The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-31
Bill Arp Builds a Fence.


ETY.. The planks were sawed tooth in at
frat and the nabors couldn't climb over
to hunt birds or to go fishing with any
safety for themselves or the fence. The
posts were rotten and after q high wind
we had to turn out and prop up the con.
cern. We've been dreading that. job,
but it had to be done. So the boys set
me digging post holes. gotalong pretty
well in the loamy bottom, but when /
struck the gravelly clay as we rose to the
hill, I began to feel serious, and the fur
ther I got the seriouser I became. A
great many people pass along the road
most too many for my business, for when
Isee EN- coming dig away like killing
snakes, and when they quit looking l
stop to blow and sometimes they come so
frequent I don't get to stop long enough.
My hands are powerful sore and my back
aches. I thought for while had a touch
of rheumatism, but the family all laughed
at me on the sly, and so I kept on dig
ging. always prided myselfo on my skill
in digging post hole. can dig three
to q big buck niggers one. Give me q
long handled narrow spade and long
handled shovel and I can beat a patent
machine, but 1 can't hold out as long.
There is heap of science in building a
fence. 1t takes q number one carpenter
to do it right. If the holes are not dug in q
true line mostof them will have to be dug
over again on one side or the other when
the post are set. The bottom of the posts
outht to be set by line, and the top by
the eye. You incident put plum bob
nor spirit level to splitpost. 1t wont
pay. But a good eye will do the work.
I'VE seen palings nailed on all catawam-
pus in front of fine houses, and it always
gives me the conniptious to look at 'em.
But we are building a plank and wire
fence. Wegot good chestnut posts, some
split, and some round, and We packed
| them well at the bottom. That is the
,secret ofmaking post firm in the ground.
Don't fill up full and then pack at the
top. Our posts are twelve feet apart
from center to center and the plank are q
| full inch thick. The base is nine inches
and there are three more plank six inches
wide with space of three, four and six
inches and then comes q barbed wire eight
inches higher which makes the fence
four feet high. The joints are all strapped
with six plank and d good chestnut stob
driven down in the middle Of every pam
mel and the plank nailed to it, and the
posts are sawed off with a bevil O. few
inches above the wire, and this is our
cheap farm fence and if any farmer
knows Of a better one I would like
to- know it, don't know exactly how
long algood chestnut post will Inst, but
na6or Freeman says he has seen one up
in Gordon that a gate was hung to by
General DeSoto, or some other felIer, and
! it's there yet. He says chestnut sorrel
horse will last longer than any other
color. I wish I. could find a. chestnut
soorrel cow. would buy her, fer old
Bess is dead. She was q noble animal,
and we all loved her like a friend. She
has given US about, six thousand gallons
of milk-good, rich, healthy, milk-but
she. will never give any. more in this
world. She has gone where the good
COWS 20, if they 60 anywhere, and Ireck-
on they do. The cowpen looks lonesome
4 now. and Mrs. Arp is sad, for, Bess was
1 her fayorite, and she knew it. She was
n game COW, and disdained dog as much
as possible. Old Bows tried to nose her
one day, and she throw'd him up about
fifteen feet and he come down on her
back, but he dident stay there long.
They never made friends in life but I
hope they are now at peace and have
become reconciled, for they were both
good friends to us. Bows had no tail. to
sneak for it was cut off in infancy, and I've
wondered howl ould be ifdismembered
! bodies all come together at the resurrec-
ton how.his puppy tail would fit on to
the. old dogs stump. We are fixing DOW
!. TO plant corn and my boys are halfcra7y
for q cultivator. reckon they are good
/ thing and save labor, but | saw one at
work last summer and the darkey who
drove it broke down power of coru in
/ turning at the end of the rows anda right
smart at other places where the stocks
/ were q little out of bee line. They can't
dodge round like single. plow. | wish
there Was some better way to drop corn
and have it all come up in a perfect row
and i wish there was some contrivance
to, lay off corn rows perfectly parallel.
| The mule. has 10 have sense, and the man
! too 10 make a decent furrow and not
+ MANY of them have got it. I wonder
| if:aman couldent ride a horse and pull
after him thing with wooden teeth that
would mark several rows at once,
t thouigh I wouldent advise the using Of it
| in st1mpy land or new ground. l like to
see q farm look like agreat big garden
that is laid of, and worked by. line.
Gardening is my forte if I have got any
forte which: satisfies me I am a descen-
dant Of Adam, for that was his. I've
lust built new arbor for the grape vines
to run on, and the chestnut posts were
Flong and green, and heavy, and they had
to. be ,toted about fifty yards, and /
thought it my 'paternal duty to take the
| l:heayiest ones and leavethe lightest for the
| boys, but before I got the first one to its
I.place wiggled powerfully, and felt like
was knock Eneed and box ankle, and when
L looked back the boys were holding on
| to the fence most dead with laughing,
and that evening they had Mrs. Arp out
in the garden to:show her my circus, and
\ u haven't heard the last Of ityet but green
I chestnut is heavy timber, 1'tell you. Pm
working the garden now with q line and
a level and Mrs.yArp she sits ebout with
her sun bonnet on and ever and anon
encourages me. with an uxorial smile:
EShe is a splendid overseer, she is, and
has an eye to beauty and to me. When
the dog wood blossoms she is going a
fishing and take me along TO kill snakes
and bait her book. - BILL ARP.
HENRY CLAY FoSD OF WHIST
Henry Clny's favorite recreation for
many years was a game of whist, to
(which at. one time he was passionately
addicted-not for the stakes but for the
lidistraction and excitement of the game.
Mr..Winthrop says that there is a tradi-
ltion that while Clay was visiting Boston