Nine Little Tar Heels.
Tar Heel Tales
By
H. E. C. Bryant
“Red Buck”
Stone & Barringer Co.
Charlotte, N. C.
1910
Copyright, 1909,
By STONE & BARRINGER CO.
TO
JOSEPH PEARSON CALDWELL
most of these stories you have seen,some you have praised, while others,newly writ, you have not been ableto see on account of your unfortunateillness, but, to you, the Princeof Tar Heels, I dedicate all, in lovingremembrance of fifteen yearsof intimate acquaintance, faithfulfriendship, and most delightful companionship.
PREFACE
These tales, concerning all sorts and conditionsof people, were written by H. E. C.Bryant, better known as Red Buck. As staffcorrespondent of The Charlotte Observer,Mr. Bryant visited every corner of NorthCarolina, and in his travels over the statewrote many stories of human interest, depictinglife and character as he found it.His first impulse to publish his stories inbook form resulted from an appreciation ofhis work by the lamented Harry Myrover,a very scholarly writer of Fayetteville, whosaid:
“I have been struck frequently at howthe predominant mental characteristic sticksout in Mr. Bryant. His sense of humor isas keen as a razor. He sees a farce whileother men are looking at a funeral, and thisexquisite sense of humor is liable to breakout at any time—even in church. One mayread after him seriously, as he reports theproceedings of a big event but toward thelast the whole thing is likely to burst out inan irrepressible guffaw, at some very quaint,funny reflection or criticism, or an inadversion.All this shows out, too, from the personalside of the man, making him delightfulin talk, and altogether one of the mostentertaining fellows one will meet in manya day’s journey.
“I really think there is more individualityabout his writings, than about those of anyother writer of the state. Every page sparklesand bubbles with the humor of the man,and it is a clean, wholesome humor, therebeing nothing in it to wound, but everythingto cheer and please.”
These words honestly spoken by Mr.Myrover encouraged Mr. Bryant. RedBuck’s dialect stories soon obtained a statewide reputation, and as Mr. J. P. Caldwell,the gifted editor of The Charlotte Observer,truly said: “His negro dialect stories areequal to those of Joel Chandler Harris—UncleRemus.”
His friends will be delighted to know thathe has collected some of the best of hisstories, and that they are presented here.
In North Carolina there is no better knownman than Red Buck. A letter addressed to“Red Buck, North Carolina,” would be deliveredto H. E. C. Bryant, at Charlotte.Everybody in the state knows the big hearted,auburn haired Scotch-Irishman of the Mecklenburgcolony, who, on leaving college wentto work on The Charlotte Observer and, onaccount of his cardinal locks, rosy complexionand gay and game way, was dubbed “RedBuck” by the editor, Mr. Caldwell. It wasan office name for a time. Then it becamestate property, and the name “Bryant” perished.
Red Buck has traveled all over the stateof North Carolina and written human intereststories from every sand-hill and mountaincove. Many Tar Heels know him by noother name than Red Buck. In fact t