The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-05-29
BILL ARp,S PHILOSOPHY.
dilauta CJastitution.

>iNuua CVastitutiDn.
1 thought it was Sherman. No, !
didn't either, but somehow it reminded
me Of Sherman. We had company for
dinner-children and grand children and
other kin folks. and were winding up the
general repast with Strawberries and
cream when suddenly there was clap Of
thunder tina. shook The elements and
brought 8 storm of wind and rain
and hail so swiftly that it stopped the
feminine conversation. Mrs. Arp looked
at me and looked at her for moment.
There was 2 wild racket, and rattling
overhead and against the windows, and
in the back hall like q thousand guns had
opened fire upon our devoted household.
The long back hall was open to the wind
and the hail stones rolled and bounced fu-
riously through it aud into the front ball
and covered the floor. Most of them were
like marbles, but many were as large as
walnuts, and such fall of hail has not
been seen in these parts for years aud
years. The wind blew like young cy-
clone, and it took all hands to close the
windows and slam the doors. Mrs. Arp
looked out and exclaimed: "Oh the pit,
the flower pit. Just see the hail crashing
through the glass;" The horse and the
COW were grazing in the front lot, and
suddenly walked mp to the situation, and
set out on run and galloped round and
round, but found no place of refuge.
The peacock screamed, aud made f., the
house, but his beautiful tail was in his
way. He had too much rudder tor his
ship, and soon found himself away down
in the grove. Too much tail is bad
dressing for anything in storm. Old
Fido, our superannuated dog, gave an in.
.dignant bark, and slowly trotted to the
piazza. The leaves and twigs from the
forest trees in the lawn filled the air and
travelled with the storm. The ground was
white with hail, and it banked n p against
the house and fence several inches deep.
I would like to De up in the clouds and
see how that thing is done. The children
screamed with delight and wonder, for
they had never seen anything like it be-
fore, but it was no delight to me, for l
knew that it carried destruction in its
pathway. I thought Of the farmers cot.
ton that had just made narrow escape
from the frost. l Thought OF my garden
and green house, and all the pretty
flowers and plants that had tciled so
faithfully over to please Mrs. Arp. |
could see them bend and shrink before
the icy blast that stripped them OF their
leaves and flowers. More work more
work for me, l ruminated. And sure
enough my beautiful squash vines that
were Just beginning to bloom are torn all
to pieces, and so are my butter beans that
were just reaching their young tcndrilS to
the poles.
said thought of Sherman-I always
think of him in May when the strawber.
ries come. just twenty six years ago we
house-strawberry and cream for supper
and little later on old Sherman began
to scatter his unfeeiDg shells right over
the house, and we all walked up to the
horror of the situation and found that
General Johnston had ordered another
fall back, and that Rome was being
abandoned to her fate. I had partaken
loo much of strawberries and cream and
they were holding a secession meeting
within my corporate limits, but all SUI
ferng and bent up as was we had to get
up and depart those coasts prematurely,
in the darkness of foggy night, and
meander away to parts unknown with
vigilance and alacrity. All night long
re hustled from the foul invader and left
our beautiful home to his mercy and our
strawberries and COW to his appetite.
And that's why ] thought Of Sherman
when the hail storm broke up our feast.
But it is all right. I can plant more
beans and more squashes. | have already
planted my garden twice this Spring, and
I can plant it again. 1t is not near go
bad rs war, and, thanks to the good Lord
for his mercies, we are not running from
Sherman now with oIe-horse rockaway
fall of infantry and the maternal ances.
tor looking buck every few minutes to see
if the Yankees were coming to take them
from her. But now everything is calm
and serene. There are some little disturb.
ances in the political horizon, but they
will soon pass away. Just before an
election there are so many fellows "side-
wipin around huntin' for the photography
of an Office" as Cabe says, that the peo-
Pile do get excited little, but it will soon
pass away. Them what's in want to stay
in just one more term, they say, as to wind
up their business, but its always one more
term. It's likes "to morrow" that never
comes. These Alliance men are going to
wake up the old veteran politicians for
one time I=reckon, but they had better
watch their lead horses, for some of them
won't pull pound except they are in the
lead, aud they are not worth cent to
hold back when the wagon is on the down
grade. Watch your lead horses, | say.
a long time ago there WAS knowing
party that called themselves the American
party, and their motto was, "Put none but
Americans on guarG to night" It was q
party Of good principles and good patri-
otism and good intentions, but ambitious
men got at the head of it aud they
wouldn't work anywhere but in the lead,
and they run away and turned the wagon
over and split the contents, one of whom
WAS which. 1t was an oathbound secret
organization and On that account was at.
tackled by Alex. Stephens ard others, and
was oyerthrown. Well, it does make an
outsider feed helpless. don't wonder
that our members of Congress are dis
lurbcd and our aspiring lawyers who
would like to go TO the Legislature, but we
can all risk the farmers one time and then
Judge them by their works.