New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-28
GEORGIA SKETCHES.
BY THE OLD COTTON-GIN.

We turned off by the old cotton-gin. which
was one of the old landmarks, drove along by
a wcrm-tence little way, and then made n
detour through the loveliest bit of pine woods
thought had ever seen. Perhaps IL was the
heavenly air that blew across our back; per-
haps IL was the sleepy charm of the morning
sunlight, which threw the shadows OF the
slender tree-trunks across the road, which was
deep in the golden brown of fallen pine
needles but it seemed to me / had never
seen a more beautiful piece of woodland than
lay along that broad, sunny, sweet-scented
hilltop.
Winding down this knoll. we came to n log
house of the better sort, with n wide, smooth
door-yard, bare of grass, a garden al the side
q tOlerable barn and stOck-yard at the right
and fields about 1t under cultivation. The
doors of the house were wide open. and a
large spinning wheel was in full view. This
was the home of the Gerridses, and | had q
sort OF an acquaintance with Mrs. GerridSe,
for Gordon and had driven ont to buy tar
keys from her not long before. She had asked
me TO come and see her, and had deter
mined TO please myself by so doiog, so with
my sister 10 bear me company drove that
way one morning in December.
Mrs. GerIidge came 10 the door NJ the sound
of wheels, and as we halted, advanced To the
gate.
claimed, rs soon as she saw me. Its Mis-
Alexanders, now, amt it ! been n lOOklu'
for YOU Ans this your sistcrf FavOrs. Come
git down an come right In. Will he stand y
as /
and left old JEFF 10 his devices.
He's only too glad of chance to stand"
Fanny aid laughing. stand, why, Mrs.
Gerrldge, you have to argue the point with
him of moving q, yard upon the way
He's noble big horse" Mrs. Gcrridge OBJ
served, politely. Come right this way, ladies.
You must excuse the looks OF this place, but
we be just got thrO' cotton pickin' an I've
been too busy to do mite Of work about the
house."
Nevertheless everything looked beautifully
clean and neat. We assembled one step. made
of a solid block of wood about three feet
thick and four long, and then passed the
threshold, entering a room with a clean, bare
floor, worn SMOOTH two double beds occupied
the two corners, each covered with the in
evitable patchwork quilt; huge stone CHM
ney was built right through the centre OF the
house, divining the two rooms and only leav-
ing a narrow passage-way on one side, closet
being on the other. In the centre of this first
room was the spinning wheel Mrs. Gerrldge
put her foot Oh the treadle aud showed us how
TO twist the thread. which had been already
snun and doubled; then snatching up the we'll
filed bObbin, she said:
Come that's enough Come in to the fire"
and led us through the passage-wa into the sec
Ond room, where in the yawDlng fireplace
few logs were burning slow ~.
She was thin darh-halred, vivaclOus woman
of about forty years of age. she took ball
Of paper in one hand and her bobbln OF thread
IN the other, and sat there winding on the
thread into q ball as she talked with us. y
g0Od-natured, busy, busting woman, her con-
versation was very well worth. listening to-,
Excuse the jug by the fire, she said, talk
inc very rapidly, as she moved and labOred
rapidly, no doubt. 81 set the milk here to
turn, because it don't turn fast enough this
weather. and the fire helps it along. dunno
but it's smoked the cloth over the top little
to-day. | have to churn every evening. ION
never saw such hands as these boys are to
eat butter. ] make a pound a day: Never
sell none. Use it in place O lard The boys
rnther have their biscuit made with butter
than lard so | make 'em SO. The ole man
got two grown sons, you see; I'm the second
wife"
"You must have good COW if you are as
fond of mix as you are OF butter" sug-
gested.
Yes, ma'am, I've got two good cows, but
there's only one giyin' milk just now She's
a wonderful big black cow-you may have
seen her sOmewheres in the woods as you
come along. She's as big as any OK. Sentie;
too, except she has a bad habit o klchln;
don't mind her kickin,, tho-lts hookm
can't abide in a COW. Kickn's nothin'."
Why, doesn't il hurt you for her to KICK
Mrs. Gerndge 7" Fanny inquired, open-eyeu'
Nom. Dodge her can dodge her heels
any time, but it's the plaguey horns cant
get away from" -.
Did she ever hook you
for il till she went on her knees, tnat time,
Mrs Gerridgc said winding her ball very last
'sThis IL a beautlftll place around here. MIS-
Gerridge.r | said, anxious 10 have her talk on,
and wondering If she appreciated the loneliness
about her
Yes. ma'am, il is so. Amt that hilltop
Won come along through the trees pretty
pacef But, law, you amt seed nothin', II
that's all you've seen. There's more pretty
htte spots hid away around here than iolss
knows about. That place up yonder was the
c;lmping-place for the chain-san last sum
mer.'
1.-The chain-gang on that lovely spot !" ex-
claimed, IN horror. Did they really camp on
that beautiful hill among the trees 7"
Course they did. They always chose place
where they could fasten the long chain iLom
one tree TO another, an then the men all had
10 law down with their feet towards the chain,
and the chain on each mans ankle was Locked
10 the long chain Tor the night.
why that must have been dreadful"
No thew were fixed all right. They had
a big white tent for the men, an a smaller one
Tor the guards. an a little one way on to it1eli
tor the women. They used TO have some
women, seem like, all the time, TO cook an
clean, you know"
WHY, we're these the convictsf Were they
worked out here by the State, or by men VINO
used them for private enterprisesf"
They were worked by men who hired EN-
from the State, aud made money OF 'em,
that's what it was They had TO cl0;he 'em
and take care of 'em, too, you know. They
treated 'em pretty well. They had nice, clean,
sweet straw To sleep on, an nice white tents,
an their blankets was summed every day.
But IL did use to be ridiculous how they did
whip those women"