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

even before we reached it, his geni.
ality and evident solicitude for oul
comfort, made us feel at ease, and
that we were going. TO- a-home and NOT
| q house. And SO indeed it proved,
During our stay beneath hia roof, Mr..
MoLaurin and his moat amiable and
intelligent wife left nothing unsaid or
undone TO make Us. feel at home, and
enjoy ourselves. Oar only regret at
leaving was that our stay had been
too brief; and times effacing fin
gers" will never obliterate the remem.
branee of their kindness and -hospi
tality.
As we drove along, before it grew
too dark to See, there was much good
natursd banter and joking. We saw
some bumble.bes renters cotton, even
in the Pee Dee bottoms, and laughing
at this, We repeated some Of Lt.-Gov.
Sheppard's yarns to chow the kind OF
cotton, corn and peas we expected to
find in Marlboro. .Qur 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,
inssmuoh as the 'Edge6eld delegates
have been requested to make writ.
ten report at the next Meeting of our
Agricultural Society, in which they
will satisfy all curiosity on that score,
and give the people Of the entire
county the benefit Of what they saw
and learned.
Bsnnsttsville is q beautiful little
village, of about i've hundred inhab.
itants, with many nice and some very
fine residences. Everything about
the place is as neat as pin, and eve
rything possible has been done to in
crease the healthfulness OF situation
naturally aickly. 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, were
wbitewsshed,, 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 express himself, was loud and
profuse, they are the equals, and in
soms 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 a club foot.
In accounting for some of their pc.
culiarities and excellences, / know o!
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 histor-
ical fact that all this country was
originally settled by emigrants from
Scotland. I have always admir-. d
the North Britons since l read when
a boy the "Scottish Chiefs" and Wa
verify Novels; and l take of my hat
to their des0ss1apts in Eastern South
to tell YOUR readers aboHs Ss oaf Htfp TIL til
home-how every man who wanted
TO leave Friday morning, gave hi
name to the committee, and it wal
made the duty of some one man Il
call for them at their homes at
o'clock and see them all of on the hack
and carriages, and bow they did Il
How one man assigned to our hacl
was not up when called for, and got
left. How on our return from tht
Hover end Of town, after two gentle
men, all OF onr eeats, FIVE in number
being already full, and three en- one
| of them, there was an audible groar
as We saw our belated passenger wait
ing for US ON the corner, with hit
gripsack in hand. How little man,
whose maine ! ne e,er learned, crawled
back off the seat by the driver, and
edged in between Col. @. and myself
How our, Georgia friend-he lives
near Savannah and was the only
Georgia delegate, tho Virginian by
birth1,to our surprise nimbly mount.
ed without help 10 the vacant place.
How some one asked the driver if hia
front axle was strong, and another
wanted to know as he neared the
bridge over the creek, if the sleepera
were sound. How our friend-s sac.
ond but enlarged edition Of Daniel
IIambert-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, rspartee and laughter began to
pass around. How our fat friend
proved q veritable Falstaff, imam
Of infinite Jest and humor," and caus.
cd US sll 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 he 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 Ais 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
q professor. How we found that he
had been every where, and tried eve,
ry thing, from raising cotton TO dairy.