The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-07-22
BILL ARP,s LETTER.
Tho Genial Philosopher in Gloomy
Mood.
atlanta Constitution.

atlanta Constitution.
1t is impossible to be calm and serene
this kind of weather. For thirty days it
has rained every day except three. In
all that time we have plowed but q day
and half. The farmers are in grass and
trouble. The wheat has sprouted in the
shock. Late oats fell down and could
not be cut.
Tom Moore says he will have no more
biscuit and corn bread scratches in his
throat. I've been watching and waiting
for month to sow COW peas on my stub.
BILE land, but just as I get ready it rains
again. Three times I've plowe!d 3! about It
half land and had to quit. If it don't
rain in the morning it gets up shower
in the afternoon and sometimes comes
down in the night. The ground is 80 full
that most every rain makes flood. Our
branch that crosses the road gets on a
boom every few days. We had hauled
lumber to the meadow to build a fence,
and the other day the water got on tare
and overhowed, and the plank and posts
were floating around loose and drifting to
the current and so Carl had to put on
some old clothes and swim across and
drag the plank to higher ground. Oar
foot logs and water gates have gone down
the branch to the creek and down the
creek to the river and down the river to
the Gulf of Mexico. John Rowland
says he reckons the rain will stop now
that the elections are over, for the heav-
ems we're weeping for the lies that were
told. John is the coroner, and was sent
for yesterday to come to town quick and
hold an inquest. When he got there the
boys told him it was the Bacon party
that was dead and they wanted to know
what killed it. John is Bacon man
and had like to have fit. After every
rain my wife has the piazza floor washed
up so that the dogs will have a clean
place to walk on. IF it wasent for the
children and dogs I don't know what she
would do for living. The flies have
come by the thousand, and I sometimes
hint that flies will hannt dirty house.
The grand -daddies are meandering around
and keep her and the girls in lively
condition. The little bats peartin 'em
up at night as they skim around the room.
Wish had tame one that would come
in when / didn't want company. / told
Carl that bats eggs wereWorth ten dollars
apiece, andthe was hunting all round for
q nest until his mother told him they
didn't lay eggs. One of our peafowls
lost her young in storm and the other
has quit her nest because it was water.
soaked. The little guineas were drowned
out. The watermelon vines won't fruit
and are sickly. Snap beans don't taste
good and the beets and squashes are wat.
cry. Our little chaps thought the 'sbep-
herd dogs tail was. TOO long and they
squared the end with a pocket knife.
They found the old cat in the orchard
and set all the dogs on him and said they
thought it was arabbit. They have worn
their heels out making knuck holes and
their big toes out making rings for mar.
bles. They lose their pocket knives and
Mrs. Arp scolds and declares they shall
never have another, never And sure
enough she. buys them another before
Saturday night. l wonder where she
gets all her money. She always has
money. I go to bed first every night
and am asleep in two minutes, but she
don't come in until away in the night.
She is reading love story in the parlor
and my money slips away just as easy.
She always did have an idea that it was
my business to keep her in money, and /
reckon it is. She gave me apair of shoes
the other day. She is mighty good TO
me.
We all play whist some nights and I
let her side beat just to keep things calm
and serene. I've seen some men beat theiI
wives at cards and brag over it, but they
didn't have much sense. It is thunder
ing right now, and sounds like war can.
non away off. Most every evening we
will sit in the piazza and watch the clouds
bank up in the West about sundown, and
the children shape them in their fancy
to the image of lions and horses and
boats and giants and all sorts of. things
just like folks always did, reckon. :
And 30 the clouds shift and change
like huge panorama until the curtain
of night falls before them. We. have
rainbowa now single and double, and I
never see one without thinking Of that
bsg of money that lies hidden at the
end. The katydids have come. They
came last night, and some folks say it
will be just three months to frost-three
months to day. These little musicians
in green uniform don't play but one tune,
very monotonous tune, but they play it
loud and play it long. They make a
kettle drum of their bodies, and rub their
overlapped wings together so fast you can
hear the scraping for half mile on a
still, quiet night. In month the females
lay their eggs in the split of a tender
limb, and then they die. One glorious
month of noisy life and that is all. But
who does not give joyous welcome to the
katydid. 1t is like the annual visit OF
the junebug, or the swallow, or the whip;
poorwill, that love the habitations OF
man, and are not found in the wilderness.
The iunebugs are late this year. The
children have found but two to tie threads
on their legs and let them float in the air
and zoon. But they will come now, since
the corn is beginning to tassel. l never
saw such corn. On the bottom land it
has outgrown the grass, and is all in q
strut. It has not had but one plowing,
and will never have any more. Itis too
late now to be fooled with, and will make
crop rain or no rain. So we will have
corn ard potatoes anyhow, and that is
more than some folks have. Sweet pota-
toes are splendid, and can't be cut off
now. The Irish potatoes are good, too,
but are hard to find, for the weeds have
covered them. The peaches have rotted
and the apples are specked. The grapes
are still sound, but can't stand much
more water We have sheep or two to-
spare, and fat shoat, and are going to
have family barbecue when the children
come. So it is all right, rain or no rain,
and we are going to be as happy as we
can. There is no politics in these family
barbecues-no fuss, no fight, no repent.
ance, no axes to grind. .
wish that all our people could read
the letter of BENZ. J. Williams, well
known Massachusetts man, that was
recently published with favorable com
ments in the Lowell, Mass, Sun, wherein
he says
."The demonstrations in the South in
honor of Mr.. Jefferson Davis are of a
remarkable character and furnish matter
for profound consideration. Twenty. one