The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-02-01
BILL ARP.
He Watches the Youngsters Play III the
Snow.
atlanta Constitution.

1t strains an old maR to see much fun
in the beautiful snow. He can't play in
it, nor slide nor walk about with any
security; but he knows that he can't help
himself, and 30 must try to be happy be-
cause the children are. What glorious
thing it is to be oblivious to trouble and
apprehension-what reckless Joy these
children feel while rolickiug in this
miracle of heavenly beauty, while I am
here thinking about the coal and wood
that are nearly gone and there is no more
in town, and how the cook says she
''reckon she will have to quit for she can't
hardly git up de hill any more" and how
I had to shovel path to the coal-bouse
and the COW lot and dig up some light
wood and couldent find the ak for long
time, for the hired boy dident come and
he never has any particular place for
anything, and the yeung folks tramp
snow ail over the hall and the carpet and
get their shoes and stockings wringing
wet, and Mrs. Arp declares that every
one of them will bs sick.
But it is beautiful--that is fact
when the morning sun dispersed the
lingering clouds and sent his genial rays
all over the fields and lawns and house.
tops, thought it was the most charming
landscape that l had ever seen. How
quickly can dame nature change our
feelings from gloom and apprehension to
joy and gladness. The peafowls have
come down from their roosts in the tree
tops for the first time in forty eight hours
and the pigeons are circliug around and
the little birds have come from their hid.
ing places. The sleigh bells are jingling
aud the boys are coasting down the steep
hills, and everything seems happy again.
1reckon now the winter is broken, and
in few weeKs the spring flowers and the
peach trees will be in bloom. This is the
frat real pleasant sunshiny day since the
day after Obristmas L. has been hard,
long, wintry spell, and poor folks have
suffered, and so have the laboripg men
who follow the rail and have to take
their places by day and by night. I
never hear the whistle blow nor feei the
rumbling shock of the loaded trains as in
the dead of night they move to and fro
past my house but what think Of the
engineers aud the 6remen and the brake.
men. Maybe, when the "gates are ajar,"
they viii run trains in heaven where they
will never be too cold or too hot and no
COWS on the track aud everybody have
free pass over the line.
It is curious how old folks love to read
and ponder the memories of the past. l
wrote letter about Andrew Jackson,
and had many letters responsive to the
subject-most of them were from old men
who still love to dream over the reco!lec-
tions of their youth. l had one from
veteran in Atlanta, who was born in
1911, and is still hale and hearty end
attends regularly to his merchandise.
When he was youth, the halo of Jack
sons victory Was still radiant. He tells
how q famous comedian named Barnes
sang song in the thester in Savannah
near seventy years ago. 1t was called
"Tbe Hunters of Kentucky" and Barnes
wore coonskin vest and cap and had an
old time rife and powder horn, and one
verse of his song was:
Old Packenham had made his brags
That he was brave and lucky
He'd have our girls and cotton bags,
In spite Of old Kentucky
A letter from friend, who is proud of
being tarheel, says that General jack
son was born in North Carolinn, just over
the line in Waxhaw settlement, but that
his mother, who was then widow, was
over there on visit. Her home was
only few miles away, and was in South
Carolina-and so both States claim him.
He narrates some unwritten history of
the family, and says that General Jack
sons father died few weeks before An
drew was born, and one cold day when
the funeral had to come off the Waxhaw
settlers started with the corpse to the
graveyard that was two or three miles
away. The road was very rough, the
day was cold, "the wagon shackly and
'grog' was plenty, and when they arriv-
ed at the graveyard and went to the
wagon for the corpse it was not in there.
It had spilled out on the way, and they
had to 60 back after it." The writer says
"these are facts that have long been veri
fed 10 the Waxhaw settlement"
You can't tell mans age exactly by
his Christian name, but in a great many
csses-yes, thousands of them-you can
sell the period-the decade 10 which be
was born. From 1915 to 1925 there were
more Southern buys uamed TOR Andrew
Jackson than tor any other man. My
iatuer was merchant for forty years,
aud The a. 's were numerous upon his
books, aud there was no great disparity
iu the ages of those who bore them. For
period of thirty years before this, the
G. WIS and T. J.'s aud J. Ms were the
popular initials. But the charm, the
halo, Of these names has passed away,
and now you will find in the families OF
tae veterans many youth under twenty
FIVE who feels houored with the name OF
Bob Lee or Joe Johnston or John Gur-
don, or some favorite officer under whom
the father served. This is good way to
perpetuate noble deeds and daring, and
costs less than monuments The devotion
of the old soldiers to such leaders is very
beautiful, aud reminds me of veteran
met in Texas who, despairing of any