Year: 1861




"Tell US, iu&ge,' said one of the boys picking up
large caalpa Leaf and gracefully decapitang the
between his Thumb and the blade Of his knife tell
about the time you got awfuy scared about poison
ing the fellow it the store"


1t was hohfternoon sandy village of the south.
The gowed fercely down upon the sandy streets,
and group of friends had collected together upon one
of the wooden sidewalks under the dense shade of
huge catapa ts while away the time and look out for
the stage for hours before there any reasonable hope
of its arrival


why gentlemen" said the Judge "vou see there
are many new oomeis about here now who don't
know what the old inhabitants were made Of that am
rather afraid to say much about it People don't
have the constitution they had then, and might not be-
lieve it.


Never mind let's have it, Bill tells it a different way,
and We want to know the straight of It,


why you see, " continued the Judge ~ was young
hen and had not much Of the world when cane
to the country | TO live Of the apotbccary, and
trusted to faAe up pills and mix lotions and handle
oils and all hatsort ot thing but never made up any
prescriptions. Dne day there iuto the store fine
hearty looking ellow that had about occasionally
but did not knoF hint then 1t Was Jake Harper Some
Of you old settfrs recollect him we'll Poor fellow, he
well to do, ind had nice little place the creek


that he worked himself with horse of his own, ard By
the help ot nice little wife, thriving poor
so to speak Tile only failing Jake had love Of


iquor but he soed it wonderful, and managed to keep
at work most of his time He's gone nov 1t got him
at last bet he stood it we'll was nip and tuck long
the country old stills kept up and every body thought
Jake would hold out But the Cincinnati whiskey got
into the country and then the monkeys got after hin.
and he went under. But he did have powerful
sttutiou, sure eIouEhi


well az sgs saving that day he came into the
store with some plough ues on Ills arm and pair OF
homespun cotton hreechee that aways wore, and
calico hunting shirt II was il great hurry he said
to get to piough3ng in ground, and wanted
dram before he vent to stop sort OF cole from eating
some poke-greel5s net cooked enough The owner Of
the store very busy but lie spoke Jake heartily
and told 10 pour him drink Of brandy from jug
sitting under the counter took tumbler and poured
till Jake said When'I rrckon about halfa glass
and he tossed it ps, give hearty good morning, and
put out. / thought no more of it.


''Ab8at half 20ur afterwards, my employer wanted
70 use some brandy in tDcture and called me to bring
him the Jug, which did 1t was busy day aud my.
employer cnsss, aud spoke short about not
being more particular. Take 1t back, said he, and
bring the one that sits next off from it, you have not
forgotten the brndy jug already have you? Ispunked
up TO him. becauEe had him, and meant to make bin
feel ashamed OF going of half cooked in that way


That's the brandy, sir saidI very composedy maybe
you had better ID ke time to examine while you have 1t
handy It will save going after it aganallyhoT your
friend while ago thought it would do. | gave hima
drink GU: of ta vefyjng. He had been getting ready
for angry reply but when said that the Jug almost
dropped from his hand He turned pale in a second.
Then you've Fltged said he, very slow and solemn
like. This jug Il aqua iorts!


- believe tainted. Anyhow, something sunk in me
and the world aliurned darL like. little while after


was sitting erGon OF indigo, with my head against
the counter-lny 5aca vet with water and my employer
standing by with! some hartshorn. He was a kind
hearted man, bNta little rough. l was soon at myself
physically, but wqu have given years Of NV life to
have taken bac ho last alf hour There is not much
tsong,' said &C. sbut We must do something. Jump
On MY horse and 30 after him; get him to throw up
anything! will go after DR.. Charley tthe doctor
Young then and hVci in the country AID send him a.
soon as can


Il mounted in 4 second flew along the roadi
agony OF impatenta-al the world reeed around ne
Once hated. The devil put it into my head to fly.
half turned my horses head, but my thoughts 10
me in time. Iy life hung on that moment. If / had
flown, would hare heea os-a vsgabond forever. But


reflected that ses innocent, and determined TO face
tbs music.


| reached his house and asked for him in alarm. be
vas not there. Then lie ies dead in the new ground
said 70 myself aud without another word tore away
Tor that. IL wasIa sarm day in the spring and the
whole grourii was filed with burning logs and
stumps and tree7 |are to the top, with little flames
creeping up the Head dry bark / noticed all tis
jake Ionly utter establishment found him poughing
There could be no mistake. The man. the
calico hunting shirt, the came cotton pants, and he
there bending 20 the plough jerking and halooing as il
in for Il big DAYS work.


lie s.T me coming and stopped bis plough by the
side Of little branch and threw his hex the handle
to shat wanted was brcathless ard could only
say


Fer Gods sake, sir, go houe-you're dead manl'


lie looked puzzled vt first but CLEAN of intelligence
over his features.


"Oh, said he, II understand you; you're thinking
about that litt!e spell OF collie told you about the
shop Bless YOU, that's got ell. Good Lord, how you
scared me- Why that drink of liquor knocked it into
Ats | bare been hiowin' up wind offmy stomach ever
since"


Here he pulcds yellow handanna cotton handkerchief
from his pocket and wiped the pcrspraton from his face
noticed that in doing he Illustrated the effects Of
the medicine by alslight helching.


See tbere, said your pocket handkerchief is on
hre"


.'Cuss the hns." said he, sapping it out over tie
plough handle That's tho third fourth time it's TUX
FIRE this monngi Times are awful dry tor so earyn aud
these old trees looking up 10 one burning near by do
scatter the sparks awful can't take my haDdker-
chief but what it catches FIRE! Singular that aint it2n


II confessed that it vas, but still dismayed and al
most certain Of his ultimate death urged him again to
go home and told him as rapidly as could that what


had supposed o be brandy in fact aqua forts Of
the strongest sortthat Dr. Chartley coming full
tilt with medicines and that be must get the house
soon as possible. He not at all dismayed!


"Wel now, yopngster, said he good humoredly, that
careless ricE yourn, and et you don't take
care about them su will hurt some women folks
or children some day. Now, just look here, what
you've done, saiG he holding up the right arm Of his
hunting shirt The whole sleeve from elbow 10 wrist,
and the shirt under il ragged and charrcd playing
about in the wind ! thought felt queer about the
lips, and got to Tipng sort Of stuff Off andust
look how the dared stuff has burnt away my sleeves!
have been thinking all morning thatit d--n queer
and nov ! understand it. Sally will make you furnish
her indigo and m oder this year for the sown she will
have do these cathes by your eussed osrlcssnes
see if she dong


What would have replied, do not know vas
lost in amazemen}, ard although somewhat assured By
the visible fact tht there stood the man himself alive
and WE'LL nervous and anxious for the doctor to
arrive, | was ab5ut to again urge him so to the
house, when tile most singular thing occurred
could account or:it-can't yet Asudden change came
over his eount4nance if nacute pain. He sprango of
the plough haHd and struck quickly the tail of his
bunting shirt nie or two and then turned with bound
and lighted in sitting posture in the little As
he turned sas ho tail OF his hunting shirt fire and
i portion Of bis Hantaloons gone!


Dr. Charley soon got there and cooled him off With
some whiskcy but he was annoyed good deal all day.
and wouldn't plough far from that branch. He liked
me well enough after that for he vas scared for
him, and always told to be mighty keerful when
poured for him again But be couldn't stand every
thing. Years after that, the Dexter brand and Deans
came in and got Fin Poor fellow! he left property,
and his widow went BACK to her folks in North Carolina