The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-08-23
THE WINTERS WOGD
sets biii Arp TO Illuminating Tremendous
.iUdRtd Constitution,

"oou. lhe crop Is laid by and there is
no pressure of farm work and so | tool,
three of the colored tenants and went IN
the woods to clear little piece of new
ground, and | and the little chaps made
another hand. wanted them to nile
up the big chips, but the little rasraIs
found high land tarrapin and it tool,
EN- pretty much all the morning to in.
'vestlgato him and see how he Shut IN
MS doors ami they would have TO wait
on him half an hour to see him omen
and poke his head out of the front door
and his tail out behind. In the evening
they found an old stump about ten feet
nigh with hole near the top and thew
had TO investigate that, and Carl climb.
ed while Jessie pushed and Just rs he got
up 10 the hole couple of flying SOUR.
rels came out and scared 'em so bad they
Dolh tumb!ed down in bunch and the
squirrels sailed away TO the foot Of anoth.
er tree and run up it and then sailed
away again to an old beach that was full
OF holes, and the little chap hollered and
whooped and throwd sticks and chunks
amazin, and now they are begging NE TO
CUT down the old bcaci: and have lust Il
lot OF fun and reckon | w;l' have it to
40. Uncle Remus says that tarrapin
is mighty slow traveller and | always
thought he was, but Jack Henderson
says that that depends on Low hungry
he ls. He says when he was a boy he
saw tarrapin take running start and
jump ten feet up a tree and catch a zap.
sucker. Jack says we may believe it or
not Just as we please, and / was grateful
to him for that privilege. overheard
enc of the old darkies singing little
song to the children and he said:
De frog he jump and he jump and he ump
but dc tarrapin hide behind de stump
ne rabbit he run aroun and aroun,
But dc tarrapin hide his head in do rroun
Ie squirrel make nest In do fOrkci lin
but dc tarrapin carry his house wild him
l must get Uncle Remus after that
nlgger and have him investigated. MAY
be he knows something about this sap
sucker business and while these law
makers nIe Investigating the departme nj
OF agriculture would like for them to
investigate Henderson OH that.
Well we cut wood and cut wood and
have got 80 cords piled up. Ash and
hickory and white oak and beach all
mixed up and we are going to have the
biggest and hottest fires this winter YOU
ever saw. l don't like to be stingy of
wood, when company comes in of n
winter night and the cold wind is a
singing around | want the wood handy
and dry and can say, "Ralph, bring in
another stick or two and make the folks
set roun. | don't like tor folks to have
to crowd a fire. want the fire to crowd
them. The winter wood ought to be
cut now for it seasons right and will not
burn soggy and black. The winters
lightwood ought to be hauled in time
and split up and put away under cover.
There is power of comfort in plenty Of
lightwood. The ash wood makes a
pretty fire and burns free, but the hicko-
ry lasts the longest and throws out the
most heat The beach burns to white
ash like flour and when you mix IN oak
with all these it is a luxury to see the
glowing embers dancing to white heat
underneath and the children can pop
their corn or roast their potatoes or the
good wife can make n pot Gf coffee on
the trivet and toast some ligh, bread and
broil 4 steak over the Goals and we can
sit round and get the odor and enjoy the
prospect of good things that are soon to
come. There are lots Of comforts around
an old fashioned fire in a farmers home
and so far rs am concerned am con-
ten: with 'eGi.
l cut down a big old white oak that
was sorter like me, that is it was diving
at the top and we sawed it up with a
cross cut into blocks about Il foot long
and then split up the blocks with an ak
and it made big lot of stove wood and
I'm going to haul it up aud put it away
for you see We run our own cooking
business and if the wood is convenient
and nrv md fna hror-It -
from the spring, the girls don't mind
know how to do it. IT they are gone
away why Mrs. Arp can do it aud if she
happens to be puny why l can do it
and Jessie and they are mighty proud
when we praise their batter cakes and
their coffee and their fried eggs and 80
forth. The truth is this cooking business
don't bother common folks az much as
getting something to cook, and that is
just where the poor farmer has the
advantage. He has got home of his
own and plenty Of wood handy and
few hogs and chickens and calf or two
and maybe some sheep and he has got
vation staring him in the face. His
WIZ Soa JUL oouiC u'S rye uouIiuy duu
season it with little greese from the
fried middling and if prince ever had
anything better 1 don't know what it is.
Besides all this the boys bring in some
squirrels aud partridges and rabbits oc-
casionally which helps out the variety
and varygates the monotony and makes
the boys feel proud of their skill and
success. Oh, there is nothing so honest
and so simple and so free as farmers
life. Nevertheless l do get lonesome
sometimes and little cross and Mrs.
Arp finds it out before do and gently
says William, hadent you better take
little trip down to Atlanta or to Rome
and see your old friends. think it will
help you" And so I take the gentle
hint and 60 and it does ME good to meet
the friends of my youth and say: howdy
Jack and howdy Jim and howdy all.
There are the boys went to school with
and most always meet in Atlanta and
love 'em the stronger as the years pile up
and there are lots of other friends of my
better days whom rejoice to meet and
wish we could all meet oftener and
brighten up the cares and the trials of
life. Blessings on the old friends. May
they all go down the hill with good
britchings on and a sure break on the
wagon.
RIIJ ARR