The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-05-15

when it became crowded with refugees
from down the river and the increase
attendant on the many new operatives
and officials employed in the new and
comparatively extensive works carried
on at the Arsenal, these articles became
luxuries reserved for those whose wealth
still continued available, and they were
by no means large class. New clothes
couldn't be thought of by the majority.
What wonderful triumphs of genius
were then achieved by the ladies who
had been taught good use Of their need.
les, in the reconstruction" of old dress
es, in making auld claise look as maist
as weels' the new" How garrets were
ransacked for old discarded garments,
that were brought out and surprised by
having fresh lease of life given them
in new characters. What nice bonnets
were made of old black silk dress bodies,
trimmed with goose feathers, and lined
with red or blue satin from the lining of
old coat sleeves, hats constructed OF old
discarded ones of feathers, trimmed with
old coat collars and cocks plumes cut
off the rooster in the yard. Space fails
me to tell of all the shifts that were
made-not that we thought so much OF
our personal appearance as IN happier
times, but women will always try to
"look decent" at least, and young girls
will not often be found too sad to refuse
to consider the set of a dress or the
hecomingnes, of hat. I wish our
women ito. day would still remember the
lessons of these days, aud practice q
part, at least, of the enforced plainness OF
''war times" We should then hear less
of mortgages aud liens, and the miserles
of the credit system. But though all
the privations, real or relative, not one
of us ever thought of the possibility OF
giving up. To the bitter end We believed
firmly in the Justice and final success of
the cause, and even after the devastations
of Sherman's army we did not lose faith,
but thought "some way" would yet be
found out of the difficulty, and the sur
render of Lee came upon US like thun-
der clap.
woMAN's FAITH AND HOPE.
One pleasant evening in April, 1865,
we heard that q battalion of cavalry was
to pass up the road, and "the girls" in
our neighborhood hastened Iout to the
main road with flowers and encouraging
smiles. We had little else to bestow,
for the rations of our people had been
cut down so low by Sherman's requisi-
tions upon our smoke.houses and pantries
that the bacon had ceased to 60 round
the family. 1t WAS harder still to make
ends meet-in many families they didn't
quite meet. At home we always had
enough, though it might be plain, but l
can't say as much for all our nelghbors.
But our hearts were as stout as ever;
that the war was over had not come into
our heads. AS we stood dispensing our
flowers or passing a word with a linger-
ing soldier, or having little chat with
an officer, somebody came up and told US
that news had come that Lee had surren.
dered. We refused to believe such a
story. "Lee surrendered" "Lee would
never surrender" Women are so unrea-
sonable, they can't see what they don't
want to see really.
We begged the soldiers not to give up.
1t could not be possible that the South
was really subdued. We wept and
wrupg our hands. "March on to victory
or death |" was our cry. In the midst OF
our excitement we saw a group OF horse
men coming down the road towards town.
We ran to meet them, hoping for news,
and our hearts fell to the lowest place
when we saw Gen. Holmes, Col. Peter
Mallett and some other officers riding
slowly along towards home. What upon
earth were these gentlemen doing here !!
Gen. Holmes had married in Fayette-
vile and We had all known him from our
earliest years.
ooh, General" we cried, 'can it be
that Lee has surrendered ?"
eyes" said the old general from full
heart, bis voice trembling with emotion.
"Yes, all is over. The South is over
come. Fayetteville has no cause to
blame herself. She has done her whole
duty, and if all people everywhere had
done as well, it might have been differ
ent."
AS they passed on we returned home.
We had no more to talk about that even
ing. The war had ended as we had
never believed possible; all the days of
agoniziDg suspense, our wives, mothers,
sisters, and sweethearts, had endured,
while their loved ones we're hourly ex.
posed to deadly danger, the nights Of
sleepless anxiety, wishing yet dreading
for the morniug-all the privations, self:
denials, losses, had been in vain. All
the precious lives had been sacrificed,
and for what? Defeat at last. Desola-
ton met our eyes all around. Want was
lurking among US. The earth seemed
turned upside down, and chaos seemed
to reign. :,
But not long did Fayetteville lie weep
ing in the dust. Twas not in her nature.
She gathered herself up and went to work
again. She bought from the United
States the millions of brick left in the
ruined walls of the Arsenal with which
to repair her waste places, and she has
struggled on all these years with adverse
circumstances. But to day all is about
to be changed. She is to have very soon
railroad completed to connect her with
the high roads of the nation once more.
Modern progress has laid its coal of fire
upon her back, and before many years
old fashioned Fayetteville will be no
more. twill be simply commonplace,
modern, railway town. The young
ladies will no longer be behind in the
fashions, but daughters of parents in
moderate circumstances will be seen
fashionably attired in satin bought with
the money that should have been spent
in new sheets and towels for family use.
Elegant parlors will be seen in houses
where the doors are left carefully closed
on bare bedrooms. The lady who used
to say II heard her) that she preferred
her friends should know her cold last
winters bonnet had been brought out
again." will be superseded by the lady
who cannot possibly wear dress two
seasons, therefore has no means to ex-
ercise the comfortable, if not snowy nor
lavish, hospitality which was gracefully
cod hv tho o1d honnet and carefully