The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-04-02
BILL ARP,s CHAT.
BE 1ndItes a few words to Spring.
atlanta Constitution,

She didn't hail, but she showed and sleet-
ed a little. Another poet says: "Winter
fingers in the lap of spring." The old
rascal keeps on lingering there-he likes
the place. I wish the gentle maiden
would shove him off and tell him to 60.
She seems to like his caresses-I haven't
seen an alder tax nor red maple ear drop
this year. 1t is time for the dogwood to
bloom and the wild violets to peep out
from their wintry beds and the minnows
to play in the branches and the lambs to
shake their new born tails. Every few
days the robins come and the bluebirds
sit longingly on the broken cornstalks,
but they don't stay long. The plum tree
blooms look sickly and the peach bud
don't know whether to venture out or
not. Spring poets are languiahing, and,
languishing, do live and all nature seems
waiting and wishing for the grass to
spring and the flowers to bloom and the
birds to sing and the voice of the turtle
dove to be heard in the land. There is
but one real, genuine Sign of spring:
King cotton has unfurled his banner,
And scents the air with sweet guanner.
1t is now FIVE long weeks since the good
st. Valentine told the birds to mate and
the girls and the boys to 60 wooing. St.
Patrick has been out and shook his she
lalah at the snakes, but still gentle spring
keeps on flirting and fooling with old
man winter and makes him believe she is
in love with him. But she iaent. May
and December never mate; nor March
and November. It is against the order
of nature. We old people can look and
linger and admire; but that is all. We
have sailed down the river and encoun-
tered its perils, its reefs and rocks and
shoals aud quicksands, but, strange to say,
ne give no warning. Maybe it is because
we know that warning will do no good /;
maybe because misery loves company /;
maybe because it is the order of nature,
the fat of. the Almighty. Verify, the
people. would mate and marry and launch
their boat and sail down that river if
they knew there was Scylla and Chary.
dis at every head and leViathaus and
maolstroms and cataracts all the way
down. Poor, trusting, suffering woman.
What perils, what trials, what Affections
does the maternal instinct bring upon
you Close by. ua, while I write, is q
beautiful young mother lingering in the
gasp of desth-dying that her frst-born
child may live. There is nothing more
touching, more pitiful, more heroic in
nature. There is nothing that man is
called upon to endure that compares
with the death ofa young mother in child
birth.
But there is brighter side-a more
charming, comforting picture of life
married life, domestic life-when the
good mother is a matron, and looks with
pride upon her children and grandchil-
dren as they come and go lovingly before
her. What calm serenity kovers over her
matronly face. What sweet content, what
grateful rest-rest from her lsbors, her
pains, her care and anxiety. Well may
she exclaim with Paul: II have fought
q good fight; I have kept the faith-I
have finished my course. Henceforth
there is laid up for me crown of right
eousness."
Yesterday. I was looking at the 6remen
as they we're arrayed in their handsome
uniforms, and as I viewed their bright,
expectant faces, I saw history repeating
itself, for we, too, used to run with the
machine, and felt like the world was
turning upon our pivot. 1t is all right.
Let the young men begin to take part in
bearing the burdens of life. Let them
wait upon us and protect us and our
property. It gives them confidence and
self-respect. These young men are to
take our places before long. They will
nurse us and bury us, and attend our fu.
nerals, and after that, will pursue the
same journey of life and linger and die
as we did. They are now looking on the
bright side and are happy. They are in
love, or have been or will be. To every
lad and lassie there is period of life not
always thrilling or tragic, but always
emotional and absorbing. I mean the
period of loVe-young love-or loves
young dreams, which sometimes runs
smooth and sometimes DON'T What 8
privilege it would be to look behind the
curtains and see just what love has felt
and suffered and enjoyed. Such kalei.
doscope would have a world of eager
lockers, for the old are fascinated with
stories of love and courtship as we'll as
the young. In looking over the daily or
weekly paper we may skip the news with
displayed headings, but any little para
graph that has love in it arrests the eye
and demands attention. Children 60 to
school to study books, but by tbs time
they are in their teens they begin to mix
little timid, cautious love with their
studies. A sweetheart is a blessed thing
for a boy. 1t straightens him up and
washes his face and brushes his hair and
stimulates his ambition to be somebody.
How I did luxuriate and palpitate and
concentrate and gravitate towards the first
little schoolgirl I ever loved. She was
pretty as pink and sweet as daisy, and
one day at recess when nobody was look
ing, I caught her on the stairs and
kissed her. She was dreadfully frighten.
ed, but not mad. She ran away with
bushes on her cheek, and more than once
that evening saw her glance at me from
behind her book, and I knew she was
wondering if would ever dare To do SO