Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-06-20
Au 0rieiual grize Stprg.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.

- = Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
AN HEIRESSIN HER own RIGHT.
. BY EMILY ]. ROMEO.
CHAPTER X.
HOME DUTIES AND EFFORTS. DEPENDENCE
AND INDEPENDENCE IN LITTLE HOUSEHOLD
AFFAIRS.
Rugged strength and radiant beauty
These were one in natures plan;
Humble toll and heavenward duty
These will form the perfect man.
MRS. HALE.
Tho losses and crosses
Be lessons right severe,
There's wit there, yell get there,
Yen find nae other where. BURNS.
Mr. Wright spent some days in mending
broken furniture and helping put things in
order around the place. He was an excel
lert husband in always having things con-
yenient for his wife. Some articles were too
much injured to be repaired, and others were
not broken so badly as at first supposed; but
there was enough destroyed to take years to
replace. After he had made the family COM
Portable, hunted up some of his hogs in the
swamp to get a little meat, bought few chick
ems and put the domestic machinery in pretty
good working order, he went to work to fix up
his blacksmith shop and mend or make
ploughs and other farming utensils. Now,
more than ever before, he saw the wisdom of
his father having taught him to cultivate his
mechanical genius, that he mightturn his hand
to ANYTHING. 1t proved almost fortune to
him. The rush to the citiss-which followed
so close on the heels of the war-was not
dreamed of then; and farmers had to use their
own efforts to supply implements to begin
their farm work with. 1t was well in March
before Mr.: Wright began his ploughing' but
February had been 50 rainy and the spring
continued so wet, that late crops turled out
unusually well.
A few of the negroes, with families, never
left; and some who followed the army came
back; so he was better off for field hands than
he expected, though still little short.
One young fellow brought back valuable
mule loaded with sundry useful articles, which
he took pride in showing and telling the Yam
KEGS gave him but it was more than suspected
that, like the army, he had helped himself
without asking leave.
He and the mule did good work all the
wear, and no owner coming to claim Beck,
Zip retained full possession, and, the second
year of freedom, set up farming on his own
account; and is one of the few negroes who,
by steady work and good behavior, has made
a thrifty, reliable man, and is possessed Of
a comfortable home.
Mr.. Wright bought sugar-cane tor seed'
and went on in his accustomed way as we'll as
possible under the circumstances One day,
after Mr.. Elliott had rode over his farm and
expressed surprise at how we'll he was doing,
Mr.. Elliott could not forbear saying, "Why
do YOU plant so much corn, cane and potatoes,
and not put all your force on cotton, when
your land suits it so well p
because have learned when I raise my
own provisions, am independent. When
have to buy corn, I am harrassed to death,
running over the country hunting it up, and
then hauling it home. shall have it to 90
this summer, and it worries me to think about
it. always have raised my own provisions
since learned what good farming was, and
there is more need of it now than ever before" !"
"You don't view things in the same way
most of the planters in this section OF the
State do. It's all cotton, cotton from this
point, one way; and rice, rice, the other"
"But my way has stood me pretty well
heretofore" replied Mr.. Wright smiling, "and
I'll give it some more trials before l change
it."
Affairs did not 60 on SO thrivingly at Mr..
Elliott's. The garden was not touched, and
little chance it would be- 1t took old Dick
all the time he was able to creep about, to get
wood and take care of the horses; and when
his rheumatism laid him up, as it did two
thirds of the time, it was poor chance.
Maum Hess had her hands full with the
cooking and tending her "old man. Lance
had more than she could do in learning the
new things which fell upon her shoulders
washing and ironing, besides the thousand and
one duties in the house; but when daddy Dick
was down she had to leave them and hunt
wood. Not one in the family knew they could
dress without fire in the bedroom then the
sitting-room and dining-rooms must have fires
all day and till late at night, so it took great
deal of wood-when they could get it!
AS for Mr.. Elliott and Stuart, the idea that
they could haul load of wood, or cut stick
after it was brought, never entered their heads.
Don't judge them too hardly, kind reader but
look back and see how many things you did
not do, you might have done; and how hard
it was to learn to perform what seemed 80 SIM
pie and easy-till you tried it.
The horses missed their regular currying
and rubbing, though Mr.. Elliott and Stuart
did manage to feed them and give them lit
tie attention. The COWS wandered about
rarely fed and half MIXED If maum Hess
got enough milk for the coffee, she was satis-
fed and it did no good to tell her to try and
milk thoroughly. She could have replied,
"I amt de mixer. I neber tech cow fore
in my life I jes' learns now, ease sorry for
Miss Georgia"
The chickens, released from the care of the
"poultry minder," stole their nests; and the
turkeys grew wild and wandered off to the
woods to lay and set. The yards were full Of
leaves. and every thing seemed to have for.