The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-25

but he forgot to take his foot out Of Il.
MY father has never needed any
one, from that day to this, to explain
to him what whatsoever" means. it
mnde lasting impression on him.
But ne was getting tired Of this ever
all business. His father had trous.
ers, and his brother had them and he
. wanted them, too. He was verv small
and very thin for his age, while NV
grandfather weighed 24O pounds. and
was six feet in height Ny father
walked up to the steps Of the wagon
one day and looking up ut h,s father
said, "Father, can't have a pair OF
trousers 2" My grandfather said.
Yes, son, l will give you q ps.r Of
mine. He got a pair of old trousers
mat were hanging up in, the wagon.
and taking a pair of shears he cut
them Off at the nees, and then throw.
irg them out to my father said, AGO
and put them on" My father went
into his dressing room, that was. 10.
flnd a hedge, and while he was get
ting INTO them his brother and his
father made all kinds Of remarks. His
brother ran over to him with a piece
CT string and said, Rodney, what time
does the balloon 60 up?" OF course
ne had never put on trousers before:
and l don't know just which way he
had them on. but when he came from
behind the hedge, his father said,
Rodney, which way are you going I
Are you going or coming?" But he
saw that they wanted to laugh him
out OF those trousers and he would
not be laughed out of them.
A few days afterwards they were
;ne guests Of the Prince of Wales,
only the prince didn't know it. They
were camping on his estate for the
purpose of poaching, and at night af-
ter they had set their snares all over
the field and had caught nine rabbits.
they were surprised by the game.
keepers. In breaking for cover.
grandfather didn't know just what to
t" do with the rabbits. He didn't
want to leave them and at the same
time If he were caught, he didn't want
the Keepers to see the rabbits. Sud-
denly he noticed my father running
ahead with those big trousers, and
then calling him over to him he took
the nine rabbits and hung them on
my fathers suspenders inside his
pants. so his first pair of pants be-
came fur-l.ned.
Sometimes my grandfather would
forget his promise to his wife and
would go to a saloon, thinking, he
could drown his trouble in drink.
When ne went 20 saloon he always
used to take his violin with him, for
the Gypsies are musical. And when
the violin went MY father had to 20
80. When they entered the saloon
the men who were there would say,
Here comes the old Gypsy fiddler"
And my grandfather would begin to
play and my father would jump on
the table and begin to dance. After
he had danced awhile, my grandfather
would nod to him, then my father
would take his little cap and 20
around the crowd and take the COL
lection. That is where he graduated
for the ministry. But my grandfather
would drink too much, he would get
, what we call in England, "Three
sheets in the wind" and when he got
like that he would not know whether
he was pulling the bow over the first
or third string. My father used to
watch him at those times, and when
lie saw his father in that condition he
would 60 round and make another col.
. lection and what he got that time he
. would put in his own pocket. You see
he was a member of the firm, it was
. Smith & Son." and he was not q
, sleeping partner, and he had a right
, to his share of the profits.
r But my grandfather found that he
, could not drown his troubles that
t way, and from the day that his wife
! died he became gloomy and molose
! Some months after his wife's death
0 breaking camp one morning he saw
= coming to see Inn over the distant
t hill two other Gypsy wagons and when
y they got closer he found that they
/ were the wagons Of his two brothers
: Bartholomew and Woodstock. He had
t been longing for the companionship OF
r his own people, and when these three
e fellows met in the middle Of the road
t ptu their arms around each other and
n kissed each other, he told thep of 80
Q loss of his wife, and they trief
. Concluded on last p A,