The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-23
BILL ARP'S LETTER:
Arp at Home Again.
Atlanta Constitution.

It is worth going away from home to
return again and find a welcome from
kindred and friends. It was long,
weary ride, but every mile stone was
a comfort and every station gave hope
and faith that no accident would be-
fall us. We had one alarm when
nearing Palatka, for the woods were
on fire and the wind was blowing the
leaping flames across the track. The
engineer halted his train and hesitated.
After brief interview with the con-
ductor the train vas backed quarter
Of mile, the windows we're all put
down, the vestibules closed, the steam
put on to its full power and away we
went to run the fiery gauntlet at the
rate of mile a minute. But it was
hot-intensely hot. Though the
glass kept out the flames, it did not
keep out the heat. If the run had
been a little longer every pane would
have shivered and the cars would have
caught on fire, but still every passen-
ger was willing to make the race.
Who does not like to ride mile a
minute and take the chances =? Even
the engineer will do jt if he is per-
mitted. How proud he is to be point
ed out as the man who took the light
ming train from Jacksonville to Yew
York. He is a. hero-he is.
We reached home at 10 o'clock at
night and found the family mansion
all lighted up and the kindred on the
verandah and old Aunt Ann and I'm
Gle Sam in the background and the big
dog and little dog alert, for they, too,
seemed to expect US, and for while
there was shower of kisses and how
dys and welcomes and barkings and
waggings of canine tails.
But it was sad to see the havoc that
the great freeze had made. Intense
heat and intense cold must be close
akin, for all along the route from
Jacksonville the dead and withered
leaves on the treetops and among the
shrubbery gave an appearance Of fire
instead Of freeze, and when we sur
veyed our own surrounding at home
we found not green leaf left-no
fruit, no plums, no garden coming on {;
strawberries paralyzed, raspberries
killed to the roots, grape vines scorch-
ed, for what the freeze had left Of
vegetation the hail that came week
after finished the work Of destruction.
What a wonderful power is in ma
ture to restore herself and make good
her losses. It has been but three
weeks since we reached home, and now
everything is loyely-the trees are all
in leaf again-the grass is green, the
strawberries are giving us some fruit,
the garden has beans in bloom and
peas in the pod and potatoes big
enough to steal a few. I alway steal
q few before breakfast, just as sur
prise, you know. Just to hear my
wife exclaim when Aunt Ann slips
the savory dish under her eyes. We
had been iuxuriating on all these
things for months in Florida, but
there is nothing like having your own.
I beg pardon for mentioning Florida,
for 1 have been admonished to let up
on Clearwater. 1 am at home in old
Georgia now and We are happy. We
came from spring to spring, and for
the first time in our lives skipped over
a long, hard winter. We had straw
berries from the 10th of January to
the 1st of May and can do without
now. If the good Lord spares our
lives aud our people make another
good crop and Congress passes the
tariff bill and that Coxey gang don't
bust up the government, we calculate
on spending the next winterin Florida
just to save winter clothes and blan-
kets and coal and horse feed if moth
ing else. But I beg pardon am on
Florida again. Senator Harris says
that he thinks now they will get to a
vote on the tariff within five or six
weeks-yes, he thinks the debate on it
will not take longer than six weeks.
Merciful heayen-oh, for Cromwell
to dissolve that parliament Debate =
what for? Isn't the argument already
exhausted ? Haven't the Senators all
made up their minds T? Do they ex-
pect to change single vote by debat-
ing Is there constituent in all the
land who wants more talking done !?
Is there anybody who will read an
other rsneech +? Then why debate ?
Why not vote and be done with it ?
Verify, Nero is fddling again.
I had letter yesterday from a
friend who says there is no truth in
the charge that is going around in the
press and among the people that there
is courthouse ring in Georgia, and
that if there is it is not ring for At
kinson, for two-thirds of the judges
and solicitors are for Evans. Well;
we are grati6ed to have it denied by
somebody. I thought that may be
some of the judges would deny it for
the sake Of their own reputation, but
they have not done so in public. l
had not heard that the ring was COM
mitted to Atkinson, but that it was a
ring for themselves and I do know
that there is some foundation for the
charge. Maybe it has bursted. l
hope so. As for General Evans and
Mr.. Atkinson, l know many good men
who would be perfectly content with
either as our Governor, and who la
ment the bitterness of the canvass.
Cant these 2x4 editors and politi-
clans conduct the canvass in gentle
manly way and be proud that we have
two such men in Georgia I? In the
grand old days when Patrick Henry
and John Randolph ran against each
other for Congress the people aocked
to hear them from far and near and at
Charlottesville, when both were
through speaking and their over
whelming eloquence had thrilled and
charmed the multitude, the people
with one accord seized them on their
arms and carried them on their shoul-
ders round and round, shouting as
they went: "These are Virginia S
sons, of whom we are all proud, and
they shall not separate u.s. Cannot
a Georgia patriot say the same about
our candidates Has either done
anything of which we are ashamed !!
Then let us frown upon all this scan