Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-08-20

the home OF our host :ot course; DuG
even before we reached it, his geni-
ality and evident solioitude for our
comfort, made us feel at ease, and
that We were going .to,a1home and not
q house. And so indeed it proved.
During our stay beneath hia roof, Mr.:
MoLaurin and his most amiable and
intelligent wife left, nothing unsaid or
undone to make us feel at home, and
enjoy ourselves. Our only regret at
leaving was that our stsy had been
too brief; and times effacing fin
gers" will never obliterate theremem.
brancs Of their kindness and hospi.
tality.
As We drove along, before it grew
too dark to zee, there was much good.
natured banter and joking. We saw
some bumble.bee renters cotton, even
in the Pee Dee bottoms, and laughing
at this, we repeated some Of Lt..Gov.
sheppard's yarns to show the kind OF
cotton, corn and peas we expected to
find in Marlboro. .Qar Pee Dee friends
began to craw6sh at once, especially
on the pea question, but we reassured
them by saying we would not expect
too much. I shall say nothing about
the crops or the farming in Marlboro,
inasmuch as the Edge6eld delegates
have been requested to make a writ.
ten report at the next meeting Of our
Agricultural Society, in which they
will satiliy all curiosity on that score,
and give the people of the entire
county the benefit Of what they saw
and learned.
Bennettsyille is a beautiful little
village, of about FIVE hundred inhab'
'itants, with many nice and some very
fine residences. Everything about
the place is as neat as pin, and eve
rytLing possible has been done to in.
crease the healthfulness Of a situation
naturally sickly. A large creek runs
close by, with large swamp opposite
the town, which is located on low
bluff Immediately on the bank of the
stream. All-grass and weeds are kept
down, and the trees as high as ten
feet, and nearly all the fencing, we're
wbitewashed,, adding much to the
holiday appearance of the village.
The people are proud Of themselves.
and their town and county-as well
they May be. And in view Of their
liberality, their intelligence, their pro-
gresaive spirit. their sociability, and
above all their kingly hospitality, in
praise of which every delegate whom
/ heard expreas himself, was loud and
profuse, they are the equals, and in
some respects the superiors, OF any
community I ever visited. They had
put their best foot foremost evidently,
but then any one could see that the
other was not q club foot.
In accounting for some Of their Pc.
culiarities and excellences, know Of
no other hypothesis upon which to
base an explanation, than that they
are almost entirely Of Scotch descent.
surmised this from the number OF
Mes. and other Scotch names heard !;
and my host told me it was q histor-
ical fact that all this country was
originally settled by emigrants from
Scotland. I have always admir-. d
the North Britons since ! read when
boy the "Scottish Chiefs" and Wa.
verify Novels; and take off my hat
to their descendants in Eastern South
to tell YOUR fesdeTs s65as oaf aRa 9fii FIJI
home-how every man who wanted
to leave Friday morning, gave hi
name to the committee, and it was
made the duty of some one man tt
call for them at their homes at
o'clock and see them all off on the hack
and carriages, and how they did Il
How one maH assigned to our hacl
was not up when called for, and goI
left. How on our return from the
flower end of town, after two gentle
men, all of our aeats, FIVE in number,
being already full, and three en- one
OF them, there was an audible groar
aa We saw our belated passenger wait
ing for us on the corner, with his
pripsack in hand. How little man,
whose maine | ne.er learned, crawled
back off the seat by the driver, and
edged in between Col. G. and myself
How our, Georgia friend-he lives
near Savannah aud was the only
Georgia delegate, tho a Virginian by
birth-,to our surprise nimbly mount.
ed without help 10 the vacant place,
How some one asked the driver if his
front axle was strong, and another
wanted to know as he neared the
bridge over the creek, il the sleepera
were sound. How our friend-a sec.
ond but enlarged edition Of Daniel
I.ambert-who took our jokes in good
part, was dubbed at once "Big John"
Bill Arp's Big John, who bored the
hole in the dashboard and tied the
o1's tail ia knot, as he was running
from the Yankees in 1864. How We
all soon grew acquainted, and learned
each others names and honors; and
joke, repartee and laughter began to
pass around. How our fat friend
proved veritable Falstaff, a "man
of infinite jest and humor," and dcaus.
ed US all to dodge and laugh too when
he took the drivers whip and touched
up our leaders; we were driving four
horses. How he then stood up and
cracked the whip with all the grace
and ease OF old. Sam Weller himself
remarking that be had. when boy,
often walked four miles to meet the
stage and drive it home. How we
laughed till our sides ached at his ri.
dioulous stories, and begged him to
stop. How he mixed in with lis dis
course incidents and anecdotes Of war
times, when he served on Stuart's
staff; and then talked about farming
in all its aspects with the auency Of
a professor. How We found that he
had been every where, and tried eve
ry thing. from raising cotton to dairy