The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-06-20
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Visiting Around on the Farms and Talk
ing with Farmers.
atlanta Constitution.


Instead of going to the X-roads to
listen to candidates, Brown and | de-
voted the week seeking out the good
things Of rural life.
The lawyer, the doctor, the preach
CT, the merchant, the banker, as we'll
as the mcchanic-cvcry one who has
ever tasted Of country life is proud to
own that they were born in the coun-
try, and that their father was a far
mer. Childhood can never be COM
plctc without romp in the wildwoods,
a stroll in the fields, rest in the
shades and mingling with the good
country people. | pity the man or
the woman who has missed the sweets
of living in the country. But there
is very great difference in country
homes.
Brown has raised large family Of
children, and it is from him that [
have drawn the most of my conclu-
sions of child life on the farm. 1t
won't t do to take one old rough fellow
like Brown and size up the perplcxi-
tics and pleasures as pictured by him,
but for all the fact that this old friend
of mine rises from his bed with a loud
voice and hurrying mood, there is
not a child of all his thirteen but
what is proud of it's daddy, and all Of
the 14S grandchildren with the multi
piled number of great-grandchildren
think he is just as smart as | am, if
not little smarter. [ know Browns S
home life, and sometimes [ think to
myself that it is a wonder his children
are so badly "stuck" on him and are,
withall, such nice folks, for it has
been the first thing in the morning
and the last thing at night for them
to hear some complaint or some dark
forcbodings Of hard times ahead. He
has always hustled them out of bed
with the unpleasant reminders that
grass was whooping itself and that
they dident half work on the day
before; that his family eat more and
worked less, and 'here the sun will
be rising before We get to the field. "
Such as this, and more, is the music
that his children have grown up un-
der, and yet they are happy and
bright, and sometimes I think that it
is only the beauties of nature, the
cheer Of the birds, the ripple of the
waters-such as this, and a contact
with it, that makes them capable of
being so pleasant and cheerful as they
are.
Brown sees his mistake. 1t i'm
pressed us both as We visited round
last week. At one place Brown could
see himself-a howl after the children
in the morning, a hurrying through
the day-a fret and fume at every.
thing. At another place We could
see the workings of an even temper
house in accord. The children took
time to be neat, took time to exhibit
nice courtcsies, took time to be affec-
tionate, and these worked together to
have the labors performed in smooth
but solid way which fills the homo
with comforts as substantial as life,
with joys as sweet as the laugh OF
childhood. Brown says now that if
he had his life to live over that he
would never scar the heart of child
and never wrong an innocent wife by
fume and fury which brings no more
Of prosperity and much less Of the
joys of country life. But he adds
in the wind up that there is great
big difference in visiting round and in
coming right down to the real thing of
keeping the sitter going at your own
home when poor devil has been
"blessed' with twelve daughters and
one boy-and the boy born with the
notion that he should ornament some
one of the professions, and all the
daughters and the old oman stick up
to him on it.
But did not start out to drift into
Browns family affairs. Wherever
we heard of an extra prosperous far
mer, it was there We headed. We
avoided all X-road stores that we
could, and thus kept out of politics.
Only once did we pass a store-that
was Panthersville. l can remember
the time when fellow would have
had to pass this place in run to
keep from having a fight there, but
there is nothing of that kind now
politics has took the place of fighting.
and no horse is feet enough to get by
without hearing the voice Of Mr..
White, backed up by stalwart black,
smith whom they call ''Big Rilc. "
Brown and I had heard of these two
Panthcrvillians, and had also heard
that they had talked venerable friend
of ours-Dr. Hitchcock-prctty nigh
to death On the silver question, and
that DR.. Goss fcigncd the deaf and
dumb racket whenever he was COM
PEELED to meet them and listen to
their tariff talk. We discussed this
as we rode along studying how to avoid
the contact. We knew that it was
somewhat of job to prostrate our
venerable friend Hitchcock in silver
discussion, but when We thought OF
any calamity that would silence DIR.
Goss on tariff we felt it duty to our
families to escape it. TO make the
story short, we did not cscape-no one
can escapc-but the good DR.. Brant-
ley from Atlanta happened to be
present, and gave it as his professional
opinion that Brown would be a dead
man in five minutes if turn was not
given to the conversation. "Big
Rilc" was generous enough to clap
his hand over Whites mouth and
hold him till we got away. But for
this, VIC should never have arrived at
the pretty country home of one MIR.
Keller -
This Mr.. Keller is little sawed off
Switzcrlander who has settled in Gcor-
gia to honor the old State and to
rcprovc Gcorgians who would seek for
better lands or happier homes in other
climcs. 1t suits my purpose to praise
this brainy and clever Switzerlandcr
as showing what Georgia can do, and,
besides, he deserves all praise for his
character as gentleman and his
friendship as neighbor. HIS farm
is thing of beauty. He is just now
ready to harvest field of oats that
every one estimates will yield fifty
bushels to the acre. All the farm of
Il