The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-09-19

paid tribute and whose graves Gray
immortalized in his eulegy. These
people have their faults and their
prejudices, but in time of trouble I
| would rather depend upon one of them
| than upon a score of purse-proud aris-
tocrats. How thoughtful they are. of
heir ch ildren's morals. "Mr. McMul-
len, said L: eff it won't pay you to
market these oranges why don't you
make wine of them. I see it selling
in town at so cents a quart and it is
nearly as good as sherry
eyes," said he, II know it makes
good wine, but there is lot Of grand
children growing up around me and /
am afraid to take the responsibility.
I am not prohibitionist, but I don't
want to lead my own flesh and blood
into temptation. He lives four miles
from town and the ground beneath his
beautiful grove was yellow with the
golden fruit. Late returns from the
sale of common oranges have discour-
aged the owners from gathering and
boxing and hauling to town and taking
their chances with the commission
merchant. The 100000 boxes that
a month ago were supposed to repre-
sent $6,OOO,OOO of profit will hardly
reach the half of it. And yet every
body wants a grove, and everybody
who lives here or winters here ought
to have a small one for home ornament
and house use: I have never ceased
to admire the exquisite beauty of an
orange tree in blossom or in fruit, and
if I get home here 1 will have
dozen bearing trees transplanted to
my lot. What is Florida for but to
enjoy? This delicious climate: was
givea it by kind providence to re-
store the invalids of more northern
latitudes. How many people have l
asked "what brought you here ?'' and
the almost invariable answeris, Twas
suffering from lung trouble or asthma
or catarrh and I am cured" or "my
father or my mother was suffering and
moved here" Certain it is that l
have improved and our little grand
child is now picture of rosy health.
To save one precious life is worth
more than the travel and expense Of
getting here.
But how about the summers I? 1
don't know from experience, but our
Gainesville friends who have lived
here for several years smile at the
idea of the summers being any more
oppressive than in upper Georgia.
Mr.. 'Anspaugh and his wife both say
that the cooling breeze from the gulf
never fails them day or night, and l
will believe anything they tell me.
Mr.. Anspaugh is plasterer by trade
and has held more mortar over his
shoulder than any man in Florida.
He is a horny-handed son of toll and
those are the men who have no talent
for lying or exaggeration. When l
want the truth without dissimulation
I inquire of Lewis Anspaugh. Work
is dull now and so he and his good
wife are taking boarders. They have
fourteen in all and every one says he
is content. My respect for the toilers
increases with age. Longfellows s
most beautiful poem is his tribute to
the village blacksmith.
But still there comes a time when
we want more money and less work.
AS we near our three score years and
ten and the limbs get stiff and the
blood gets thin and cold we feel like
we have fit enough as old man Gambler
said to DR.. Miller after the first battle
of Manassas. The old man was over
seventy, but he fought all day like
lion. That night he was nearly dead
and sent for the doctor. "Give me
discharge, doctor, for I have fit
enough" BILL ARP.
A Pretty Incident.