The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-09-13
IKE PHILKINs ON TIE RAT.
Marriage in.Quiet Life-Crops Turn
ing Out Well-IndicatiOns Of Pros
perity-SOme PrOOfs-Rains-Rail-
way improvements.
IBegular Correspondence !

OF Mr.. Geo. W. Hewitt, one of tn
proprietors of the Northwestern New
company on the Austin & North
western railroad, but thought that h
was elated over the unusual rush O
business. am accustomed to notice
people rather closely, and thought
detected deeper joy in his eyes thar
could have been born of any success!
in filthy lucre affairs, and l resolved
to see what followed. / noticed {
young man, get on at Liberty Hill
accompanied by two young ladies
who, from the resemblance, were evi
IDENTIFY his sisters. One of them, with
a modest, sweet-looking face, came
hesitatingly in, glancing shyly around
at the passengers as if she would see
who read her thoughts and if any one
guessed a secret she evidently
had: then 1 saw a sudden light glow
in her eyes and 4 crimson Hush be.
spread her face, and neck, and ears, as
her glance caught that of the news
agent. Then George hurried forward
gave her hand a little pressure-just
the least bit, which l noticed she re-
then they sat down together. All
these actions 1 thought meant a great
deal TO an observant man: but ] saw
that few persons We're cognizant of
anything unusual. The train arrived
at Burnet:.we all got in the bus. and 1
sat opposite the little shy, blushing
maiden, and thought 1 detected a
strong effort in that young, sweet
face to appear calm, and self
possessed, as if schooling her
self for a coming event. At
the Burnet House we got out, and the
landlord announced dinner. All the
passengers went in except Mr..
Hewitt and the little shy maiden and
myself and Rev. o. T. Hotchkiss. II
may here remark that MIR. Hotchkiss
having got on at Austin, and having
been seen in conTcrsatI nTTcroatIon with Mr.
levitt, = and having taken a knowing
look at the little shy maiden, and my
having known MI. Hotehkiss for
years, gave, me very first grounds for
| guests. had. gore to dinner, = Nr.
Hotchhiss went into the parlor where
Mr.. Geo. W. Hewitt had gone to join
the little blushing lady and her
brother and her sister, and 1 got to
the door in time to see the Rev. Mr..
Hotchkiss pull out marriage
license, and read the =, words:
"Geo. W. Hewitt and Maggie .. Fish" :"
| 4 nntni1pbeeff Of bystandefs soon took
the hint, and Quite an audience gath
cred around the door in ntime to hear
the sentences pronounced
bound Geo. w, Hewitt, of Austin,
and Miss Maggie L. Fisk, of Liberty
| llill, man and wife. Miss Fisk is a
granddaughter of Col. Fisk, of Brown
wood, and Mr.. Hewitt is a young man
who has shouldered his own axe and
gone out alone in the great forest of
difficulties. and has hewn out a path
| for himself. May they have ali the
| happiness they deserve, and deserve q
great deal.
way from Austin to Burnet
that cotton was still bloom
ing and the bolls were all full
and green and maturing finely. AS
cotton is yet the great solvent bank
ing capital of the South, everything
pertaining to it, know, will be read
with interest, therefore l will note
that the weed seems to be growing
still, though slowly new squares are
forming blooms continue to deck the
fields with their white, yellow, red
and pink hues, the bolls are continu-
ing to open as they mature and picking
has to go on rapidly in order to keep
pace with the maturing staple. The
country is not going, financially; to
that place Mr.. Mantillina 81 freduent-
ly said to his spouse he was drifting.
Not by great deal.
The crops are turning out much bet
ter than they have been represented
in the respondent remarks of chronic
GROWERS. am of the opinion that
financially, this year than they were
inconsistent with a short crop; but l
base this conclusion on the following
reasons: The farmer has learned
economy in the past few years.
the fact that the cotton
large number of them) gather it them
selves, which will save the usual large
expense of supporting the horde of
negroes who loaf around the towns
and cities all the year, so as to rush
to the cotton fields in the fall and de-
mand exorbitant prices for picking
cotton; the former will naturally
spend his money in payment of debts
hanging over him, which will neceS-
state less eXtravagant outlays than
he has heretofore made on the
strength of an abundant and almost
spontaneously produced crop, and
the farmer is keeping posted
as to the general market value of all
he produces, as he takes and reads the
papers more now than he did a few
years ago, hence he knows where to
sell, and where not to sell; when to
only sell a part, and when to sell all.
This last reason for prognosticating
prosperity among farmers, is, perhaps,
the surest, viz: that they are taking
first-class papers more than they did
few years ago. 1 saw that a num-
Der of planters had their cotton baled
and stored away ender their barns or
sheds. They have been reading THE
STATESMAN. they told me, and the
ruling market prices had cautioned
them to hold back. | saw in many
cotton patches, between Austin and
Burnet, entire families picking cotton,
and would but note the conspicuous
absence of the usual horde of "town"
and "city" negroes in every field. But
few of them are pocketing the farm
ers' cotton profits this year the farm
ers are doing their own picking and
all is clear profit hence, I repeat,
times are not going to be tight among
farmers, as a class, and ergo, mer-
chants who are solid with agricultur-
lists In farming communities are GO
ing to prosper. Austin business men
are going to levy on many shekels
this year. "Selah should smile and
don't you fail to bear it in mind" as
the sweet singer of Israel remarked
to Jonathan one day.
Burnet is beginning to prove
the correctness of my OBJ
servations already. To-day twen-
ty-eight wagons loaded up with
merchandise for counties adjacent
and west. This is good; and the busi-
ness OF Burnet is rapidly increasing
and extending itself, and the little
town bears every mark of a well-de-
served prosperity by an energetic peo-
pie. A good rain has just fallen, and
no face is long, nor is any frown
wrinkled IN despair and doubt as to
the future.
Mr.. George z. Slayton, the we'll
known and popular hotel man of
Georgetown, has bought out the Bur-
net Hotel, and will take charge on the
1st proximo. This will be good news
to the travelling public-that is, if
Mr.. Slayton keeps such table in Bur-
net as he did in Georgetown, and at
McDade