with milk
to swap for a meal.
Year after year; he, in the country
phrase, walked the roads" Yet the
fact that he lived off his neighbors
stirred no razor, and no one ever
thought Of refusing to feed him. The
most any one ever said was that ut
was Sis way" and let it go at that.
The real secret of the mans sue
cess Law deeper than the good natured
tolerance of his neighbors, and pos
sibly they never realized it them
selves 81 was a perfect storehouse
Of gossip, He never missed It'd bit
in his Journeys, and he never failed
to outline the latest happenings after
he had eaten. In the sparseIy settled
country he was a newspaper with an
infinite number of daily editions. He
formed a link between the scattered
farms and hamlets, and he carried
messages and the mail. He helped
along MANY a budding romance in
his dav, and he always turned up
for the wedding whether invited or
rt., .