The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-03-06
guaerspis. gntelligeness.
AN ECCENTRIC GIRL.

On rapid little stream in Nh upper
county of Arkansaw, is situated Ashbu'
~ Mills. The surrounding country is
strangely like some old picture you have
seen, and the mill, with its tall gables
and great wheel, standing out in courage
GUS, not to say bold, relief, is so conven'
tionaI, and in such tuneful keeping with
old mills yoa have read about. that In
passing along the winding road, you
would stop more than once to look at SO
quaint grouping of objects. Why the
place was called Ashbury Mills, and why
mills at all, since there is only one, IL
something which none of the nelghbors
and certainly no grammarIan can ex'
plain. Old 1obe Potter owns the mills
we shall conform to the neig hborhood
custom and use the plural-and so far as
any one knows, nobody named Ashbury
has ever been in the least identified with
tho institution, and in fact, when old
Tobc is asked concerning the origin Of
the name, he hesitates in characteristic
rcrplexity and replies "Blame Fl know"
Tobes daughter, Gralda, was the hand
soonest girl in the entire country. She
was handsome, not because she tried to
be SO, but because she couldn't help it.
When the old man became afflicted with
corpulency and laziness, mainly the lat
ter, Gralda took charge of the mills.
She was 9 thorough business girl, and
was 30 lenient to customers that once
when Alf Galkins complained that she
handled the toll measure with reckless
ness leaning trifle too much in favor Of
the mills, she politely toi1 the old fellow
that if he did not like tie methods she
had adopted in her administration, he
could take his fRyOrs to some other place.
Nearly every young man in the country
was in love with the girl, but the songs
of their wooing were not music to her.
She often declared that she did not in
tend to marry, and many an injured
heart, beating under home. made linsey
shirts, believed the terrible declaration.
Simon Webliforce, good looking young
fellow and the acknowledged wit of the
community, did not escape the thraIl.
dom of GraIda's power. She had smiled
at him, he thought. What more could
he ask of girl to whom he had not
made known his feelings? He finished
laying by corn one evening in June, and,
after shaving himeeIf and brushing up
his clothes, s sui. Of exits warp jeans
Lutt lt uhu INV Whb oiuSC ShS 'hoo p'o'
tracted meclin'," lie mounted his high
headed horse, the one he "swapped from"
Nath Patterson, and went over TO the
mills. He found Gralda, dressed in a
kind of meal.bag costume, high in the
neck and long in the sleeves, attending
to her duties. Old Tobe, her father, sat
in an easy chair, fishing from the back
door. SER. a..
"How are you, Simon7" said the girl!
"Just in time to help me up with this
sack"
"Apers in time when you are handlin'
anything good to eat," replied the wit of
the community.
eyes" said the old man, batting hia
hook, can you are all'us aroun' when
tho business Of putin it away is goin'
on"
Then they all laughed, and the girl,
Simon thought, smiled at him.
"Aiiss Gr6lda, if you ain't very busy,
I'd like to talk to you over here by the
window"
The girl brushed the meal from her
hands Hnd followed Simon to the win.
dow"
II laid by con to-day"
"Did your
eyes, an the bottom fel', pap lows,
will knock the spots often any piece O.
con In this country"
%Xoar ..9s;n. father aSon, generally know" what he
"Don't he, though? What else do
you reckin he said? Simon says he,
all that cons your'n.' That's what he
said. Now, thar amt nuthin' stingy
bout me, an when pap tole me that, 1
flowed to myself, hanged ef I don't git
somebody to sheer all this here extrava.
gantness, an now, without further at
temptin' to thrash ole Satan round the
stump. want you to be my wife. Don's
soy no, fur I'd do as much fur you any
time. You couldn't ask no favor O. mo I
wouldn't grant immegintely."
"I'd Ike to accommodate yon," the
girl replied, "but I've decided never to
marry unless can find man that can
love-"
"You don't mean to say that you don't
love met"
"That's what j mean."
"He's q sucker" exclaimed the old
man, reaching from the door.
"I'm no more o. sucker than you
air" angrily vociferated Simon.
"You did"
"Didn't. Was talkiu' bout this fish,
but ef you amt got no mo- eense than to
think you look enough like sucker to
be mistook for ene, all right, an cut your
capers," and tho old man threw out his
line and resumed his fishing.
II love you mighty hard, Gralda, an
] don't see how you can refuse me-"
"You can't zee, because love IL blind,
you know. Not being blinded, as you
aes, can &c.,"
"Who woulder thought any livin' we.
man w0ulder refused to marry me. You
sartainly KANT be in your right mind"
"No matter about the condition Of my
mind. 1t Is my ovh, regardless OF con
ditions."
Without replying, the young man went
away. and the girl, not in the lnRst dis.
turbed, went about her work.
It began; to look rs if the girl really
did not intend to marry. for every suitor
was rejected with Indifference.
Whenever fall In love; father, will
tell YOU" she said; II hardly think this
Is likely though, for 1 have seen nearly
al! the men in the county, aud I reckin
men in otner counties are about the
ssns'' S
One day young fellow named Lige
Blakemore went to tho mills. Every.
where Lige put in an appearance, he i'm.
mediately secured the pastry for homeli.
ness, aud the beauty of his ugliness was
the fact that he was pro I'd Of It. When
Lige entered the mill flplds was pour