Newspaper Page Text
I GA. FRIDAY, FEBRDJSBT 2, !*17.
EBt « r e d aHhe
J matter of 4
• Herring..
Official (
©ajette
t at Tifton, Georgia,
d class.
.. Editor and Manager
SAT
r NIGHT.
Unhandy Turn.
ie Ford boys said, hos-
you can carry for the
Three Watei
"Help youraelv.
P»t»bly; “take
folks at home.’
The Boy and Cousin Bill Bat had gone over
willa * J ° hnny Port’s.for Sunday afternoon.
j j d been doubly orphaned by the war just
ended, and had been raised by his grandmoth-
er agd a devoted friend of his hero father.
Strange to'say, the name given-him here was
th ®L°“ e b . y which h * wa!) nnd onlv nn
abbrexifttion of hia Christian and surname. He
despised a dull time, had a horror of books, anil
waa renowned for the almost uncanny strength
and accuracy with which he could hurl u peb-
ble with hia left hand.
Although ostensibly a neighborhood s«. i..I
call, the objective of the Sunday visit was Un
cle Johnny’s watermelon patch. Singular that,
in a country where they would mature with lit
tle labor or expense, f eV v melons were grown
then—one of the contradictions so oft-n met
ir. the Cracker changer of forty years ng".
But all liked to eat ftem. and watermelon.'
were a highly prized sad rare luxury.
Uncle Johnny's cattle roamed several hun
dred wiregrass-covered hills, and in the soring
tney were rounded up, assorted, young ones
marked and branded, md the fresh cows pen
ned for several weeks. After the cattle return
ed to the range, the land made rich by these
pens was Bcootered up turned, and when the
summer rains came, i«t with swett potato
draws. A bountiful erhp followed. anVtq later
years, com and perhap^eotton rotated, the lnnd
having nothing but the original fertilization
of the penning proceaa-ithere were no commer
cial fertilizers to be had then.
When the potato (lints were set, Uncle
Johnny always planta^his watermelons, and
when., in the late sunupr months, the ground
between the high rid*
luxuriant growth of j
among them could . be j
delicious, succulent w
periority to the melonf
not alone 'dtm. fp boyj
There was no market
more than the family e
was covered with
itato vines, nestling
ind hundreds of cool,
Brmelons—whose su-
if the present day
i taste and appetite.
T them; there were
Id use, so the neigh
bors were welcome—af!ffiey would have been
v were there only two i
The Ford boya met 1
ons to divide,
and the Boy at the
big gate, and escortedkhem arou d to the
i roomy backyard, wher&oon the usual game
of marbles was in progi
-Hjelon-patch. where
, Then, down to the
juicy hearts were
split and enjoyed; on ( the wflhh-hole in the
big branch back of the j Id, where the-melons
were used as buoys an afterwards eaten;
then as the shadows lAthened, back to the
melon-patch, where theHsitors were urged to
carry a feast to the homiffolks. That was what
led to the .downfall.
After much thumping r jturhing and scraping
with thumb-nails, Bat aft last selected two of
the biggest 6) be found-5a daddy grey and a
rattlesnake. The Ford
find two small ones '
could carry. On his way
struck something and 1<
big muskmelon, whose (
caused his nostrils tq. t
just got to have that!*' h
finish was in sight. Sc
added to his burden, wit
either arm, and the mm
- hands in front
At the fence the Ford
weH, with some humoro
reaching home with th<
jrtxajipingyouth-of W’airt
ten. Home lay a mile « d
tys aided the Boy to
lich he thought he
i the fence, Bat’s foot
;ing down he saw a
Icate odor even .then
Ite. “Dog-gojie, I’ve
exclaimed—and his
he muskmelon
watermelon under,
caught between hi3
oys bade them fare-
doubta as to their
load. Bat was
IH-tbe Boy snarer
half straight
through the woods, wifh lie big branch and
beads of two smaller stn ms intervening. Be
fore they had gone a sco of yards, the Boy
perspiring and staggering >eneath his burden,
which had become ns le , had his' doubts.
Granny had always said l^t’s eyes were •''big
ger than -his belly.’
It was not far to the bigtranch. and as soon
too busy with his own projfem. Cloth was
not wasted in surplus onddftmrments in those
days, so when Bat pullcjroff his pants, nothing
was left but the skin, m the general scheme of
economy, shirts were.Hot made longer than ab
solutely necessary, And the bottom of Bati*
reached little belo# the tail of the little grey
jeans coat. This font was little more than a
round-cut jacket./'It was always put on under
protest and won* religiously, under any and all
conditions. The apectacle Bat-presented as he
marched triumphantly ahead, would have made
the angels weep—had they been looking. But
the Boy had too many-troubles pf his own to no-
and as the way home was through the
trackless woods, what difference did it make?
Did you ever tote a watermelon? It is about
the meanest, most slippery burden man ever
bore; one that reaches out into the atmosphere
and gamers in moisture to add “to its weight
with every step. A ten-pounder on your shoul
der will weigh fifty at the end of half a mile
•and the two had three times that distance to
go
The Boy staggered, sweated, grunted and
finally, at the point of exhaustion, lost all taste
or further desire for watermelon. He would no?
acknowledge defeat, hut he was at the end of
his row. Passing over a projecting pine root,
he let one rtf the melons fall.
"Oh. Rathe called to the one ahead; ‘Tve
dropped one and busted it”
Rerating his raeelessness. Rat came back,
md thejwo sat down to ent, that nothing might
>e wasted. But the joy had gone out of thine
r or tju- Bov. and a piece of heart almost «-li.»k-
•d him; he had no heart for it.
Wearily, the journey was resumed. As all
things pass, the big branch had been crossed,
he spring hraoch surrounded, and now ns they
•use the hill after a long climb, home was in
ight. although still half a mile away, a bottom
ind two hi[lsijles between. The Boy was find
ing little relief from the dropped melon, for one
is so hard to manage, and all the weight
as on a fellow’s stertnach.
Bat was fired, so he was giad of an excuse
to wait for the Roy, who had fallen many rods
to the rear. He slid hi* twin burden down by
young pine, set the muskmelon on top of it,
nd- while calling to the Boy'to “Hurry u?!
ou’re slower than the s^en-year catch,” he
tood carving his girl’s initials in the bark of
the pine with his barlow.
What Bat didn't know was that when
slid his burden against the pinejhe demolished
small nest of wasps. Caught/under the pant
and melons, the daddy wasp had some trouhli
in extricating himself, but this he did after ;
while, and when he camejiut he was afire with I
indignation at the family outrage and deseern- 1
ted home. Bat was then industriously putting j
,a flourish to the “P" that represented to him
all feminina loveliness.
Of course, clad as Bat was. there was onlv
one place^for a wasp “to strike, and there he
struck, with a "swap!” the Boy plainly heard,
fifty feet away.
“Qe-e»e-e-m-i-n-et-t-y!’’ Bat veiled,, jumping
three feet straight up, his knife as he came
down raking n shower of bark from the pine.
He clnpped both hands to the place hit. and in
doing bo came near cutting off a slice of ham
with the open barlow. When he hit the ground
he hit it running, and the Boy, putting down his
watermelon, only overtook him after he had
reached the flat and was sitting down in some
cool mud.
“Geeminetty! Doggone! Dad-blame! Dog-
bite a: dead nigger!” Bat was saying over to
himself as the Boy came up.
After awhile, as cooling relief came, he be
gan to devise ways and means.
"Tell you what yq*.do, John;” he said. "1
jest gotter have the^T>anta. You take a pine
top, and go'back; you can beat down them
wasps jest easy enough, and then drag the
pants and melons away a little piece and I’ll
come and git ’em.”
“I don' wanter,” -the-Boy said:* “you do it—
you’re the biggest.”
'ould in a minute," was the reply:
I ain't got a bit uv protection in the world,
There was no gainsaying this. The personal
influence of the big boy over the smaller
UTiy sHe'er force of It, the Boy,Harm
with a top cut from a sapling, cautiously ap-
‘TI1 slip up inter the fodder-toft,”' be said,
“while you run Jn the house and git me *he
pants." As the Boy followed orders. Bat snoo
ped along the fence to the lot. Towse, the
family dog r met him and insisted on licking him
were licking wasn’t wanted. “Go back!” Bat
whispered, not daring to kick lest he howl.'
But in climbing back over the fodder,. Bat dis
turbed a hen which had stolen a nest and was
setting. Out she flew, down into the-lot, with
a great squalling and cackling, which caused
every fowl on the place to join in the alarm.
Despite the rattle of their talk, this_ soon at
tracted attention of those in the house.
“Wonder what in the world is the matter
with the chickens?’’,one inquired, answering
her own question wjttb 1 . “I bet it’s a hawk.” For
.hawks were the bane of the housewife who
loved her chickens in those days.
More with the idea of frightening off the ma
rainier than with expectation of doing any exe
cution. Aunt Rnth took down the singlebarrel-
ed. muzzle-loading shot-gun from the rack of
deer antlers, and followed by her mother and
sister, ran out. passing unnoticed the Boy. in
tent <>n securing the pants.
The horrizon was scanned in vain; no hawk
was in sight. "Something certainly gave those
chickens a scare,” Aunt Ruth said, and just
at that time Towse. sure the rat hunt was on
now. began to bark, nnd circle around the foot
of the ladder.
"Lordy, it’s somebody up in the fodder-loft.”
she.exetoimcd. "and I bet it’- a convict." .Onlv
live miles away, a force of half a thousand con
victs was grading a railroad. Escapes were
frequent, ami a source of terror to women of
hat section, left much alone at home.
The suggestion was heart-stilling, but Aunt
tilth was plucky. If trouble was coming, she
could seize the advantage. Cocking the gun
ind walking up to the foot of the ladder, she
ailed:
"We know you’re there, so you had as well
ome down. Come right out. now; or 1II shoot
ip into the loft."
Rat had not heard the first talk, because of
he din Totvso nnd the chickens were raising,
but he heard the last: Of course, he ought to
have told them who he was. and what was the
the matter, hut not everybody can think of the
right thing at the right time. A voice he was
accustomed to obey commanded him to "come
down,” and he came.
There is only one way to come down a ladder,
and that iba^lhe way he came. It was the very
worst way piiksible for him. at that time.
The three women, gazing upward, did not
j set- all,of him he came through the trap door
<if the loft. but.they saw enough. With
POMEROY OF MASSACHUSETTS.
In the old state prison at Charlestown. Hasa..
a boy-man has been kept’ in solitary confine
ment for forty-one years and He is now fifty-
six. His name is Jesse Pbrireroy. and lie was
sent to the penitentiary when a lad of fifteen
for the murder of two children, following-many
degenerate acts which stamped him as differ
ent from his fellows. Two years after his in
carceration. file authorities commanded that
he be kept apart from other prisoners; ancF bar
red as far a? possible from Human companion
ship. This was religiously dime, even te his-
brief daily exercise, which was apart from the
walkway used by other prisoners. A few dhys
ago the present prison authorities extended to
Pomeroy the same privileges granted other
prisoners.
If Georgia- or any o^her Southern state' fur
nished a case paralleling the inhuman treat
ment of Pomeroy, the Nbrthern press would
search Webster from first to last page in a con
suming hum for expletives strong enough, vic
ious enough and damning enough to hurl at us.
It is the way of the effete East; always seeing
the beam and never the mote.
When Pomeroy first entered the penitentinny
his education was meagre, but hv the dim light
afforded by a thirteen-inch barred window he
has mastered seven languages, is now studying
Arabic ami recently has be trim to investigate
the law bearing upon his case. Fvyopt for
few natural attempts to escapv Pomeroy i
a whole, is classed by his kevpers us a mod/d
We never wittingly indulge- in anything thi
remotely might be classed as ttrautllin sv? iiment ,
lint if this man Pomeroy has acciomplisi.ed half
what he is credited with his degeneracy sur-e-
ly must have passed from him. nnd with only a
few years longer to live a parole might not be
■mt of order That is. if they do snch things
mid ha
• been heard t
unty-
y fled t
h their :
the hi
aot every day that a
country cured hams, sides J
den is brought W th» T”
ket, and so when s wagefc d
choicest parts at eightsSm if
event is notable.
This is just wfchi' Me‘I
vis, of Ty.Ty, dW p
the product to Mr. Gee. lj
peid for t
reduced to her
sides, to the number el
$305.73.
Mr. Hsrris k
this lot, but r
roe. Including
nineteen '
an average erf' J|
poAd. or $llj£
meat sold to k
so the nireb
pounds, brli
$417.78.
Mr. Harris 3
hrnd which h# *
A picture a
will be ui
at the Southern*
Every mother
; her children "Cnlftrfrilla Syrup
K.{s.” that this is their MeaI(Uuta-
r. because they tove its j
ite nnd it thoroughly i
> tender little I
effete Ma
chusc
CHILDISH CARELESSNESS.
farcies
reck less in
before m
attenti"
ble-ful! of bird-
buried Itself ill
use. covering their hr
The gun- dropped in the ex-:
harged. the load of a thim-
it narrowly missing Rat as It
ie fodder. Towse liked to a
the racket was at its height,
h the pants.
and seized the articles like
rrabbing a life-helt. “What
«. or more properly Speaking,
less, on the part of children in running
loving autos has been commented
al weeks. The practice is becoming so
that a tragedy resulting therefrom may
ted at any .time.
.1 flagrant cases were brrught.tr> the
of the Grand Jury last week, but it did
not seem to he n matter on which that bod;
-ould take action, beyond sending a warning to
children against the practice through the teach
ers of the public schools.
It is a common occurrence for a group ’ol
children playing at a roadside when an «uto
draw£ near to run across the road in front of
it. This is often done in sport, as a dare, an'
sometimes without thought, but in many ease
it has given quite a shock to the nerves of th'
[aii!>i driver and an accident was* narrow!’
Hr
ith then
Pu
the Roy ha
uctionK to b
are not to blame i
and some of the
n.i«sed riinnin;
past few we
I’nts, guardiam
r :hnr charge
all .-a-
inside etcaning”
the drat cremwont given.
Villons of mothers keep ^Cali-
ornin Syrup of Figs” handy; thay
now a tcaspoonful today saves a
ick child tomorrow. Ask yuur drug
gist for a 50-ccnt bottle of "Culi-
foraia Syrup of Figs." which has
directions for babies, chifdren of alt
ages and grown-ups printed W th*
hbtt!-.'. Be.vs re of counterfeits sold
here, -o don’t he footed. Gat (
genuine, made by "Califoritla 1
Syrup Company.”
COTTON GINNERS*
Had an
.-on Id h.v
ouse to «
lot he allot
ing "ivr childri
is. This is a niattei
and others with chif-
■hould look caret
oided children should
e bv a public road.
fbia
•ales.
’17 3.0C4 B*W
Prerim. Year.
i..- to the report ot I,j
o-rumen* Cottca GUriJi
r Tift county, there's
r- rop iif IB IT up,to Jan- "
10.652 uales, counting
fmlf tralcH. compared with
■.he same data of
increase of 3,024
dal
Vpil
dn th.i
p both a lickir
rer as they wen
It took hard a
t last the
talking t>
truth was comprehended. But a miss
ns <i mile, and the thought of the mel
retrieved helped some.
Yes; they went back'for the melon;
nther pants. But a hunch of hungry hi
ahead of them, and that was left
mussed-up spot on thtf gritss.
"1 hope the" wasps got cat,"" Bat said.
That’s why I ajn here to tell you. that three
nielons make an unhandy turn.*
and the j were
ngs was I done.
“ ‘ K" rt R* 1 ' >■» '*<•" »*" .wollra lit, he had an nicer-
ManllM Kara -anil., l,aTA BnPII llO-nt ".Ipat,
ateq tooth. Neither would go back; Bat would
proached- the scene of the late hot encounter.
No wasp was in sight. The Boy reconnoi-
tered, and seeing none, thought they had gone.
H« puti down the- pine bough and cautiously
pulled at one-leg nf tlre'paTrtR. Th6n 'sortie-
thing hit his jaw like the kick o’f a mule with a
red-hot shoe. A quick slap killed the wasp,
but by the time the Boy rejoined the waiting
reached, Bat’s genius begaitto shed light. “Jest
let me'.^how you," he s#d, when the Boy
caught ujT'with him, whei t *»e had carefully
deposited his burden on tie grass; "how I’m
ago in’ to fix things.”
As the Boy watched, hffflrst pulled of his
shoes .and took out the bofkskin ^trings; then
he (removed his pants, transferred the contents
.of the pockets to his coat, ^itd tied jhe bottoms
f the legs wlth his shoestrings. In™ each leg
i put a watermelon, slung them across his
oalder, took up the muskipeion in hi^ free
land and resume^ his march in triumph. The
^ was agape with admiration at such re-
cefulness and would have followed the ex-
le. but the legB of his pants would not take
t sma|| watermelon—besides, he had no
f had been given time for criticism,
• been something humorous in
a^WwAdsft but he
n’t and the'Boy tiad'ienonghv
’Tell yer what we’ll do." said the resourceful
Bat; “we’ll go to the house and get me a pair of
Feil’s panwiiorid their i'll come'hftc'k, And just
everlastingly frail the living devil opt of thei
dad-blamed, dog-fetched, heretics." Inatvhich
ambition, the Boy heartily joined, and home
ward they hurried. Fell was the Boy's older
brother, off visiting for the day, and about Bat’.-
age.
Climbing the rail fence back of the lot, and
cautiously rounding the pomegranate bush by
the smokehouse, they heard voices. Granny
and Aunt Ruth had come over to pay Mother a
visit, and they were talking at a 2:40 gait
Worse than that t£ey were sitting between the
open doors of the house, where they could see
ig coming near it. Bat stepped back
$ behind the smokehouse, to rearrange his plans.
PEANUT PLANTING TIME.
In another month farmers will iie actively en
gaged in final ground preparation, coupled with
acluai planting and sowing. Present Indications
arc that peanuts will command a large share of
attention thriuighuut liua and neighboring sec
tions. \
There is some disput^ as to which variety
of peahuts promise the^urger yield. The White
Spanish is heralded by a host of champions as
the best oil nut for milling purposes and is as
good as any Other variety tor the open market.
The Gazette is interested only in seeing ihe
farmer plant the kind of peanut best adapted
to this section, hence this suggestion in advance
of planting time. However, if any farmer i.>
unable to satisfactorily determine the point as
to variety, let lym bear it) mind the pertinent
truth that runner and bunch are both mighty
good money crops. If need be the question of
variety can be determined another year and no
mighty- harm done.
During a recent address to farmers, an ex
pert on livestock raising said that the Georgia
farmers have gone into the livestock industry
backwards. Instead of first producing an abun
dance of cheap feed and then securing the live-
etc^k. a great many farmers have bought blood
ed stock arid are now buying feed with which
to keep them going. This will make stock-rais
ing so expensive that it will cause many to be
come discouraged and-quit the business, while
if they will start at it in the proper manner, by
first producing a supply of feed and providing
ample pastorage, they will find livestock raising
both pleasant and profitable.
Wetz- the Egg King, retired from the Chicn-
R'-'tter and Egg Board after having made a
tie more than a million on his celebrated cor-
r. And after he asked the government
ents what they proposed to do about it. they
•re compelled to admit that nothing could be
Despite our boasted laws, the trusts and
speculators still do pretty much ns thy please
with this country.
TIFTON’S PRAISEWORTHY EXAMPLE
From the Atlanta Journal.
The Tifton Gazette gives an interesting ac
count of how the business men of that commu
nity rallied to the fanners' support in the fight
against the boll weevil. The surest means of
compiling that pest is crop diversification and
stock raisyig. But if the planter has no de-
pendnbJe market ./or foodstuffs, he will have no
inducement to raise them except In small quuri-
titea for. his own family; and, so. the problem
of getting a cash-crop substitute for cotton
during the weevil menace will remain unsolved.
The leading mercantile and manufacturing
interests of Tift county have met this situation
in .a .manner .that commends itself tv the entire-
state. They have offered to buy for cash U|1I the
peanuts, velvet beans and corn the farmers in
that territory will raise. One concern has pur
chased machinery for a thirty thousand dollar
fe'ed mill; another has contracted for a plant
capable of utilizing for oil and other products
as many peanuts as the surrounding country
raises. Further, one-hundred and fifty thousand
dollars was subscribed for-the establishment
of a packjDg plant, which has so promising an
outlook that-its facilities probably will be
doubled.
"These concerted mdvements.” says the Ga
zette, “are faith offerings of the broadest char^
acter. and jointly embody a type of preiAred-
ness absolutely unassailable. With this assured
co-operation, farmers who do not make'money
in this good year, 1917, have only themselves
to blame. The business men of Tifton have
made peanuts, velvet beans and com immedi
ate money crops, and in doing so have destroy
ed the fetish that cotton is the only crop for the
Georgia planter."
If this wise and helpful policy is adopted by
business communities thmughout the State, not
While the war of UHz ended one hundred
only wjll the boll weevil menace be overcome
but new foundations.pf -prosperity will be laid
and new forces of prdgreifs will be released.
■Ct wifi make but one
mor.- report for thia season, that of
Marrh 1 -t. The report of January
If.th only shows five tales ginned frt
!#ie county ainee January lat. tki
heinir five bales of long cotton |
5,000,000 Conn'
Lifted Right I
^ Try 2 Drope of Mi^io “Gsto-It*?
oo.UK4C'' y
blatory. It's tho only c
corn, but of loosening the
o| ^ » nji’, ■ roa/ h "
and**' Vrfee* o n efble
It—get surprised sad*
by £. Lawrence 4 Ot
Sold in Tifton and
as the world's
oy Brooks Parmaoy Co.
j
Coin mrtal.lt bi
»rw£t e^aeb
S0LDBYALL
EVEfYW