The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-11-13
WOOL-PICKING AND A PICNIC
''GOod evenin', Mis- Hornish. {"

Good eYenin', Mis- Hornish."
"Why, is that you, Mis- Manly?
Come in, won't you2 1 wouldn't
a-knowed you but for your voice, seein'
us your bonnet is SO fur over your face,
an this ham a-fryin' does make sccli
fumes around my head"
''Nlis' Manly" stood in the doorway.
1t was dusk. She wore a long gray
bonnet of the kind known as Shaker, -
with vOluminOus skirt that wrapped
her figure like comfortable mantle.
IT you could have peeped like star
within that bonnet, you would have
seen a tired, worn face, and eyes that
looked with something like envy into
the comfortable kitchen where Mis-
Hornish was frying bacon for "his"
supper. (In this western country the
shy matrons always speak of their hus-
bands as s'he.")
Its 80 late can't STOP" said Mis-
Manly. 81 just dropped round to say
was tryin' to git up wool-pickin' for
tomorrow, am to see if you an Deb
would come"
Debby Hornish was busy at the
lronlng-table, pressing out white skirt
with an overskirt and three mflles; but
she stopped a moment, pushing back
the little black rings of hair from her
rosy brow, to say:
why, Mis- Manly, what a pityl I'd
have helped you with all the pleasure
in life; but there's the picnicl What
ever possessed you to have the WOOL
pickin' the same day?'
"An't it just my luck?" cried the
widow. "You see, I've been kind o.
slack about my wool, an yestiddy
mornln' MIR. Simlins said if ia have
1T ready agin Thursday, that he'd take
it i'll to Muikytown and sell it for me.
It's the only chance iii get to send it
OH; and wool is up now to 80 cents in
money, and 55 in trade; so l just felt as
IL must get it out tomorrow, come
what might"
How MANY have promised to come?''
"Weli, you see, this picnic spoils
everything. l could a-got Is or 20,
and we could a-finished it up before
noon. But everybody was plum crazy
about this picnic. L amt got the
promise OF more'n five ladies, an you
know that amt no show at all to pick
out the wool Of IL sheep, am it seems
ike my sheep was always the dirtiest
sheep--an' the fondest o. brambles and
Drler-hedges-of any in the country. -
Here Mis- Manly let few tears fall
mild rs the rain OF drizzling day, and
quite as depressing.
ut IS too bad tor anythingl" cried
Mrs Hornish, with hearty sympathy,
"'l'll come over, Of couse; but Deb, YOU
know couldn't give up the picnic. -
Law no, 1t couldn't be expected
Pm powerful glad to haveyou. "You'li
come early, won't your"
II III be bound that get over before
you have your dishes done up,n said
Mrs Ilornlsh, with Il jolly laugh.
The widow Manly took her sad face
home; the supper was dished; ''he''
came i'll from The wheat field; and the
white dress was finished and tiuted; but
, somehow Debby Hornish did not feel
quite happy.
"She did look 80 pitiful, "she thought.
recalling the pinched little face under
The sun-bonnet. IL should have been
80 glad to have helped her."
In truth, the poor, complaining little
woman needed help good many times
IN the course OF the year. "He" had
been killed in a mill where ho worked
some five years before, leaving to his
wife four rclildren, a small farm, u few
sheep, and a COW; all Of which she
managed us well as her load Of fears,
agitatlons, and chills allowed. They
all had chills, poor things; they had
given up the doctor as IL vain luxury.
but they bought quinine and calomel
by the pound, and worked on dismally
between tho shakes. A wool-picking
was one OF the hardest "chores" OF the
year.
Are there any Of my city-bred young
folks who don't know what a wool.
picking ISL 1t is a careful picking
over Of the wool after it has been
sheared to free it from burrs, brambles.
berries, Spanish-needles, dry mud, and
dead insects that a lively sheep will
collect in his rambles through the world,
Further north the sheep are taken to a
sparkling running stream, and well
washed before they are clipped; but in
the stagnant, coffee colored creeks Of
The West this would be useless cere-
momy.
Not half-a-dozen in the county to
help that foolish little woman, - thought
Deb, wrathfully, ''why couldn't she
have had her wool.pickin' a week ago. d
AT any other time there would have