The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-08-18
Miscellaneous.
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BILL AHsP'S CROPS.

crop and the seasons have been
kind and the corn and cotton looks
green and vigorous, and the sweet
potato wires have covered the
ground, what an innocent luxury
it is 10 set in tho piazzcr in the
shades Of evening and with ones
feet on the bannisters, contem-
plate the beauty and bounty of
nature and the hopeful prospect Of
another years support. 1t looks
like that even an lshmaetlte
! might feel calm and serious, and
if he is still ungrateful for his
abundant blessings he is worse
than a heathen, and ought to be
run out of q christian country
with the Chinese plank in the
democratic platform. Every year
, brings toll and trouble and appre-
hension, but there always comes
along rest and peace and ripe
fruits of ones labors.
In the journey Of life the noun
tains loom up before us and they
look high and steep. and rugged;
but somehow they always disap-
pear just before we get to them
and then we can look back and
feel ashamed that We borrowed so
much trouble and had so much
anxiety for nothing. What a
great pile Of miserable fears we
build up every day. It's good for
a man TO ruminate over it and re-
solve to have moro faith in Provi-
dence, and | am ruminating now.
I was thinking about the crop
that has been laid by and that
brought to mind another crop that
was pretty much done with and
is able TO take care of itself with a
little watching. l mean the crop
of children that for 80 years has
kept US a working and worrying
by day and by night, in summer
and winter in peace and war, but
it's all over now thank the good
Lord for His mercies. The last
tender shoot is about laid by. No
more nussing and toting around
and warming the milk BY the mid
night lamp, No more baby songs
and dressing and undressing and
putting to bed. No tip-toeing round
the room when they are asleep
and playing horse and bear and
monkey when they are awake.
Never again will there be two or
three Of en- crawling all over a
man or under his chair, or riding
on his back or trotting on his
weary knees as ho sings the same
old songs that he has sung thous-
and times before. Our last and
youngest, has passed rubicon.
Bless her little heart, if it was for
my sake, | wish she would never
grow any more or older, for she is
the comfort Of my declining years.
| She can now wash and dress and
undress, and say her own prayers
and put her little selfto bed. She
can sing her own songs, and look
at the picture books, and saves us
many step, for she waits on US
now like fairy and fills the house
with sunlight. The crop is laid
by, thank goodness, and l wouldn't
undertake to make another tor q
house full Of gold. In the heyday
of our youthful vigor a kind Prov
| idence enables Us to bear up splen-
didly under these sore burdens
but an old man can't-it wasn't
lntended-it's against the order
of nature. Many a time have l
watched the old blue hen that
LAYS and sets and batc6es her lit
tie brood, and works and watches
for en- q couple Of months, and
then lays by the crop and goes to
laying again for another. We
can't do that, and | don't want to,
for | tell you I'm tired. If there's
any peril in life that is like q lin.
gering suicide, it is for an old
widower who has raised one crop
to marry ayoung wife and 90 to
cropping again. don't think
they will ever 90 TO Heaven for the
Arabs say that Paradise wasL
made for fools. If ever l am q
lone widowor which the Lord tor
} bid, Ill fee from a marrying wo
man like | would from the wrath
} to come, for my time is out. I've
! served my full term, and no" that
| am luxuriating in the long sha
dows, I don't want anybody but
her to sing John Anderson my