The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-08-17
BILL ARP'S TALK.
He has Just Returned from the West and
III Tired.
atlanta Constitution.

| AECuntQ CO7lStlLHtlOU.
TExARKAEA, ON THE Wing.
When patriarch has besn on the road
for two days and missed the connection
| at Memphis and had to bum around in
strange place waiting for the next train,
and then sets and sweats all day for 900
| miles, until his back aches and one of his
kidneys gets restless and tries to get out,
and his eyes and ears and the back of his
neck are full of cinders he does not
feel like penning his random thoughts to
please anybody. All he can do is to ru-
inmate and jump from one thing to the
other and think about home and its
blessings. His constant prayer is that he
may live to return to those who love him
best and for awhile to rest from his hard
labors.
Now, while I write, am in that State
of ''inocuous desuetude" that Mr. Cleve.
land told about and the. causes me to
think and to wonder. When he used that
curious, original expression reckon TO-.
900 readers turned to the dictionary to
see what he meant. 1t fit the case all
right and the public was satisfied. But
it won't do for ordinary men to venture
upon such pigeon English. I've been
reading his speeches and his late public
utterances, and would like to know
when and where he got his scholarship.
Chauncey Depew sets him up very high
as typical American and the New York
Tribune in a late editorial admits that he
has the happy faculty of saying what he
means and saying it in the very best
manner. he leaves no room for doubt.
The August number Of the Review of Re.
views, which is the best and fairest of all
our monthlies, has splendid biography
of Mr.. Cleveland. Mr.. Albert Shaw, the
editor, is a conservative Republican, but
is opposed to the force bill, and dares to
say so in unmistakable language. BE is
also opposed to any political interference
with the status of the negro, and declares
that it is Southern burden and may be
Southern danger and the South is more
capable Of dealing with it than the North.
It is good for us to read after such high
toned candid men. The July number had
an excellent biography Of Mr.. Harrison,
and If I was away of in Europe and
anybody should speak disrespectfully of
him would resent it. He is no little
man, and his success proves it, but he is q
man Of prejudice. he believes the
Southern people are heretics, and he is
such an old-fashioned Calvanistic Pres
byterian that he would rather torture US
little than not. This biography says
that he was soldier after Sherman's pat
tern, and that Sherman said he did not
have more capable General. 1t says
that Harrison especially distinguished
himself in the battle of Cassville while
marching through Georgia. We are sor.
ry to know that. We never did know be.
fore what destroyed that beautiful town.
We supposed that it was done by sher-
mans orders. but it seems now that Har.
rison was the man. He ordered all the
women and children away and then ap-
piled the torch. Two large Colleges were
burned and every Church and every
dvelling-nothing was left but tottering
walls ard lonesome chimreys. Old Cass.
vile Was the County seat of our County
and was the nursery of education for our
boys and our girls. The Duke of Alva
never committed more disgraceful act
and was in hopes that the shame of it
centered upon Sherman, and that gentle.
men; like Harrison, turned away and
wept when they saw the fires and the
homeless women and children. But let
that pass. Let by-gones be by-gones
now.
Mr.. Cleveland's inocuous desuetude re-
minds me of Henry Grady, for he enjoy,
ed it immensely. How much he enjoyed
revelling in big words himself justto per
plex the boys. How heartily he would
laugh when he had bothered them with
his jawbreakers. Shockley was our town
constable and had waited attention on
the Court and listened to the lawyers un.
til he began to affect some large words
and very frequently made some awkward
mis6ts. Henry was fond of puzzling
shockley, and .one day called him to one
side and said seriously, "Shockley, I want
to ask your opinion on private matter.
Suppose you were just standing by your.
self on the sidewalk not doing anything
to anybody and stranger WAS to come
up. to you without malice aforethougbs
and was to 're.cog nize' you-what would
you do about it 2"
"ssy that again, Henry-ysy it slow"
said Shockley.
When Henry repeated it shockley said,
"Henry, wouldn't take the likes of that
ftom nobody. I should just haul away
with my stick and take his interrogato-
ries."
And this reminds ne of the original
Bill Arp, whom the boys about town
elected to the Office of coroner just out of
mischief. Bill felt highly honored, and,
as he couldn'tread the law about coroners
himaelf, he got the boys to read it to him,
and they garbled it so as to make Bill be
lieve that he must sit upon the dead body
in order to make it 8 legal inquest. BE
was told that he held very responsible
position, and that he must do his duty al
all hazards. A few days after his election
travelling Snowman came to our town
with an Egyptian mummy that he placed
on exhibition at 10 cents sight. The
devilish lawyers sent for Bill, and told