Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-02-22


Your Runagee,
BILL ARP.
P.S. Tip are still faithful onto the end.
He says the old turkey We left behind have
been settin for ID weeks, and the fowl in
vaders are welkum to her further more that
he throwd a ded cat in the we'll, and they
are welkum to that. b. A
"BilI Arp's" Return to Rome.
In the following letter to the New York
Metropolitan Record, Bill Arp describes
his return to his home in Rome, from which
be had retreated on the approach of the
Yankee army:
Eaitur Metterpolitun Rehord
Mr. Editur, Sur-I hav not up to this
time made any remarks in public about the
trials and tribulations, the losses and cross.
es, the buzzards and dead horses seen on
our journey home to the eternal City. l
shall not alood to it now, only to remark
that our coming back were not 30 hasty as
our leavin. 1t was in the dead of winter,
through sleet, over creeks without bridges
and bridges without floors, through de-
serted and desolate land where no rooster
war left to krow, no pig to squal, no dog to
bark; where the ruins of happy homes
adorned the way, and ghostly chimneys
stood up like Sherman's sentinels guard
in the ruins he had made. A little one
hos concern contained the height of my
worldly possessions, consistiu of my numer-
ous and lovely wife and children, and a
sbuck basket full of some second class Wit
tuals. Counting our offspring, there was
about ten of US in about and around that
wagin, thus illustrating what the poet has
sed, "One glorious hour of crowded life is
worth an age without name," though the
glory was hard to pursceve on sich Okla.
shuns. Mrs. Arp are of the opinyoun that
her posterity were never as hungry before
in their lives as on that distressing journey,
and she once remarked that there want nary
rod of the road that dident hear some of
EN- hollerin for vittels. My wife's husband
is troobled bekaus they amt broke of it yit,
and it do seem that the poorer get the
more devourin they bekum, all of which
will eend in sumethin or other if sumthin
don't happen.
We finally arrived within the presinks of
our lovely home. The doors creaked well
come on their hinges, the hoppin. bug
cherruped on the hearth, and the whistling
wind was singin the same old tune around
the bedroom corner. We were about as
happy as we had been miserable, and when
I remarked that General Vandiver, who
okkupied our house, must be gentleman
for not burnin it, Mrs. Arp replied
~ wonder what he done with my Soing
masheen"
ale dideut cut down our shade trees"
sed l.
"My buroes and carpets and crockry are
all gone," sed she.
"It may be possibul," sed I, "that the
GeDrul-.
"And my barrel of SOAP" sed she.
"It may be possibul," sed I, "tbat the
Genrul moved off our things to take keer
of EN- for US; l reckon we'll get EN- all
back after while"
"Atter aOhile," said Mrs. Arp like an
ekko, and ever since then, when I allood to
our Northern brethren she only replies,
"atter qchile"
By and by the shattered wanderers begun
to drop in under the welcum shades of our
sorrowful sitty Il wer delightful enjoy
ment to greet EN- home, and listen to the
history of their sutferings and misfortunes.
Misery loves company, and after the misery
is past there'sa power of comfort in talkin
it over and fxin up as big tale as any
body. wer standin one day upon the
banks of the ipjun river, wonderin in my
mind who would come next to gladden. our
hearts, when l saw the shadder of an objek
darknin the sun lit bank. 1t wer not
load of hay nor an elefant, but shore enuf it
wer my friend Big John, movin slowly,
but surely, to the dug out landing on the
opposite side. His big round face assoomd
more latitood when he saw me; and with
out waitin for remarks he sung out in
voice some two slaves deeper than the
Southern Harmony
'Thcre to rle beech poor exile Of Erin.'
"Make him tat," sed l, sand you'll gil
the BILL" Prouder to see him than mon
key show, I padded the dug out over in
double quick and BID him welcum in the
name of the eternal sitty and its humble
inhabitants. soon got him ahoat in the
little canou, and before I was aware of it
the water was coshing over the gunnels at
every warble. clay down, my frend," sed
1, and he laid, which was all that saved us
from watry grave, and the nabooriu farms
from inundation. When safely landed 1
found him wedged in so tight that he
couldent rise, so relieved him BY prize
with the eend of the paddle. As his foot
touohted the sakred soil he gently separated
his countenance and sung with feelin melo-
dy.
'snome agal-home again-fIon furIin shore,