The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-05-06
BILL ARP.
The Weekly Chat of the Cherokee Phil
losOpher.
dtlauka Constitution.

man quarter of a mile off. My wife
sits by the window where she can see
down to the branch that crosses the big
road, and ever and now I hear her say
"yonder comes another one. l wonder
what he has got" All in one week ne
had book man who came in with big
pictorial educator and said his lesson by
heart as he turned over the leaves, and a
churn man and nursery man and q
coffee roasting man and cotton plante
man and man with machine to find
the level of terraces and bitches and a
man with a quilting contraption. Well,
we liked them all for they were nice
talking gentlemen and pretty good look.
ing, but it takes a power of valuable
time at this season of the year. Some.
times I am away over in the field at
work, or making out like am, and the
horn blows for me to come to the house
and look up and see buggy at the
gate, and so come toiling up the hill,
and when 1 get there find one of these
gentlemen waiting to sell me something
I don't wan. or if l did l haven't the
money to pay for, and so sit down and
patiently listen to his little speech and
feel so sorry that I have to decline his
favors and cut off his good intentions.
That book man seemed really concerned
for my children, and wanted to sell me q
book that would educate the whole fami.
ly and save schooling, but my experience
is that children had rather go to school
than to be educated at home. My wife
and I have tried it. We have set their
study hours and given them their lessons,
but it is an uphill business, for there are
no other children to stimulate them.
When they 60 to school and have to stand
up in class of eight or ten and recite
their lessons, their ambition is excited,
and they try to keep head, or as far from
foot as possible. And then they have
such q good time frolicking at recess and
at noon and on the way going and com.
ing.
Well, we used to roast coffee-that is,
we parched it in a skillet, and it was
pretty warm work, and my wife broke an
egg in it and stirred it all up, and we had
better coffee than wc do now, but we have
got used to buying it in the stores, and so
the coffee man had to go. He said he
hardly ever sold one within five miles of
a town. Well, we didn't want any quilt
ing done. We have quit that long ago.
We either buy the quilts or send the
calico and the cotton to some poor woman
and let her do it, This present genera
ton won't quilt as their mothers did. 1t
is too slow and tedious, and can't be done
on the sewing machine, and they are so
cheap in the stores that it looks like a
waste of time. My mother used to have
quilting frolics, and it was a big time and
big thing to have dozen of the female
nabors all sitting around the frames
stitching and talking and telling the news.
1t was the best time in the world to 6nd
out who was going to get married or get
religion or increase the family or who
could sew we'll and who couldn't, and
when the quilt was done and on the bed
my mother could tell who quilted every
shell by looking at it. made set Of
quilting frames for my wife soon after we
were married, and 1 bored fifty holes in
each frame and rounded the edges and
sand -papered them all as smooth as glass,
and put up four pullies in the ceiling
overhead, SO that the quilt could be pulled
up out of the way and be let down again
at pleasure. Those pullies are in the old
house now. I used to do lots of those
little things for her when we first married
and I dident wait to be asked, either
Well, do them now, too, but instead OF
volunteering with a gush, I have to be
sorter conscripted and then get a substi'
tute if eau. I don't anticipate like
used to, but wait for hints or orders
She says it is because she is getting old
but she is mistaken-it is because / ar
getting old and hate to be bothered
Philosophers say that the longer rock
stays in its bed the harder it is to move
out-and they call this inertia-and they
say if you once get rock to rolling it il
inclined to keep on rolling, and this i!
inertia, too. And just so now with me-
when 1 am down l don't want to get up
and VIXEN l am up l wouldent sit down
if gravity dident make me. My inertis
grows on me all the time-nevertheless
hold up my corner pretty we'll. 1 put il
two window glass to-day and hung
picture and sawed an inch off of hel
rocking chair legs and put tho rockers OF
again, and tonight l heard the children
say their spelling and their geography
and every morning l go with them as fa
as the creek on their way to school ant
help to carry their books and their din
ner.
But ne don't quilt now, for the ole
folks eyes are dim and the young folk
wont do it. any more than free nigger
will make shuck collars and baskets
Well, there was a patent portable fence
man came along not long ago, just afte
the freshet had carried my portable fence
all away, and I told him wanted fenc'
that was strickly non-portable, and so III
continued his journey. But they were al
good contrivances and save labor, and
hope they will find some farmers bette
able than I am to invest. A nursery maj
came here one day last year and showed
my wife some pictures and some straw
berries in a bottle, and they looked 81
fine and pretty she ordered some plants
and when they came they were all driet
up and told her she had lost her money
but she paid no attention to me and wen
out with Carl and dug up the grount
and had him haul some chin manure AM