The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-06-02
A Southern Load Of Wood.
columbia, S. c., Cor. of the Cincinnati
Commercial

w
columbia, S. c., Cor. of the Cincinnati
Commercial.]
walked out to the east of the city
and having 10 objective point in view,
except to get into the country. In
the suburbs of The city / met a con.
Germ that always attracts the atten-
ton of Il stranger. 1t was q South
Carolina load of wood. This load of
wood was on riclletty wagon, the
wheels Of which wabbled AID bobbed
about over the road in as unsteady q
manner as so many drunken men.
The tracks that it made were fearful
to see. On this wagon WAS rack,
and in this rack were four pins, each
about two feet high. They were dis
tant apart from each other some four
teen inches one way, and four feet the
other. Within these standards gen.
tic reader, was the load Of wood.
Honestly, there was not enough Of it
to make one good fire in fireplace of
even moderate dimensions. One Of
the ol'l-fus hioncd sort would swallow
wagon, wood anal all, and then call
for more. H.tched to this wagon was
an animal, which, in the better days
of the Republic, might have been a
horse. Now it was portion of q
horses skin filled with bones. The
horse himself did not seem to be there.
This bundle of some skin and consld-
cradle bones was hilchcd to the "wag-
on by means of a cloth-line rope, and
an armful Of straw tied into some
thing that might pass for a villainous
bul1csque on 4 horsc.collar, by means
OF a straw cut from the old boct-l e.
The bride was made out of scrap
from the same bootleg that had en-
tered so largely into the construction
of the "colIur." There were only
two pieces Of it and the bit. This
last was Il big |army affair, and not
having slrunk away with the horse,
it looked, by the side of his vanquish-
ed jaws, like li:;;htniny.rod twisted
into fantastic shapes. The reins were
on scale commensurate with the
r-,st of the turnout, one uf them be-
ing made out Of what appeared to be
old shoe-strings, and the other OF sew
eral articles, starting out with small
chain next the bit. or twisted light
ring rod, then short piece Of fish
ing line, then d few feet Of something
apparently cut from the edge Of q
piece Of cotton bagging, and ended
with bit Of clothes-line that was
left over from tho traces.
The driver and apparent owner Of
this turnout was a tall, thin, lean,
sallow, spindle shanlled, leaned,jaw-
ed. cadaverous-looking cuss, who
looked as if he had not had a
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 poverty SO intcnlly that the pro-
prietor thought wanted to buy, and
brought his animal to a halt. 1t was
no trouble TO 90 that as the bones in
tho dried skin suddenly stopped wad-
ding even before the word Of COM
mand was fairly out of the drivers
mouth, or there had been tho sligh-
test jerk on the twisted lightning
rod.
'sDo yer want ter buy this ERE
wood . he asked.
"What's it worth ?"
"Wall. seeing that I'm in hurry,
and hits good bit back home, and
I'm Il needln' some money powerfully
bad, III just take eighty cents for tho
load"
rs that the usual p,ice for loads Of
that size ?'
"Wall, can't say for ce. tain 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,
sometimes hits scarce, and then agin
good bit will come III, an" then you
see we can't always understand how
things will work and come about
concerning Of the supply Of such
needs as city people has to contend
with, which is different from the way
we de in the country about things Of
the sort, you know. Have you got
any t"backy"
I did not use the weed.
"Wall, talk mp rairt bout this 'ere
wood My old ma bout to lay down,
and ef I don't bo movin' on he'll
lay down in spite Of tho devel, and
! when he once gets down it take work
for to get him up, and I've found that
the snrast vay TO understand thasa