The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-03-19
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
The Sage smoking tho Pipe of peao,

| Iarmln. l like II better and better, e. Xcspt
that the wheat is somewhat doubtful
about making crap. A little long bug
with tail at both ends has got In the
Jnints and sucked the sap out, and it's
fallin down 10 patches. Looks like there
is always sumthin preyin ~: sumthin,
and nuthin is safe from diiaster in this
subloonary world Flies Ind bugs and
rust prey On the green Gneat. Weevils
eat 1t up when IT'S cut aud put away.
Rats eat the corn--moles eat the gubbers
hawks eat the chickens-the minku
killed three Of our ducks in one hight
cholers kills the hngs-and the other
night ono Of my nabOr's mules cum along
with the blind staggers and fell upon pair
| of seven steps right into my front gate
and died without kickin. Then there 10
Gfiars aud nettles and tread safls and
smartsweed and pison aud Spanish need
les and cuck'e burrs and dog fennel and
snakes, that's always in the way on q
farm and must be looked after keerfully.
especially snaEes. which are my eter:, II
horror, and shalt always believe are
SUN kin 10 the devil himself | can't
tolerate such long insects. But we farn
era have to take the bad with the good.
and there is more good than bad with me
up to the present time.
| wonder If Harris ever saw q pack
saddle. Well, its as putty as u rainbow,
just like most all of the DEVILS con,rivan.
ces. and when you crowd one of en- on n
fndderblade you'd think that forty yaller
jackets had Stung you all in bunch aud
with malice aforelhought. And there's
the DEVILS race horse which plies around
about this time and, Uncle Isam says.
chaws terbakker like gentleman, and Il
he spit in your eyes you'd go blind in @
half second. And one day he showed
me the DEVILS darning needle which
winds up the old fellows stockina. and
the devils snuff box, which explodes
when you mash II, aud one ounce Of the
stuff inside will kill sound mule-before
he can lay down. Then there's some
flowers that he wears in his button hole
called the DEVILS shoestring and the devil
in the bush.
like fsrmin. It's an honest, quiet
life, and 1t does me 40 much good To
work and get all over in o swet of per.
spiration. l enjoy my umble fi,od and
my repose. and get up every murnin
renewed and rejuvenated like an eagle Ia
his flight, or words to that effect. /
know shall like it more aud more, for
we have already passed.over the Ruby.
con, aud are beginnin to reap the rewards
of industry. Spring chickens have got
ripe. and the hens keep blonmin on.
Over 200 now respond to my old 'omun's
coll every mornin, as she totes aroun
the 'breadtrBy a.singin teheeky; teheeky,
te.l .eky. tell you, she watches Those
birda close, for she knows the value of
'em. She was raised Methodist, she
was, aud many time haa watched
through the crack of the door sadly, aud
seen tho preachers helped to the laat
gizzard in the dish. There was "a chick
ems, z ducks, goslins. IL turkeys and
z pigs hatched out last week, and Daisy
had calf aud Mullie colt, besides.
This looks like business, don't it? Thi.
is what call successful fnrmin-mul,i
plying and replenhhing according To
Scripter. Then we have plenty of
peas aud potatoes and other garden verbs,
which helps poor man out, and by the
4th Of July will have wheat bread and
biskit aud blackberry pies, and pass O
regular declaration Of independence.
like fannin. l like latitude and
longitude. When we were penned up ia
town my children couldn't have sling.
Hhot, or bow aud arrow, nor chicken
fight In the backyard, nor sick dog on
another dog. nor let off big Injun
whOop, without some neigh Dor making o
fuss about it. Aud then, again, there
was show, or dance, or bazar, or O
missionary meeting most every night,
and II look like the children were Just
obleeged TO 20 or tho world would come
To an end. 1t was money, money, money
all the time, but now there isn't store
or milliner shop within five miles of
US. end we do our own work, and have
learned what 1t costa To make bushel OF
corn and barrel of -four, and by the
time Mrs. Arp has uursed and raised q
lot Of chickens and turkeys she thinks 40
much of 'em she don't want us to kill
'em. aud they are heap better and fat.
ter than any we used TO buy. We've got
great big fireplace In the family rom,
and can boil the cnfIee, or heat O kettle
of water on the hearth If we want t,, for
we are not on the lookout for com. any
all the time like we used n be. We
don't cook half as much as we used to,
| nor waste whole parsel every day on
the darkey, aud we eat what 10 eet before
Us, and are thankful.
It's wonder to me that everybody
don't go to farming. Lawyers and doc.
tors have TO set about town and play
checkers, and talk politics and wait for
someboty to quarrel or fight, or get sick
clerks and hnnkkeener. figure and c.a!:!
ply md count until they get IN counting
the stare, and the flies on the ceiling, and
the peas in the diah, and the flowers on
the papering; the jeweler sits by bis
window all the year round, working on
little wheels, and the mechanic strikes
the same kind of lick evey day. These
people 10 not belong tn themselves
they are all peDned up like convicts ia
q chaingang they can't take a day nor
an h0nr for recreation, for they are the
servants Of their employers. There is nc
profession that gives man such freedom
such latitude, and such variety oi
employment as farming. IL.
While VA. ruminating this morning
a boy come along and said the dogs bad
treed something down in the bottom
80 me and my boys shouldered the guni
and an AK, and took Mrs. Arp aud The
children along 70 see the sport. We Gu,
down O hollow gum tree and caught g
'possum and two aquirrels, and killed g
rabbit on the run, and had good tine
| generally, with no loss on our side. We
can stop work most any time TO give
welcome to passing friend and have 9
little chat, and our nabars do the came
by us; bot II you 20 into ono of thess
factories or workshops, or even printinJ
Office, tho first signboard that greets vol
says, "Don't talk to the workmen." So
cisble csvwd, ain't It.?
There's no n0notony upon the farm
There's something new every day, ant
the changing work brings into nctiol