The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-06-05
BILL ARp'S LETTER.
A Friend Helps Him 10 Oct Out Of He
Financial Difficulties.
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Little things give more pleasure in
this sublunary life than big ones.
That old nursery rhyme about "little
drops of water, little grains of sand"
tells a truth that everybody loves :
'little deeds Of kindness, little words
of love-" A good neighbor said to me
to-day: stMy wife's greatest pleasure
seems to be in doing something for
somebody, OF giving something away.
This morning she cut all the aspara-
gus and was anticipating luxurious
feast, when I saw her tie it up and
send it off to a neighbor. What did
you do that for said I; why didn't
you have it for dinner?' well, said
she, we have had it almost every day
and Mrs. s. has not had any, and she
is very fond of it, and I had rather
give it to her than eat it myself My
wife is always planning how she can
do something for somebody. We are
DOOR as Lazarus, but my wife will send
something to somebody if it is only q
collection Of pretty flowers. Her re-
ligion is to give all the pleasure she
can to neighbors-to make somebody
happy for little while"
That is the most. comforting pleas
ure~-+ know, of. .-Sbme philosophes
said he had never saved anything e1-
cept what he gave away that paid good
interest, and it does. I have helped
some people in my life. I have lifted
them up out of despair, and the reac-
tion has given me more comfort than
anything else. 1 don't know whether
it was interested or disinterested be-
nevolence, but I do know that it has
given me comfort every time I think
Of it. I had some good luck shortly
after tho war and the poor fellows
who were Jon starvation were not far
away. They are nearly all dead, but
Ilove t6 think that I divided with
them. Misery does not like to ask
for help. Misery is the most reluc,
.tant thing on earth. Of course, there
are frauds and imposterS, but most Of
the beggars are real. Beggars is a
hard name. I saw a woman yesterday
on Marietta street.-the child in her
arms was proof enough, and I dropped
a quarter in her tumbler and went on.
She had sad, sweet face. Suppose
she was a fraud, I had given but a
mite and I know, she needed it. Am
I to stop and investigate the woman s
conduct or necessities; am I to "cross
over on the other side,' as the Scrip.
lures tell us Of the people who would
not help the unfortunate.
These panicky time are awful. My
pen has ceased to pay my way, and
knowing that / had lots Of friends, !!
sought to bridge over the financial
chasm and began to look about for a
financial friend. They told me that
Atlanta was full of money, but I must
have a local indorser. Well, | have,
I know, a thousand friends in Atlanta
"a thousand good people who love me
and I love them, but when it comes
down to money I was not sure Of ten
no, nor FIVE. I tried a. few and failed
they didn't indorse-they had sworn
off.
"And what is friendship but a
name,
A charm that lulls to sleep"
Z But I did find two out Of q hundred
tbonsond two great. bip-hearted
friends who said: "Yes, Iwillindorse
for you if I have it to pay mysef-
how much do you want?n "Only
$780," said I, andI got the money
and t was grateful: Tie truth is /
was afraid to askanybody, for Friend
ship is but name-a charm that lulls
to Sleep"
But let me tell you something more
about little things. Last summer l
planted seven rows of strawberries
from runners. That made ten rows
old and young. watered them in
summer and mulched them with half
rotted oak leaves in the early fall.
The patch is only 60x30 feet, and we
have gathered 40 gallons from it. We
could have sold them at 10 cents a
quart, I know, for they are very fine.
They are not two inches in diameter,
nor one inch, but they are fine. But
we did not sell them. We sent them
around to our good friends and that
gave us more pleasure; and then we
cooked them up into jam and will have
something good for the winter. The
raspberries will come next, and then
the blackberries, and will now have
lots of jam, for sugar il now the
cheapest thing in this country.
Now 60130 feet in only ], 300 square
feet, and that-is only one-twenty-ffth
part of an acre-wsll, 40 gallons are
Eve bushels, and they are worth at
least $3.50 a bushel, and that is over
three hundred dollars an acre. That
beats cotton, or corn or anything else.
Strawberries will pay at 5 cents a
quart, for that is $1.60 . bushel. ]
take more comfort in picking the ber-
ries than anything, and one of our little
grandchildren loves to help me, and
every big one she finds she holds it up
and says; "Grandpa, here is bus.
ter"
I have made my OWN garden, and
now we.are luxuriating on green peas
and Irish potatoes and snap beans,
and don't care a darn about gold OF
silver. Carlisle's speech is good
one, and he may be right or he may
be wrong, but what bothers me is that
such noble men as Senator Daniel and
Senator Morgan and Justice Jackson,
of the supreme court, have spoken m
favor of free coinage of silver, and
great men have spoken against it and
It keeps us common people in doubt
as to what ought to be done. But al
nothing can be done for two years,
don't care and am not going to bother
myself about it. Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof" We poor
folks will all perish to death before
that time or the times will got better
We are still all out of Jail, thank the
good Lord for His mercies. When ]
see great and good men differing sc
widely on this financial question,
recall the scene when Randolph and
Patrick Henry spoke at Charlottes
Vile, Va, and the people could not
decide between them, but took both
of them on their shoulders and carried