The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-02-07

| thy strength is small.--ProVerbS.
And somewhere else we have read
| or heard, that as the flint contains the
spark, unknown to itself, which the
steel alone can awaken to life, 30 ad-
versity often reveals to us hidden
gems, which prosperity or negligence
would forever have hidden. You may
think this is a strange way to COM
mence a story, but the story l am 60
ing to try to tell you is rather a
strange story and l can't commence
it in any other way. A few days ago
there came to Anderson-we will not
say from what section Of the county
with the avowed intention of with.
drawing his money from certain
bank of the city, an old time negro
Not because with less than six figures
you could write the amount Of his
deposits, but because it is rule of
the bank, he was treated courteously
and assured by the man with whom
he came in contact that his money
was safe. This, however, didn't al
together satisfy him and he was refer
red to one of the officials, man
whom the old negro knew when a
boy, and whose father he had known
very well, indeed.
"Why, hello, Uncle Ben; Howdy!"'
"Yas sab, white folks, Howdy."
whats the matter now with you,
Uncle Benz"
''Nuthin, white fo'ks, I jes wanted
to get my money"
''That's all right, Uncle Ben, but
you know l have been wanting to
talk to you for long, long time. Sit
down here. Do you remember, when
I was little fellow, you learned me
how to make whistles, the kind we
made in the spring, when the sap was
rising?"
t'Yas sab, Boss"
".And you know you learned me
how to plait an eight strand whip of
hickory bark. Do you remember how
proud was?"
"Yas sab, Boss, l members"
Scvo,, ,,.olo ,.,o =, eL,o~, ,15 or~o,,,
one Of the kind, you remember, that
you put to your shoulder like a real
gun
eyes sah."
"And you told me how to find my
way when I would get lost in the
woods, how to tell NORTH
eyes sab, moss always grows on the
north side Of the trees. / member
all about it.
"You have forgotten, though,
haven't you, about the little puzzles
you used to whittle out with your
knife and which you would make for
me?"
E'No sab, Boss. members all about
'em."
"And you know, Uncle Ben, it was
you who taught me how to shoot a
rifle"
"Yas sab, Boss, it didn't take you
long to learn"
'And you made rabbit gums and
bird traps, and things like that"
"Yas sah."
"You haven't seen much of me for
the last twenty or twenty-five years,
have you?"
HNo sah."
The white man and the colored
man both seemed lost in reverie, when
suddenly the white man broke the si-
lence.
"Uncle Ben, you and nay father
were about the same age, were you
not?"
''No sab, Ole Boss, he was leetle
the oldes."
"You were buddies, though, were
you not, when you were boys?"
"Yas sah," the old negro's face was
wreathed in smiles. eyes sab, III say
We wuz buddiesr'
"Uncle Ben. what kind of a man
was my father? Was he a good,
truthful man."
The old negro rose to his feet,
"Wuz he good, truthful man? Bes'
man l ever see in my life. What he
say always rely on. Believe any
thing he tell me about anything, any,
time. anywhere! Yes sah!"
"Would you believe me, Uncle Benz"
eyes sah."
"Well, I have just this to say, and
you may do as you like. You can get
your money, every cent of it-and
-.