Wichita eagle., 1889-05-04
PHILOSOPHER ARP.
His Unpleasant Experience During
a Snow:Storn.
What It Means to Be sSnowed Under u
the Sunny South-Great Triouiauons
In Georgia-A Bit of Judicioue
Colored Flattery.
rAtlanta constitutional

in these parts. / came nome SATURDAY
night with driving sleet IN my lace, out
knew there was light in the window for
me, so / endured it with resignation and
hope. Domestic love and cheerful IRE
soon thawed me out, and we talked about
the beautiful snow, and ever and anon sur
viewed its myriads of falling fakes from the
windows. and the children We're happy.
But am an old coon about such things
now and wish I had Aladdin's lamp to
lift us all up and set US down in Florida for
a season The fun Is all over and the nov
city, too. Sunday morning l waited pa
tiently for John. john makes the nres,
but John didn't come to time. be lives
half a mile away, and when l rose forward
and looked out upon the face OF nature,
! saw that the beautiful snow was deep,
very deep, and it occurred to me
that John was showed under and
wasn't coming. The wood and the light
wood was in the wood house and the drift
was two feet deep midway, and so had to
wade for fuel. l think there was less Jun
in it than most any thing | ever undertook;
but in the course of time got a good fire
made, and was happy There was no light
wood split, and no axe; John had car.
ried the axe home with hiu1-the i'm
provident scamp. Strange TO say,
found the long -handled shovel where it be-
longed, and began to use it. l worked
hard and fast, shoveling the beautiful snow
out of the pathway to the wood-house, and
off the steps, and out Of the back piazza
and down to the lot gate and from there To
the stable gate, and from there to the corn
crib and so forth, and so on. Not q gate or
door could be opened until l had cleared
way, and my feet were all wet and cold,
and my upper story all hot and tired and
l had to come to the house and hunt up old
shoes and dry socks, and receive big lot
of-domestic sympathy. A good breakfast
and hot coffee restored me, and so 1 tackled
the beautiful snow again and made walk
to the spring and fed the stock; and every
few minutes looked up the road for John.
In the course of time I got every thing
done that had to be done, and was almost
glad that had nobody to help me. What
a comfort there is in the reaction after you
have done work of duty yourself. How
much easier it is to do a thing when you
know you have got it to do, and there is no
substitute to call upon. All day Sunday ]
felt manly and honest as / swung the big
sticks of hickory wood upon my patriarchal
shoulder and waddled carefully and slowly
up the steps and replenished the
genial fires. | got only one fall, and the
big stick went rolling one way and l went
sliding another. The house shook win the
shock, and my female family thought it
was an earthquake and ran to the rescue,
but l rallied to my work, and showed them
what is meant by the survival Of the fttest.
There is no innOcuous deSuetude about me
when trouble comes. In about salt an hour
l found that my ankle was sprained, and
couldn't locomote, and ! began to look up
the road again for John. They bathed the
swollen joint with kerosene and camphor
and mustang, and l grunted around smart
ly and got better.
AL day Sunday and Monday and Tuesday
there was not q track in the big road-not
soul went by or came in sight. There was
some rabbit-hunting in the naborhood, but
it didn't last long, for the hunters couldn't
travel any better than the rabbits. Row
land tried it, but he soon fell in gully that
was deeper than his head in snow, and
could hardly get out l measured the gen.
eral average with an iron square, and ii
was sixteen inches The like Of it has
never been seen in this generation, and
hope will never be again. Enough of
thing is enough, and too much is the great
est plenty. We can't go anywhere. My
wife said the lard was out, and we would
some. "Send who?" thought l. There's
nobody here to send but memo man, nc
boy I'm the only BOY now, and | don't see
how ! can get to Nabor Freemau's 1t viii
take me an hour 20 sneyel the Snow away
from the two gates. I can't climb the
fence, for it is barbed wire, and | viii get
caught on it and hang there, and there is no,
body to come and unhaug me. rs quar-
ter mile to Nabor Freey1an's, and I'm a
duck-legged sort Of Z mGn and don't G.
heve can maze It.
But sure enough, Nabor Fceaman's folks
got out of sugar, and he rugged up sleigh
and came down and we snapped sugar for
lard, and he brought it down. His two big
mules could hardly pull that sleigh down
grade. 1 tried it with a buggy, and the
wheels got solid and then got oval and one
sided, and twisted and woSoled every way,
and we had liked to have not got home
again
Well, the next day waded up to Row
lands and borrowed an axe and shoveled the
drift, # the wood-pile and cut up some wood
ana some lightwood and 40 out the time ]
got through and was blowing for wind, ]
looked up the road and saw Jonn coming
with my axe on his shoulder. ! thought first
that | would get my gun and shoot him, but
Ididn't What's been the matter, JohnW
said |. Have you been sickfn mo. sir;
/ hain't been sick, but / is had de worst
pains-de worst pains in my head
and my back and jintes to be sure, 10
be sure. try to git here Sunday morning,
but cave in fore l git fifty yards: did
shore. No. amt been SICK, but sick pains,
sick pains. / knowed you want dis axe,
but lowed you'd git long somehow. /
knowed If any man get long you could, and
tell my ole oman you is de shifties' man
eber seed in all my life, and de best one"
The old sly coon knew my weakness for
a little fattery, and SO he laid il on thick.
Well we know now what they mean up
North when they say ''snored uarer,' but
we don't fix up for it like they do. Our
folks would perish or freeze II the Ike Of
this would last month Not half Of our
people keep a smoke-house Ike thoy used
to before the war Ne kill a hog al a time
az our house When tvc want cured ham
we buy one. That 3 not farmer like, /
know, but we CO = We sell cur wheat
and buy -four, and 30 when provisions get
out and we can't send 70 town we are II
bad fix The town IS in a bad fix, TOO, for
they get ont OF wood sometimes and freeze
in There are poor folks II town now who
are burning palings and old plank and who
are lowering over a mighty little fire.
There are lots Of folks VINO need q guard
IN TO make them provide for bad weather
and hard times. III have me good home
made sleigh before ano. her spell Ike this
see il ] don't This Sunny S0-th viii
have 20 change its name before long j
reckon il is the Yankees moving down
here and bringing their Billiards with