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ilia), Mt MIL,
Samuel P. Verner&
brovard& N. C.
Schoolmaster
1. 1.4104 Writ r
Samoa P. Vora.***
*maid&
A if:.
Randolph Begot
sCROOLMASTLR AND LXPLOU
"My family was probably Huguenot," said Randolph
Beisitio the quiet, elderly Tuaony *oboe' teacher who
ones explored the Pygmy country of Africa and later
edited a newspaper in Panama. "They drifted up -country
from the coastal region, probably to opt away from
mosquitoes and malaria, but also perhaps to be free
of too many neighbors. As a family we are not very
gregarious, and when I spoke of drifting, I meant Just
that. 40M0 of us have always had a talent for it.
Nom, at sixty, l an pretty aoasfortably anchored
hors in Tucony. I like the place and the people. I'vs
bean the head of a country school near here for several
years. I drive out and back every di. I like to ass
these mountain youngsters davelop. The outside world
has vary erroneous ideas about these mountain people.
be give the children a good lunch every day sad they
are about as healthy as any other children.
"My wife is a teacher in t'As public schools of
Tueony and a member of the County *safari aoard, as well
as of several clubs in town. I don't see how she does
it. If I did as mu n as *ha does, I'd fads IWO/ under
it. but she is not one of the nervous fluttery kind.
She is ospable and turns off work with eomparative ease.
must tall you a jots on myself about my wife. I onee
want into a badly hted library. I noticed a woman
sitting and reeding at the other end of the room. he
looked serene and intelligent. I liked the tilt of
the nose and chin. 1 thought to misolf that if I were
a beonelor or a widower I'd like to marry that woman.
As I drew nearer, lo and behold it was my own was.
I had begin admiring nor from a distance. :.,‘o you can
now make a 4uses 'whether or not I am happily married.
4You'd like to know about my early lir*, would you?
Well, I needn't tell you I robbed birds' nests and
trapped rabbits auAl shot bow* and arrows and bunted Indian
arrow heads, 64 every country boy dose. But I'll tell
you tne most dramatic episode of my your days. You
know tiensral wade Hampton made his oampai02 for the
1,ovarnorship in 1876. Tbs state had been ruled by
oarpotbageers, scalawags, and negroes sinoe 1866. The
peep]. of :Jouth Qarolina knew wuon they had had oneugh.
Hampton's followers adopted t;le rod shirt aa their
uniform. A lon6.cavalcaUs of hod Wkirts escorted the
candidata from one spsakij point to anothor, -nemen
bankod with flowers the platforaio from which hampton
spoke. The stets was aflame from mountain to seashore.
*011, my mcAnfir mods mo a little red shirt and they
perehed as up oa the horse behind ay father. And thus
we rode in the isivalcaae, my arms clasped around my
father's middle. I was offended when they celled as
Little Red Ridinghood, but when we galloped away I
knew I was a Little Red Wart. Ao boy that ever
straddled a horse ever felt so proud as I did. It
makes me young; again to think about it."
"As I gr up, I thought of studyinii; law, but my
father was a practicing lawyer in one of the larger
towns of ti. atnte and he said oh* lawyer in the famil‘v
was enough. I meant to tell you that my father was
elected to the legislature in the Democratic landslide
which swept 14mpton into orrice. 1:len the day came for
the new legislature to take its seat, the old legislature
refused to ad,:iourn and locked the doors. big negro
oucks, some of them cornfield hands, lolled in seats
once occupied by such men ea John C. alhoun and Robert
Y. Haynes han the new legislators came to the locked
door, they hesitated u moment. Than my father kicked
the door in. The new members swarmed in and put the
old legislature to rout.
"There seems to be an unruly streak in our family.
I am a quiet man• -a schoolmaster, an elder in the church,
and I pray for peace along with the rest of 'am -.but
if I had been in my father's shoes, I am sure I too
would have kicked tae door down, nnd I have a sou who
would have done the sem* thing. is really are distantly
related to to. really or Joss, oases. o fooling,I mean
it. wen today, I'm afraid I myself haven't any too
much love for the Fedora]. 4overnment.
nben I left college the °Lanai.s for a young fellow
to do anything were not very bright. I flounderod, as
many did. (..ne day I saw in the newspapor that an
anthropological society was going to send to Africa to
get some Pygmies. They were to be used as an e,hibit
at 'Cho -t. Louis Lxposition. ihis appealed to my
imagination. Ihrot‘gh the influenca of friends in
41ashington, i was assigned to this Job. I had seen
pictures of eygowies in hooka and 444aciats and I
thougkt it would be good fun to see them in their
native habitat. bald the novelty of the tni;1*, with
its touch of danger and adventure, put me on my toes.
The Little 4ed :,,hirt was riding agaih. re out this
story short, I got the Pygmies and landed taem oaf,
in 4. Louis. grotty soon the poor little things
became so how.osick that the autnoritioso were obliged
to ship them hack to the ,,frican hush. It would never
do to let t..s little people die on their hand*, ma I
took them back and landed every one of them safe and
sound. Ono poor little env developed pneumonia on the
way bask and I put him in as hospital iu asvana until
he had entirely recovered. The motet famous specialist
in Cuba becsuA iatereeted in hie eagle and gave it his
personal atteation,
-I recall in ysrtioular one little thcident of my
trip, it was important, of course, to gain the friendship
of tne chief sad get his permiesioa. Through mleeloaaries
and traders I obtained an audience and found him alone
in his shack sitting gloomily beside a table. ae reotiVed
me with a grunt ard with greet 4≥revity., After a desultory
conversation whic'n seemed to get nowhere, although
spoke his laa6uage, finally pulled out of my pocket
a large plug of black American tobacco, the kind Loot
cornfield bands like to ;:new. The chief's +wee brightened
when I presented it to him in ay best improvised diplomatic
manner. He turned the plug over eever 'Liu's& and smelled
it with satlafaction. ',Alen I drew out a large pooket
knife, he becaloe alert and suspicious, 04.4 when As saw
tie shave off tobacco and fill my pipe, his face relaxed
into the first *mils I aad seen on his countenance,
1 then filled his pipe with to ahavings, lighted it,
and presented it to him with my oest bowa rue skies
now cleared rapidly, ,e awaked and uaked for hours
and wben we parted we knew we were brothers VA* life.
Who will rise up now and say that I was not an ambassador
of jood will to ottontottia?
"Altoother I made three trips to J:=frioa. I collocted
valuable stuff for museums; traded in ivory; made a small
fortune on a load of salt 1 took down with me on on. of
my trips; boue;nt slaves for a so:- who were on ti,e point
of bain6 sold to chnibale allowed tAem to ther
rubber and work out ti,eir own freedom; coiracted the
fever acver::1 tthes; met many lateresti;.,„ trsoers and
explorers, ade 14a,ny friends with t•L,th v,hites and blaci.e;
and. nad a te,aral.11 hliarious tii.. Lo loa at me now
you'd never sumpect that I o::.ce owt.441 over a thousind
slaves.
*Why didn't Igo back tvi I can sn.swer that in
three words: I ,ot married.
'Tut 1 did ac) to anara, aild I was tiiere Wale the
canal was Li, du. y first cousin was prominent
physician t,,ert durihit the nealth cleon.up. I edited
a newspaper al -Al 1 knew everyLdy•-Liortias, Varillop aid
all tne Feat* 7•t, was an it.teresti exogriece, tat
I did not aocurml:i.te a fc,rtuu*, ti;.y wife tout in a
school. youiv cniidrep bt fortunately domstic
help WiAid, oi4e,L40. aow .1f* LA ed to teach eichool and
at ttAk, saiLe tiLe Lk e c-ri of cuillre4.L in a tropichl
climate i ru42,1%.L au born la ti;Al
.7.
her father was one of Forrest's cavalrymen. ,Ive herself
was not at all of the grenadier type, but she had a serene
courage which any trooper midht envy.
As time went on, it eeemed the part of wisdom for
us to remove to a more bracind climate an account of the
children. iiow did we happen to coLA to Tucony? Well,
my father Lad bout a aviell form two or three miles
from town, 4 aimple house on a mountninside with a fine
view of the valley. lie used it as a summer place. Our
thoughts wst back naturally to the place where we had
slept under blankets in summer and breathed the best
air in tac world and drunk water that spurted out of
the hilisidei a:id where flies and moaquitoes never
broke our ubers. 14!os uitoeaS Good netiveap, we
would dive anythinii; and do anythinci never to see a
moequito again!
"It WU4 not easy to „At a foothold in a new community.
ky -wife and i finally secured positions in a country school
a few dies south of .eucony and we rented a farmhouee
and turned our children loose to play. few years
later we applied for positions in the public achools
of Tuooay. 4 wife was chosen and she still holds the
job. .he's a bets.er man than I am. I failed to he
appointed, but Isecured the principalship of another
country achool a fuw miles from town.
"iou've boort of my one exouraion into politics. I
offered aiself as a candidate for County 4upsriatandent
of Public Instruction. 14~ again& *fors the campaign
was over not a anrsd of my cbaractsr was left. 1 tank
even my own fawily suspected 1 was a /wady peroon. I
myself rsalixed I had flaws of Guam:ter which I ad
never suspected. If you want to 6et yourself asntally
and morally overauul,d, just 401t into politisa. tarbaps
if I Lad boon called Jim r e..f 1 alunt have boon
elected, but .Andolpia was Nora than the voters could
swallow. It lato *await* been a myskAry to ad as to
what it takes to Lit a e.w..easful politician. I Give
known Len to oe elated *no paraded tueir worst clothes
and manners oafore ts votsrs, and nay* anown auccoseful
politicians also who were da...ditiod. to knowsV
ufben to* auprossion oasis, and i suppose ws made
out pretty WU04 as other people did. 00 had to dra* in
our horns. 4.Jur t4.1cning salaries were cut, but we *till
had salaries. isot every QUO *a6 so fortunate. I made
a garden and kept a cow. '..ur old olothes se.w.ed to
develop a quality of everlastingness. we dismissed
the cook. our only sou, *LO oouldn't bet a job, rolled
up his sleeves and wsnt into tau kitc,.aa. lie now boa
a good jot. doin Landscape work in one of 'Luc national
forostu. t..14.116a /MVO o4,01a to look witter for us.
The last lislature ralaed our salaries and perhaps that
neat one may 1.ve. us retirine; pensions. •c *4 can look
forward wit l rtasorAbla nope to a serous and untroubled
old aga.
"Unless tier erupt& you sayi io Aell ..Jth
If I were oUi a .0Undamer,t list, l' d tale ‘rliat pleasure
In tAa Lelief t,,at hall is 4...