The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-07-12
BOYS AND GIRLS.
bill Arp Gets Tangled up I'm an Interesting
Subject
dHdnta Constitution.

Bill Arp Gets Tangled up In an Interesting
Subject
.dudnta Constitution.
We went TO another picnic the other
day aud had glorious time. 1t was on
a lawn in beautiful grove close by a
big spring and long table was spread
and we feasted on bright eyes and fried
chicken and jelly cake and happy faces
and ice cream and sweet smiles aud merry
laughter and lemonade all mixed up
together and we stayed till most midnight
and heard the Calliopean club go through
their exercises of music and reading and
composition and then drove home by
moonlight and think Mrs. Arp is little
younger and nrettier .l.ar ever and is
renewing her youth in consequence.
never saw the like. Our people are
getting hilarious and are froicking more
this spring than usual. This makes
three naborhood picnics in little while
and they are fixing up for another and
my wife is getting ready. We have got
her out of the chimney corner and it
looks like we will never get her back
again. Mr.. Gibbons says he to me did
you ever see buch crop of girls as we
have got a growing in the country !?
Well, says |, reckon the boz. arc at
home, at work. No sir, says he, there
amt hardly any boys anywhere. I've
counted EN- up in this Daborhood and
there are about two girls to cne boy and
what Is Woise the girls arc tue sinartss;
and have got the best education.
Well there is reason for everything
and cause for every effect, but don't
know why there are more girls than
boys, and | wish somebody would tell me.
Some folks say it is sign of peace.
The girls are the smartest | know, tor
they have had most education. Before
the war the boys were put forward and the
girls kept in the background, but now
the boys have to work ald 30 the girls
are sent to school and to college and the
boys have to help pay for it. That is
the reason why the girls are the smartest,
and my fear is that they are little too
smart and won't marry these young fel-
lows who can't quote little poetry and
don't no whether Byron wrote Shak-
spesre or Shakespeare wrote Byron. But
1 reckon they will sooner or later. Mrs.
Arp says that girls marry too soon any
how and she don't want any Of hers to
marry under twenty unless the offer is a
very esplendid one in all respects.
reckon that is the reason why she went of
at sweet sixteen; but think Mr.. Glib
bons is mistaken. The census shows
about as many boy children in Georgia
as girl children. We've got six boys and
four girls, and that is about right. There
Is more anxiety about the girls. They
are sorter helpless and dependent and We
have to watch these young fellers mighty
close for fear of trouble, for the old say
ing still holds good,
"A son is q sou till he marres n wife.
A daughter Is daughter all the days Of her life"
1t is mighty sad to see girl come back
to her fathers house to live after she has
been married a year or two. Poor thing
She never knew what good home she
had until she left it and bye and bye she
comes creeping back pale and sad and
the man she trusted goes another way.
That is the wreck of life. No more
happiness for her. No wonder that
parents feel anxious about their daugh-
ters and the daughters ought to think
and ponder ln1g time before they mar
Ty. Il iathe house and mcther's
love are mighty hard to beat. But then
a happy marriage is the highest state of
happiness and every girl ought to look
forward to it. There are lots of clever
young men of good principles and who
have been raised by good parents. The
girls ought to mate with EN-, money or
no money. Money is good thing but
principle is better and if young feller
has got both and don't drink nor gamble
and is industrious and healthy, why he is
all right and if was a girl l would put
him on probation and say, think you
are very good man but you know l am
an angel aud if. Well if he seemed
to doubt my being an angel / would
just tell him TO GO hence. II a youne
man don't look upon his girl as an angel
before he marries he never will afterwards
and if was girl would be an angel
as long as I could.
As sa general thing the girls show too
much anxiety to marry. They are too
sweet on the boys. They ought to stand
off and look reserved and precious and
put on Jerusalem airs aud say young
man you don't know who you are fooling
with. I'm treasure, am. 1 weigh
l15 pounds and am worth q thousand
dollars pound. Well they are. A good
nice healthy girl who can make her own
dress and get up good supper for COM
pany and is not ashamed to wait on the
table while they are eating, is jus. worth
about thousand dollars q pound. But
that is nothing compared with what they
will be worth. Why Mrs. Arp has cut
out and made up at least 1000 garments
of one sort and another. She has sewed
100000 stitches and patched and darned
and washed faces and feet and conbed
hair innumerable. She has tied up 500
sore toes and cut fingers and burns and
bruises and kissed away thousand tears.
She has watched em by night aud by day
AMI keeps on watching and right now
while am writing on my piazza, she is
looking away up the big road and says:
"Pm afraid something will happen to
them boys, they are too little to go off
by themselves" There are two little
nephews here just out of school and they
and Carl have all got a horse or n colt
apiece and have gone of on "scursion"
and l call EN- the infantry cavalry and
tell Mrs. Arp it is all right but she sits
here sewing with her specks on an every
and anon looks up the road and says,
"those children have overstayed their
time. I'm afraid something has happen
ed" If thev don't come back soon
know that I will have to start after en-
for that is always the way. Mrs. Arp is
worth at least five thousand dollars a
pound and she weighs right smart and
keeps getting heavier. ! am rich,
am. l feel wealthy whenever ! look at
her.
met an old friend the other day and
says be: II just wish you could see my
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