The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-14

W Ellie acting as general his military
household were regarded By him as under
his especial care. | believe no officer ever
served under him who did not become
warmly attached to him. On one occa
sion, he, with several OF hers, was thrown
down By the explosion of a magazine near
them; the smoke was SO dense il was i'm
possible to distinguish anything, and an
officer feeling some one lying under him
called out to know who 1t was. Gen.
Polk, was the reply. Nearly suffocated
with the fumes OF the gunpowder and
stunned by the shock, the officer ex-
claimed,
My God, General, are we in hell r.
1T smells suspiciously like it, my dear
sir, was the prompt reply, which, by its
ready wit, at once restored the question
er's presence of mind. But, when next
day he told the story at the dinner table,
the seriousness with which it was taken
up and the impressive manner IN which
| the necessity of being always ready to
meet death was dwolt on, did him, he
said, more good than a thousand ord
nary sermons.
On another occasion when under a
flag of truce, be was dining with his old
friend, Gen. \. b. Buford, of the United
1 SbdkSS 4hihlS, ut kCulituldt Sall AFTER aD
animated political discussion, We'll Polk,
will give a toast, W. can both drink,
Here's to the memory Of Gen. Washing
ton.
Taking up his glass Gen. Polk bowed
| politely and added, with a twinkle OF fun
in his eye, the first and greatest Rebel
! of America /"
But | am wandering from my subjects
| The SOCIAL IIfn or aiobt,, Soo,l -,
was prominently, for during my stay of
a year under its .oof. scarcely two con
secutive days passed without company,
either to breakfast, dinner or tea, and
the prophets chamber was seldom
empty. But company was never allowed
to interrupt the family routine, lessons
went on at the usual hour. and Mrs. Polk
attended to her household duties while
the guests entertained tbemselve. either
10 the parlors. the Bishops study, or by
strolling or riding with him over the cane
fields or to the hospital, which he visited
daily whenever there was a patient in it,
or sitting in the sugar house, which dur
ing season, was the reception room for
nelghborhoOd visitors; after dinner all
collected either In the parlors, the hall,
or IN summer on the piazza. while the
little ones ran In and out or established
themselves at mothers" feet or in ia
Tiers lap as inclination prompted, no
matter who, nor how many, were present
they were never banished except for bad
behavior.
Guests from New Orleans frequently
Came up unexpectedly, and it was no un
common thing for the steamer to stop at
the gate and deposit a passenger who
came for a day or a week, sure of a well
come for the house was SO large it was
seldom full and there was always room
Tor one more at the table.
When Leighton was first purcha ed it
was the custom Of the planters on the
bayou to work day or night, Sundays in |
ciuded, during the whole rolling season:
hres once lighted; were never allowed to
go out unless it became necessary to cool
the kettles and cut the hardened sugar
from their sides. Against this custom |
Bishop Polk at once set his face like a
rock, and in spite OF the entries of his
Overseer, and the assurances of his ac |
qualntances, that it was impossible to
make sugar otherwise, would never allow
a stock OF work to be done after II O'Clock !
on Saturday night. The watchmar all
ways on duty to guard against fire during
the rolling, had orders to start the fires
SO that the furnace would be in full blast
by II O'Clock Sunday night, when the
night gang came on and the weeks work
began.
As for me and my house we will serve
the Lord, was his reply to all remon-
strances; there was such a sturdy inde
pendence and firmness under his bon
homie, that be not only carried his point
on his own estate, but gradually brought
others over to his way OF thinking, and
before he left the bayou Sunday work be
the execution instead of the rule.
lie used to say of himself that he was
naturally aggressive and | think he was
IN the assertion, but an equally
strong trait of his character, and one
which he cultivated instead of Progressing.
was his sente OF justice and his desire to
deal 1t u as impartiaily to his oppo
nents as to his friends. Despite his feeble
his capacity for work was great.
ne was able to accomplish so much, |
think, because he possessed 10 an eminent
the ability to throw off business
thoughts IN his hours ofrelaxation, which
always spent in the family circle.
Five minutes after he left his study he
vas the biggest boy" OF the family,
'lnglng comic songs, telling stories, or
entering into the play of the moment
With real and unaffected zest which rem
Tered father the best fellow in tie
Vorld,' as | once heard his youngest sen
'ay at the mature age Of three and a half
NJ. B. e.