The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-05-04
Bill Arp Discusses the Trials OF Grand.
Parents.

aud the first children marry off before the
last are born, the children and grand.
children and uncles and nephews and
cousins get all lnixed up together so that
a man can't tell tother from which, hard.
iy. About this time Of year they begin
to congregate at my house and take
charge Of the premises-for boy soon
learns that grand parents wascnt made to
wallop grandchildren but was created cs.
pecially to take their part and pet EN- and
wait on EN-, and when these little chaps
come from the town where they live in q
half acre lot where they cant throw n
rock more than ten feet without breaking
somebody's window or falling on a green.
house, and can't squeal nor squall for fear
OF waking up somebody's baby, they feel
like they haze just got out Of the peni.
tentiary, and 80 they begin right straight
to make up for lost time. They have
mixed up with mine now and put their
devilment together, and it keeps me
trotting to keep the gates shut and the
ging hoe that they carried off to dig bait.
and go after tho pan that they salted the
colts in, and knit on more fish hooks for
EN-, and ever and anon .hey get clear Of.
and after Mrs. Arp has called EN- in alto
and contralto and any other "to" about IS
times and they don't answer, know
what's coming and so l Just start after
EN- without any instructions. But
I'VE GOT EN- TRAINED
little now. The have to como al the
blowing of the horn, whether they hear
it or not, or go without dinner or supper,
for the little rascals have got to playing
off and making out they don't hear when
they do. Linton says he can't hear ut all
when the fish nre biting They are
breaking tho colts now about half the
time, and the poor brutes have Just sur.
rendered and let 'cm do rs they please
:31 .a!ioy :0ind !: was iio ii5e III trying 10
out do parsel of boys that was bent on
a purpose. We us d to arrup our first
children right sma' :, and they throw il
up to us yet, for tt asst ones get nothing
but promises, but -cckon that was right,
for If the first Ones are made to behave
and do right their example is enough for
the younger ones or at leust it ought 10
be. Then again il must not be forgotten
that the oldest ones had the best time
and the choice and pick of everything,
| and they get the young ones off some
times and give EN- licking and then hire
EN- not TO tell when they g>, home, and
the younger ones have to wear the second
hand clothes and wait for the second
table when company comes, 80 : reckon
the average is about right after all. /
wnsent the oldest boy myself, and know
how it is When there is only one or
two the parsnts strain point to Pet em
up and adorn EN- and take EN- to all the
shows. and If they stump Il toe they send
for doctor but after while when or
lO come along children get sorter mo.
notonous and parents let em rip along
and grow up of their own accord and
the moro children the less the doctors
bills, and fine clothes aint as necessary as
they used to be, for the fact is it takes
all sorts Of economy and continuance to
raise 'em at all in hard times nr soft
times either. Occasionally see my old
coats and pants spread out on the floor
and ripped up and the little patterns lnid
on the pieces 10 eco if they will do,
and tho first thing anybody knows Mrs.
Arp has little chap all rugged out in q
suit as good as new. 1t gives man
A PATRIARcHAL FEELING
to see these grandchildren increasing
around him. Old Father Noble limps
about the streets of Rome and passes his
own posterity every day and don't know
EN-, and when q little chap salutes him
with 'howdy grandpa" or "howdy great
grandpa" has to stop and look and say,
"whose child are you sonny" for he had
twelve of his own, and they have mar.
ried and multiplied amazingly, even
| down to the fourth generation. II is as
tonisi,ing how fast they do multiply ii
they get an early start, for man told me
he knew of an old lady in South Carolina
who was l04 years old and was said to
have over n thousand descendants. There
is nothing improbable or impossible about
that for she was married at fifteen and
had ten girl children before she was thir.
ty and they all married early and multi
piled and replenished and there were
sixty grandchildren when the old lady
was fifty years old, and lots of great.
grandchildren. If folks generally had
posterity after that fashion, wondor how
long it would take the world to fiji up
and run over, and something serious and
peculiar become of US all. A power of
folks have lived and died, but life is q
curious to contemplate how thick the
people will be a thousand years hence,
and where they will all get food and
clothing. Some big thing is bound to
happen after while Il not sooner.
THE CROPS.
Crops or not doing much good in this
region. The carly planting of corn and
cotton looks puny and chilled, and al.
ready hear of various insects and yer
min foraging around. Last spring the
flies dident come about until June, but
they are very numerous aud disagreeable
now, and can light oftener on mans
head where the hair is parted in the mid
die than ever knew EN-, especially '
when he wants to take a little evening
nap on the parlor sofa. Snakes are slip.
ping and sliding around. The minks
have been stealing our chickens, and so
We set the children to find their dens, and
they found 1t in hole In the sill of the
stable and got four young ones out aod
the old ones lodged all about, but the
dogs couldn't catch 'cp, and they never
stayed anywhere long enough to get n
shot at 'em, and SO we got steeltrap
and set it, but we haven't caught 'em as
yet, and think they have moved their
quarters. The mocking birds and hum.
ming birds have come, hit haven't heard
q whippoorwill as yet, and that's sign,
they say, that more cold weather is still
ahead. Nevertheless, we are all hopeful
and will have spring lamb and green peas
for dinner tomorrow. BILL ARP.
a TOBACCO SToRY.--A comical story
is told of two well.known Southern cler-
gymen, one of whom undertook to re.
| buka tho okher fo, ,,a;po tbo ,.ool