To all our customers and friends:
GREETINGS
Tb« year which la just drawing to a cloae has been
a most successful oac with this hank, for which we
have to thank our customer* and Inends who have
made this possible.
We hope you have enjoyed a prosperous year, and
that wc have been of aatiafactory service to you in
bringing this about.
The Officers and EH rectors individually and collec
tively extend to you the Compliment* of the Season,
hoping that your Christmas may be a Merry one. and
that the coming year may bring yon increased pros
perity and Impplneea.
Citizens National Bank
of Gastonls
OI0UND-HO9 DAT EXPOUNDED.
Tha Tin* and Whit It SigaHles
. Plainly Staled by Tha Neva
nd Caaritr'a Spartanburg
Correspondent.
Km and Conriar
Spartanburg, Jan. 12.—Ground
bog day ia always the 2nd day of
February. The tradition and
belief of many people is that the
ground-hog cornea out of his
winter quarters that day for the
first time.
If be aeea bla shadow be hur
ries back to his den for six
weeks.
If it is cloudy and he sees no
shadow be does not retnrn.
February 2, 1904, was about
half cloudy, the minimum tem
perature 20. maximum 50. The
weather continued cold until the
middle of March. The second
day of last February was cloudy
with no appearance of the sun.
The four following weeks were
the coldest of the winter, twenty
of the * days being* below the
freeaing point. The first two
weeks of March were cold, with
frequent frosts.
It is doubtfnl whether many
of the readers of The News and
Courier have ever seen a wood
chuck or a ground-bog. This
* little animal is found generally
east ol the Rocky Mountains but
not in the South Atlantic States.
They burrow in the winter and
remain in a torpid state.
Of course there is nothing in
the sign bnt for several thous
ands of yepra people have been
clinging pertinaciously to signs
and portents. There may be
many deacendents of onr Dutch
settlers in this State and North
Carolina, wbo will clean their
springs'only on certain phases of
tne moon. Intelligent farmers
are guided by the moon In plant
ing. There are people who will
not begin a journey on Friday or
begin an important enterprise.
Ha Had Traabla With It.
Tb« Cutmlla CUtua.
Judge Guinn ia a leading
lawyer and Democratic poli
tician of Vaodalin, 111. Be is
"on me water wagon now;- oat
it was not always thus.
Recently, s mail order whis
ky bouse which bad sold.him
■goods” in other days wrote
inquiring about his patronage.
We subjoin a portion of toe
judge's reply:
■Your favor ia before me, and
alnce yon' address me as your
'kind friend,' and brake me so
seemingly honorable and fair
a proposition, I deem a reply "in
order.
■First of all, it is due that I
say to you that all the orders
that I ever planted with yon
were very promptly tilled and
the goods ordered came accord
ingly to your agreement. 80 in
to this regard I have do com
plaint to nrgs.
■Yon say in your letter, how
ever, ‘in case you [I] have bad
any tronbls with onr goods
* * * *, let ut know at
office and we will be pleased to
fix np any trouble yon have
had without cost to you.'
■Now, gentlemen, for fifteen
years just prior to April, A. O.
1901. I was what temperance
emu ks called a drunkard. I was
more or less drunk all that
tints. I hsed « lame amount,
or quantity, of your best brands
of liquors, but on the 9th day
of April, 1901,1 was sitting in
my office all alone, ooe dreary
afternoon, 1 was sick, lonely,
and mors than ordinarily sad.
I began to reason with myself.
I knew that whisky bad robbed
me of every reasonable prospect
In Hfs. When I began the habit
of using strong drink l was a
non of mors than ordinary good
V/VS1"*. fc.*.
lawyer w wa ■ i*r|t Wd
growing practice, was worth in
the neighborhood of thirty
thousand dollars.
."On that afternoon 1 was face
up against tha (act that by rest
son of strong drink I had lost
all of my desirable clients, my
money was all gone. I was in
volved in debt to a hopeless ex
tent, my health was mined, I i
thought of my family, they |
were almost on the vetge of |
want, I had lost tha respect of
all my friends to a very large i
degree. There I sat, with a
bottle of yonr beat whiskey be- I
fore me (one that was left of
my order that you filled about i
March 28, 1901;. 1 said to my- <
self—it is late in life to do so, |
but I will quit strong drink—I |
was a profane man—I said j
aloud, “Schweyer & Co., yon
and yonr whiskey can go to ]
belli’ I will never drink i
another drop of whiskey while i
( live. I am keeping that 1
promise.
"I may here remark that yon i
folks are the first people who i
sold me whisky that have ever i
made inquiry to know if it i
paused me any trouble—the
other fellows did not seem to ;
care whether their liquors
caused me any trouble or not." i
Aa the whisky bouse in ques- i
kioa had offered "to fix np any :
trouble,” the judge had "with- i
out any cost to him,” the judge
suggested that they tend him
pOfcOQO: ■ i
"Yea, gentlemen, yonr liquors, i
even though I always bonght
the beat, as yonr books will show,
caused me more trouble tbau I
could describe to you it I were
to write unceasingly for one
whole year. . . 1 have al
ready told yon that yonr liquoTi
and those of a like character
bonght from others stole from i
me my health, wealth, and i
good (minion of my associates, j
end left me a perfect wreck.
. , One hundred thousand
dollar* would not begin to make
recompense for all my troubles.
1 will leave it to your generosi- i
ty, seeing that you are anxious
to retain my friendship, to say
how much you will sand ma."
The wbltkey bourn did not of
couse remit; but suppose tbe
liquor business should make a
bona fide offer to com penmate
consumers for "gnjr trouble had"
with its good*—how many thou*
sand, even of ''moderate
drinker*, might not nut in their
Mils tor loeaes of health, and
basinets opportunity, and
energy, and above all—fatty
degeneration of tbe moral liber?
TRAIUNU REYNARD IN AUTO
tens a«a— af s rw «mus
A KaahvQl* IT*ns.) foot burning sa
tfeasiast. Professor J, P. l>rausboe.
pot* Ms aotoutoUis ts a worst nag
«Mttrar be starts oat on tin trail of
w*7 Itsyaard, *ar* tbs Motor Ago. Us
dralgnnd aad had bout a traitor for car
rying ms dog*. aad this be atrartws ta
his motor cat aad bowls away ts tbo
bast fox boning gwranda, so ms ITtsea
or twsartjr miles dtoiaat from Hash
tflk
Tbs traitor botdo twaoty dsgs aad tias
aa aupar dock. Tssta »r* os triad oa
this part, wtrfto andorasalb to a toco
partrasat wtitob to assd t» carry soak
lag atansUs. ora.. la tbs treat a loag
bant to piaaaad aad scare tad. Tbopra
frasor Mt apon tbo plan of attaebtog a
traitor ts Ida sar to stable him aad Mg
JHtods to Issto Miauritto torn la the
**»rapoq aod yo« noth tbo burning
maid wtdtoaf umrry or < f pme
from bto bostosaa and turn Ma dogs
(rrab awl toady (or tbo sport
ba arrangta tor a Uto at scats
bs scads M* borsM to tbo
plara or scats >*ar«alsat ma
in tha aftsraooa, aad wtwg b*
.j frisads antes tbs harass aaa
id tad lb* dagi tot sot of tbs
traitor rrsdt end tbs to* to soon goto*
After (bs chaos hy special signal tbs
tegs nan to, got Isto fhs trailer, u*}
tbs banttog party to soon <w On totem
»tp to tha s«y.
Sabaoriba for the Guim
UNCLE SHAD BACH’S GIFT.
Chriilau Story *1 m Old Tint
Darkey.
h Tola al Hama Interest With
the Sceaa Laid la Madden*
barf Caaaty.—Aa Accurate
Portrayal e! an Old Nafro and
Hia Ante*Bsllam Neater.
rkirlMU Ckroaiel*. Itlk.
The following atory was writ
en by Mr. Howard A. Banka,
formerly editor of Tbe Cbrooi
:1e, and was awarded second
>rize in the abort atory contest
in which members of The Phil
delphia Record staff competed:
"A white Cbrit’mus to-mor
’crl" said Uncle Shadrach Dav
daou, as he shuffled out of bis
:abin door toto inch-deep snow,
vhich had fallen during the
sight, "I 'lowed dem lead-cnlllud
:looda dat blowed up yettiddy
sv’niu’ had snow in 'em.”
It was even so. A mantle of
mm*culate white wiapped tbe
>road Catawba*washed plants*
:ion of tbe Davidson plantation
n Southern Mecklenburg, near
ybere tbe county touches tbe
sontb Carolina border.
"Hit mui' be nigh on t’ 3
I’clock—time for me to be -
.. UP to big white house "ter
jufl’ Mane Polk a fier." contin
..negro. Stooping
tnddenly, ere be reached his
!•$*« be cried out in soft, tym*
mihetic tone, aa be would use
a comforting a child with a cat
lnger,
"Well, now ef di« sin* too
>sa i"
He proceeded to shake tbe
mow from the petal, of a blood
colored Jacqueminot that bad
>ceo a-blo*aom for several days
>ast in too treat trust to a late
uituma's beguiling.
NJaek Pros' is de wolf whst’s
tilt myjpo’ HI’ Red Ridin'hood
ose," he went on, lifting the
Juice gates of sympathy from
»is fathomless b i g heart.
Taio’t safe fer amaU cbillnn to
tray away from home, obt fer
■oses to keep on blo-mm' a’ter
le las’o' November. "But dis
tame snow dat makes a shroud
er my Iag-bebin' flowers, will
urnub de yoong folks wid fine
ileddin’ and soow ballin'." tbc
>ld man sotUoqnited, with op.
imUtic philosophy. “Dis col’
•aw moroin’ air bowaomcver,
*ert'n,y does cut thoo dis ol’
ijgger’abones like a swoard. Hit
tin' doin' dis rheumatism no
f°°d- 8ighty-fo’ year old,’
:ome nex’ Pibnwary 'cordin’ es
Ilf,**1 £ow.n in Harse Polk’s big
3ible. Sbsdrach Davidson won't
>e in dese low ground’s o' sor
er to ketch ol1 Marster Chrs’
nns gif1 a vesr from to-morror."
Pansing in bis soliloquy, tbe
renernble servant lifted b{s eyes
leavenward, In tbc rifting snow
:louds jnst beginning to clear
iwav a . single brilliant star
(learned in the Southern skies
mined lately over tbe crest of
King’s Mountain, whose high
leaving outlines were beginning
:o be visible In tbe gray of the
lawn.
H0e sign o< de Son o’ Man in
leay’n* exclaimed tbe old man,
rapturously "De Star o’ Belhte
iem mna’ er look like dat on de
fua’ Chris’mos."
The sight appealed to tbe
itroog religious astute of the
negro, which he shared
altb all the race. He waa in •
1001 ecstasy, and the »pirit of
prayer came upon him, ObHv
loua. for the moment to the keen
wind be threw bia broad-brim
med felt bat on the mow am) of*
fared a fervent petition j
. "Have mercy, O, Lord," be
"on » po' tinner wid a
‘i'J1 “ white heart—
lor Tbou baa1 created in me a
b1c»“ h««rt an* renewed • right
■pkit widia me. Thou k nowee’
0. Lord dat if ghadrick David
son bad er been born way back
In de days o' Herod de Xing
'atid ft in alev'ry times, and had
rr been a camel driver fer rat o'
detn wiee men from de Baa’,
'atid er a male tcanuter on da
Davidson cotton plantation, dat
he %-ouWl er followed de 8tar wid
Exceedin' great Joy twell it come
to a atao'still over de bam wber
de yoaag CbU\ wrapped in dem
swaddlin' clo'es, waa lying in de
hayrack. Tkv servant 0. Lord,
baa followed defter, anyhow, de
bee’ be knowed bow, all hit fife'
twell now bia bail's ea white ea
a cotton boll in October. He
could er had bis freedom a'ler
de Surrender, and dey waa plen
ty o’good jobs wailin'fer him
wid de quality in Cbarlit ef he
bad at wanted ’em. But bow
could I leave Marae Polk, O,
Lord, when be ala1 never nek
np bia bald aenee dat day I
hrnng home yoaag Marta Lee—
and him de only son—from Get
tysburg, wid de red stain* on bis
gray uniform, and de boy’s
mother fell dald over de coffin?
Dey ein’ no great er lev* den fee
a man ter lay down bis life ter
hia frcn’,1 sin* been called on
ter lay down no life, bat I'm
lived oat a might long life fer
Ifarae Polk. H*a bard to bear
folks callin' him a hermit—bat
dat’a because de Mistress and de
young Msrstcr was buried de
same day. It’s bard to beur 'em
callin’ bias a miser—but kia he
be’p it ef de intrus/cumulates
on bis money?
"Hit says in de word. Lord,
dat Tbou aln’ no respecter er
poisons. Grant dat de angel
wbst keeps de books may pot
down sump’n to de credit nv a
po’ sinner dat never knowed
nothin'bat slav’ry—alav’ry cause
be cond'n be’p it (o’ 'Mancipa
tion an’ slav'ry nv his own free
will and acco'd aver sence.
Amen.
The combination of light
wood knots aad hickory logs
soon bad a roaring fit* spanning
the big brass andirons in Col. J.
K. Polk Davidson’s room.
"Morning,’ Marse Polk,
moraln’ sab." said his aged val
et as rising from his knees be
perceived that bis master was
awake “Hit snowed las’ night,
suht and we will have a white
Christmas tomoner. Why what’s
de matter wid yon Mane Polk.?"
A sudden leaping ap of the
flames on the beartn, making it
lighter ia the yet dark room, re
vealed a strange look of suffer
ing sod worry on tbc old mas
"I have a dread of tomorrow,
Sbadracb, in spite of it's being
Christmas, and a white Christ
mas, too. It is because of wbst
I have scan in a dream this past
night."
"Marse Polk yon's goto* om 79
year ol\ an’ dreams aia’ never
give yon no oneaalness beta' is
dev?"
'Who is the richest man in
MecUeuburg county, Sbadracb?'
Why, you is suh, or co’se,
bat what’s dat got to do wid dis
vision?”
“A good deal, old frieod; a
good deal. Bat, say, Sbadracb,
Bob Blackwood has made big
monev baying cotton in his day,
and Tom does the largest mer
cantile business in Piedmont
North Carolina.”
“But dey sin’ none o’ dem
Charlit fo’ks got de money you
is. suh. Ef you’s been dreamiu’
'bout de richest roan ia de
county. I’m mighty afeared
you’s been dreamin 'bout
yo’se’f.
"Listen, Sbadracb, I seemed
to see ghostly, invisible bands,
removing the hanging bally of
holiday season, and ia its stead
they tied funeral crape to a door
knob. Then I knew that some
body was dead oa Christmas
day. _ Thereupon a coffin came
bclcre my vision and along its
side in fiery letters, was this in
scription: “The richest man in
Mecklenburg I”
pj2.~StSjy4Si.srs
fbe planter concluded “I sin'
nothin'but a no’ preacher oy
MetCodis' Episcopal
dma Church. It ain' fer me to
•ay if d»s is de bau’writiu on de
wall like you war goin'- to be
seized, zuddiu’ like. You aio*
Em fiSk?.iD T°’ baid *• jron'
"No I feel az well as I did
yeaterday save for the bad night
fbredream has given me."
Ner so sorvigrons gnawin’
in yo’ vitals, nowner."
"No."
‘Dey's some ca says dreams
fota by coatrayries, hot if you’ll
rxcuse de like o’ me for de
liberty I take* in axin’ da ques
tion, Marse Polk, ef dis dream
is to com* true as me an In’ you,
is yon—ia you ready for de sad
den summon*, sob?"
The old planter turned hit
head the other way- on his pil
low,
“I fear not, Sbadracb, ” be
answered at last sadly. My
chances of heaven are not as
good as roots. Bat listen I
aasy be foolish. It may be I'm
in my dotage, bnt any way have
one of the farm hands ride to
Charlotte before daybreak to
morrow, and tell Dr. Joseph
Graham that Polk Davidson
wants him. And yon Sbadrecb
will sleep on tbe cot here in
my room this Christmas eve.
I have a presentiment that this
dream will be falAllcd. as waft
tbe one I dreamed on the second
day of tbe Sighting at Gettys
burg when my boy died on the
slope of Cemetery Hill.
It was the servant however,
not tbe master who needed the
physician's services on Christ
mas morning. Paralysis shot
its benumbing shaft into the
former slave’s wnasaoed body.
The master made his own Are
Christmas morning.
"Do all you can for my old
valet, Graham" be said. Bat
tbe docter shook his bead. . -v
"He’ll not Hve oat tbe day,”
was tbe result of the diagnosis:
"He appeared to have weakened
himself by overtaxing Ms
strength in ms advanced age."
"Have yon exerted yourself
lately, Sbadracb," tbe planter
Inquired as the physician drove
away.
"I healed a load o* wood oat
V u«i ivwance u my own »un,
to de widder Clavton’s down in
de bend o' dd river Dat trifiia
boy o' bet’s was on a spree an'
chopped e couple o’ sticks or
0O, an’ dere wern't no fire in
Sherkoose. I ain’ never been
Ue de aame men aence, kCarse
lk. Well any no more about
dat bowaooever. but let me ax
yet did) Wid me de tick men
and jroa well dls Chria’mus day
wbat cornea ov de fulfillment, oe
yo’ dream. Marae Polk?”
“Shady”—the master need the
word that waa long yeore ago
bit endearing name for the
little aUve playmate—“h meat
be that yen ere the richest man
In the country. In the selfish
nesa that bee too much charac
terised my life tioco wo burled
bis mother, nod him, 1 con
eluded that l waa the denoted
matt of my dream. Bat the
doctor says yon cant Hvo
through tbo day. Shady yon
have the riches that I keow
nothing of. Yon h«Vt laid up
treasure where it coants—where
the Good Book any* the aaotha
•ad the thieves can’t teach it."
“It ate’ ve’y becomin* (a tne
to say U, LIT Mister*—that
used to be Shadtach’a uaase lor
hie white p)»y mate—"but aoau
auch idea as dat vu ranuiu'
thoo iay owu hsid. Cayt for
fcavtuir yoa I sin’ sorry I’m
cote' to die. Do you ads’ dat
Col' pen de ol’ mistlas. to*
mother, tew you far ssyin’ de
shorter Cstheclsm without
missis' aotbia' de day you was
{yertfasanJi
^s3a.W; -Sr-. «■
rwsai vsaaa
la a band that trembled with
anaad trial'comWeed. Urn old
plaster scrawled with bis pea of
gold.
“Ood so loved the world that
ba cava His only begotten 800
that whosoever beHeveth on
Him should not perish but have
svac laatiac Hfo.
Royal
Baking
Powder
b made of Grape .
Cream of Tartar*
Absolutely Pure.
Makes the food
more Wholesome
and Delicious.
SKIRTS.
<&r of Wlu retail price from
buyer*# to #1.29.
SHORT JACKETS.
Osr line of Short Jocko* that sold from $8
•*& &Ti&S“.SraiCa5€
*5.00. win -0 foT e.ch-1_____no oo
Complete line of raincoats in stock from $8
to$U). We carry them the year mend. The
regnlar price of theeeeaato wag *0 sod $12 JO.
DRESS GOODS.
One lot of dress goods which sold khMt
for 38c md toSdjSLsFa
69c per yard. These are eacelleat vsfoes.
ginghams.
One lot of excellent dress ginghams 8 cento:
one lot 3 cento.
04 * fc
eodlOc per yard.
UNDERSKIRTS.
brentcet values ever shewn. See onr leaders
•t 73c end 85c. AU the new styles end M»h
erodes carried, constantly In etna.
TRIMMED HATS. •
TriMgdHntatofrQwkAt Wmrtk •
One lot of 200 trimmed bats closing nnt at
Mem*. Another lot of 1M trimmef beta to
go, each, at 65c.
bntdMamSg^rivMby'mir^" * to
idea.