New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-06-01

Illustrative Picture OF Life In South
Carolina.

IColumta, C., cor. Cincinnsti Commercial
walked out to the east of the city, having
no objective point IN view, except To get int,
the country. In the suburbs Of the city me
q concern that always attracts the attention oi
n stranger 1t was u South Carolina load o
wood. This load of wood was on a rio kety
wagon, the wheels OF which wabbled and bob
bed about over the road in as unsteady man
/ ner as 80 many drunken men. The tracks tina,
1t made We're fearful to see. On this wagon
was rack, and in this rack were four pins
each about two feet high. They were distant
apart from each other some fourteen inches one
way aud four feet the other. Within these
standards, gentle reader, Was the load of wood.
Honestly there Was not enough Of it to make
one good lire IN a fireplace of even moderate
dimensions. One of the od-lashioned sort
would swallow wagon, wood, and all, and then
call Tor more. Hitched to this wagon was All
animal, which, in the better days of the Re.
pubiIc, might have been horse Now it was
portion Oft horses skin, filled with his bones
The horse himself did not seem to be there
rms bundle OF skin and considerable bones was
hltched to the wagon" by means of two pieces
oil elothes-line rope, and an armfuI tied into
something that might pass for villainous at
Tempt at a burlesque on a horse.collar, by
means OF strap cut from an old boot leg that
had entered SO largely into the construction of
the collar" There were only two pieces of it
and the bit. This last was big army affair.
ana not having shrunk away with the horse, it
looked, by the side of his famished jaws, like a
iiilghtenlng-rod twisted into fantastic shapes.
ne relns We're on scale of granduer common
surate with the rest of the turn out, one of them
oelng made of what appeared to be old shoe
strings, and the other of several old articles,
starting Out with a small chain next the bit, or
twisted lightning rod, and then short piece
Oh hshlng- line, then few feet of something APP
parentiy cut from the edge of piece of cotton
Dagging, and ended with bit of clothes line
tha s,,, was left over from the traces
he driver and apparent owner of this turn
out was a tall, thin, lean, salow, spindle
snahked, lantern,jawed, cadaverous looking
cuss, who looked as if he had not had q square
meal since 1860, and could eat up the weight
OF his wood and horse, if presented in the
shape of meat and bread, at single sitting.
looked at this moving panorama of pow.
erty 80 intently that the proprietor thought
Wanted to buy, and brought his animal to
malt. 1t was no trouble to do that, as the
bones in the dried skin suddenly stopped wad-
ding, even before the word of command was
fairly out of the drivers mouth, or there had
been the slightest jerk on the twisted lightning
rod.
"Do yer want ter buy this ere wood - he
asked.
Whats it worth ?"
Well, seeing that III in hurry, and hits
good bit back home, and I'm a needin'
some money bad, I'll just take eighty cents for
the load
'ls that the usual price for loads of that
size?'
"Wall, cant say for certain It's or faint.
Hits cheaper an most loads for the money, for
it's bigger The price Of wood in Columbia
depends upon things You know that is, some.
times hits scarce, and then agin O good bit
will come, aud then you see We can't always
understand how things will work and come
about consuming of the supply of such needs
As city people has To contend with, which is
different from the way We do in the country
about things of the sort, you know Have you
got any tobacco
did not use the weed.
wall, talk up pert bout this ere wood.
My old nag's bout to lay down. and il don't
move he'll lay down in spite of the devil, and
when he once gets down it takes work for to
get him up, and We found that the surest way
TO understand these little ways this horse does
is 10 keep him the move, for when he's on
the move the fact of the business is you see
he can't lay down. for he's all the time going
ahead.
told him | did not care to buy his wood, at
which he raised whoop behind his horse that
would have caused any animal half way fed TO
have run away, then pushed his wagon against
him as a further incentive to get along, aud the
panorama OF poverty slowly moved on toward
the city