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REMINISCENCES ' OF POOR CONRAD. I i PLAYMATES AND ASSOCIATIONS OF BYGONE DAYS-TRIBUTES TO DEPARTED i FRIENDS- TOUCHES UP DELINQUENTS. | Editor County Kkcokd:? Christmas has heen coming a long! tinie hut the time of skyrockets and' tin crackers are not far away and I wish to get one more letter in Till-: I County IIeuokh before the end of lOOt" and i hope \ou will lie able anure me room 111 \Y T Valuable i ~I ? .. , paper. It surprises me so much fo -?*e such good improvements going on at the capital of Williamsburg euun-1 ty. Kingstrce is putting on much ! airs. Those sidewalks aie lovely, quite graud. They astonish the natives. Kingstree is a city on a hill with fine farming country on all sides, healthy climate, tiue water which some large cities would give millions to have, free from the dreaded mosquitoes and has as handsome women as are to be found in our South laud, with many ministeriDg angels among them. God bless them! Great shall be their j reward. My old fiiend and comrade, Jimmy Chandler, called to see me a few days ago. I had not seen him in many years, but his familiar voice made me know him at once. I have just returned from a pleasant trip to Mr J J M Graham's of Cades. I leeeived a letter from Mrs Graham asking me to come and mend the cooking range as she said she had so much baking to do and I can al* most guess why so much baking is to be done. Well, I went up aud mended the stove. Mr Graham's children are a due, healthy lot and they were all so glad to tee me, as I stayed with Mr Graham several months about three years ago and 1 am always welcome at his house Mrs Graham, like many other good ladies, knows how handy I am. There are always several small jobs foTConrad, no matter at whose house I happen to be. Most of them know 1 can mend the stove, put new locks on the doors, make new gate latches, chop stove wood, walk and sing for the crying baby and if no horse is handy can trot for the doctor, if necessary. Well, I will go back to old Black river and Pudding swamp. I catw not forget Mr S R Mouzon aud his family. I was np to see him some time ago and we talked aboat the present and a good many things that happened in the past. "When I was married to my lirst wife Mr Ruffin Mouzon said to me: "Conradf come down and live here.*' Well. I went down and lived in the same house with Mr Mouzon for one whole year. His poor mother was sorely afflicted with the saddest case of rheumatism and was confined in bed for 1G long years, but her loving kindness never grew cold while her true Christian life lasted She was a kind friend to Conrad, the name by which I was called and am to this day by all the old ones. Yes, the Mouzons are a friendly, kind-hearteu people. I have known them for nearly GO jears, have lived by them and we have never quarreled or had a dispute of any kind, and while I am writing about the Pudding swamp people 1 will mention the name of some of the Burgess family. Many members of that family gave their lives for the cause that was lost. Mr Alexander Burgess lost a son,the only child the old man had. Mr doe Burgess, 1 believe, lost four sons. The first, I think, was killed at the first battle of Manassas. His name was Neddy. I will relate what I was told occured while the tight was hottest. J)r John McLeod, who was near Neddy, got a ball fastened in his musket, and as it was hard to ram down, began to cuss. Neddy was a pious man and said: "Oh John, better be praying." "No time for praying now," said John, "give 'em h?!'' Dr Samuel Burgess lost his oldest son. John was his name, and lie was a line specimen of manhood. He had been married only a few years to a Miss Brand, a lovely lady, as good as she was lovely. She was very pretty with ro3y cheeks. 1 can j \ remember what an old colored man said on seeing her at a party on Black river before she was married. His name wasOyrusFluitt and while a slave ht belonged to Mr James Epps, the father of Mr J I' Epps of Cades, borne one asked Cyrus if Miss Brand was not a pretty lady. lie said: "I 'clare to God, moss, the backra gal face look like one town apple." "Town apples'' were not so common in those days a? nor. Yes, poor John went away to Virginia to war and Eft his pretty wife and two darling babes, but th-y had hopes that pupa would come back home before long. Thev would sit around the fire place at night and talk about papa's coming home and til- poor. almost heart-broken mother would weep. But papa never came. "To ham cam the saddle. All bluidy to see To ham cam the steed. Hut to ham never cam he." Yes. Mr Editor, those were hard times. "Man's inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn." Well, readers, I have been saying a few words abont the war the cruel war. Talk of the tented field! The veterans thut followed Lee and Jackson through the campaigns in Pennsylvania and Maryland, from Wilderness to Appromattox, knew no tents. Their tent was the sky above them. Poor Conrad was there as well as George Graham, Pete Epps, Lonnie Flagler, Louis Jacobs and manj other dear old boys. Yes, I must mention W D McFaddin, Billy, we call him. He was a son of Mr John McFaddin, who was always glad t? see Conrad. Dear readers, when I mention the children's names that takes me back to the old?yes, the old ones. Forget them? Oh, no! Sometimes I think of many of the old ones and imagiue what joy it would be to meet them all on that beautiful shore and 6ee them as we so often saw them here. It would be bliss beyond compare. I say so much about my old friends the readers of Thb Record perhaps would rather have something else and do not know in what way 1 have traveled a good long way through life and cannot be far from the last mile post,almost to the top of the hill and I look back. Younger people want to look ahead, but when we have seen the sights, the ups and down6, and get as far up the bill as we think we can go,we 1 U U??l, . are sure iu iwi u?ur . "And now we maun totter down." And now I want to say something for the editor. Ah, the printer! Think of him; go to the printing offfce and watch him setting type: pick up, pick up; look here, look there; his eyes, his fingers must know those type faces. It won't do to make a miss and get the wrong letters. It must be done quickly; often toiling with fingers, eyes, brain; he can't stop, sick or well. The paper must come. He knows that hundreds snd perhaps thousands are looking for the paper in the next mail. Some one will think the editor has failed to send my paper and be mad, and * > ' prooaoiy mac very one is uemxu iu paying his subscnption. There are several things that cause the paper to fail in reaching the readers,and it is seldom the editor's fault. I see in almost every issue the editor says so many are behind in paying their subscriptions. Friends and readers of The Record, give the printer what i6 due him, one dollar. What is one dollar? Poor Conrad is often minus that much, but he looks upon thatas very little or nothing. But it means a good deal to the printer. Now, readers, if there are any of Poor Conrad's friends, or any that like to read his letters who are behind,don't put it off. We all know what put-off will cause. Don' t say if the editor had not pressed me I would luve paid it long ago. Suppose he should be behind a year or perhaps two years in paying for the different, kinds of material it takes to get up a newspaper, or fail to pay his employees. We would soon miss getting our news. The Bible says man cannot live by bread alone; so the printer cannot live bv breath alone. Pay him if It takes an t-yetootb. Well, Mr Kditor, i hope you will pardon me,but 1 want to give you one more broadside. So here's at you again, a few more sad lines. I must i . - - - - mention the death of three of my old friends who have passed away in the last 12 months. The tirst was; that of Mr James Reardon of Clarendon county. He was a Confederate [veteran, llis father, Mr John J ; Reardon, was the man that brought! j me from Charleston when I was a j Ismail boy 50 years ago. Ilis wagon ! | had been to Charleston with cotton and on returning passed through i ' Kingstree. I was homeless, without a single relative in America. Well,1 poor Jim is dead and ] will not see! the one whom I hunted, fished, ate ! j and slept with any more. Jim was my 'd- f"nder until I was able to defend j myself. He would not allow anyone o lay rude hands on me: he would 1 take me away fron: the plow handles ; fbhing with him. His elder brother, ! Daniel, attended to the farm and I world be ready to whip me when I returned, would sometimes have ai | lot of long switches ready to whip me, but poor Jitn stood between me land his angry brother, saying: "If' I you touch Conrad d?d if you don't j have me to whip."' That would settle the case for good. Poor Jim! It makes the tear-drops flow to write about him and the past. He was a great hunter and fisher. He was also a good mechanic and famous cypress canoe builder. Hundreds of his make can be seen from one end of Black river to the other. I could tell his make of axe handles from any otbei maker's. His canoe paddles I find broken pieces mil down tlb river; if only a half 1 know the piece. I will now mention Mr G T HVorsham, who also died a fe* months ago. A more value c-;ee could not be tr -d. I pleasant days ? fa / .e, Esquire P W m, a ?irginian * birth a"'-1 .?vud to the poor. .lis house efrge to those wh ) had to fly fir their homes in South Carolina's troublous times. Poor Talbot was his oldest son. Twooftne oldest died in the Civil war. Talbot met me soon after my return from Florida after an absence of 18 years. He came for me in bis buggy and took me to his home. His good wife was a daughter of Mr John McFadden, of the Douglass Swamp section. I need not mention what a gentle, man he was. He was always glad to see wandering Conrad. Well, poor Talbot's wife and children did all they could to make me feel welcome. The children were all at home but one, Willie by name, whom I had met a short time before in Kingstree. Well I staved one or two days with Talbot, and last Christmas I paid him another visit. He wrote me tnat ne naa asaeu ?>n & xw-jgers, who is rural route mail carrier from Lake City, to bring me. The dig* tance out there is about 14 miles. Ed is a good fellow and knows me quite well and it was a pleasure for for him to take me. Mr Worsham was out on the road looking for us. He was delighted to see me. His wife and children all met me at the door. Mr Editor, do you love children? If you mingle with them much and do little kindnesses to them you can trust them and you can tell as'soon as you get into a home what the old folks think of you by the children's actions. Treat children and dogs kindly and they will never go back on you. As ,1 said, Mr Talbot Worsham and his family did all that people could do to cause me to feel welcome. I in tended to spend only one night and one day there, then there were some others I wanted to visit; but my friend put on a sad look and said: "Conrad, you must not go away tonight. J have made arrangements to have a barbecue cooked for your especial benefit." So I stayed three tiim un.l flnrinor <1?V3 UU|9 n l Lii uiui ?u'a J ~ we walked through the fields down by the swamp, would sit on some old log and talk over the past and many of those who have departed, for ne loved to talk on those things, lhs son George had lately been married. A noble young man, I hope he will be happy aud prosperous with iiis wife, who is a nice ladv. When 1 got ready to take my leave Talbot took me bv the hand in the! presence of his wife and children ! and said in the warmest, kindlest! words: "You must come and see; us again, and if you should get sick ! come to our bouse and if you are' not able send me word and I will i come for you or will send some one; to fetch you. My house will be! yeur home and hospital." Now, readers aud Mr Editor and friends, listen to those words, "If you are sick, come to my house." How many can be found who will say to a homoless sick :>ne, ''Come, I will f.,r vaii " A K' fun words ever be forgotten? In Vritj there will be many wh? say come and see me, but v> * ->! adversity overtakes you and know you then. Christmas soon l>e here but that good frienu ?s gono. Peace to bis ashes. I will now mention Mr R S Smith of Florence, who died a few montl I ago. Sid, I called him, and he called me bv no other name but "Steen."' We were boys together. He was a good Christian man. lie was a son of Mr John Smith whose wife was a sister of Mr Q^vid Epps, | the father of Mr 1)/ Epps of Kingstree. Well, I have been p to Mr Graham's again, rnnni : planing mill. I did not get through,will go back after Christmas aud finish. As usual, there were two or three small jobs to be done for Mrs Graham, i i rv.ario hoi- ft iipw o irn dasher and she thanked me and said that if I had not mad"H she did not know when sh^ wcv'd have got one. I aleo ' ;^:e piano stool for Miss Pf jn'e same trip and made a jller for Mrs John Sauls of 1 did not give Mrs Sauls e to thank me, as there was no in the house,and I left the roller ; chair and went my way rejoicing. I hope, Mr Editor, you will pardon me for sending you this long letter, but I feel like it will not cause you to lose in the long run. I promise to remember you when the fish begins to bite. Here's wishing The County Record great suecess and that the hearts of all delinquents will get soft and pay up. This last remark makes me remember what some newspaper said about a certaiD subscriber who had not paid for his paper. He was out inthe swamp and a bear pursued him and he crawled into a hollow log. It beiDg wet inside his clothing made it so ugnt ne couiu nut ^ct out of the log, eo be wsls about to give up to die wtfen he remembered he had not paid for his paper and he felt 80 small 1> crawfished out quite easily. Yours truly, Poor Conrad. Hoarse coughs and stuffv colds that may develop into pneumonia over night are quickly cured by Foley's Honey and 'Par, as it soothes inflamed membrauts, heals the lungs and expels the cold from the system, W L Wallace. Departure of Passenger Trains at Kiagstree. The Atlantic Coast Line railroad has promulgated the following schedule, which became effective Monday,September 7, 1908. ?NORTH BOUND, No 80 7:40 a. m. *Xo4G 11:42 a. m. 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