The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-04-24
BILL ARp'S LETTER.
The Advent Of Spring Indicates Relation
of Hardships He Undergoes.
Atlanta Constitution.

of Hardshtps He Unoergoes.
Atlanta Constitution.
Twas ruminating about the return
of spring.
It is blessed pleasure to sit in the
piazza and look out upon nature that
is now budding into beauty and put.
ting on her pantaletts and decking
herself with flowers like a May Day
queen. Natures beauty costs moth.
ing, and is the loveliest Of all. 1 like
things that cost nothing-no money,
no labor ncr toil-but my wife likes
some that require work and there S
nobody here but me. She says that
nature can't put on new clothes until
the old ones are removed, and so /
have to rake up the leaves and trash
and haul them off in the wheel barrow
and the flower beds had to be renewed
and refertilized and the old vines torn
down from the trellisses and the bulbs
and verbenas and geraniums brought
out of the greenhouses and reset in
their beds. When I get tired she
says may swap work by digging in
the garden, and so she manages to keep
me busy, and all I get is little praise
now and then. If it wasn't for her I
don't reckon I would do much Of any
thing but sit around and ruminate.
I've got beautiful garden and am
proud Of it, for | am horny-handed
son of toll. I have eight long rows Of
strawberries that are full of fruit.
We thought it was cold enough last
night to make frost, and so, to save
my beans, my daughter pasted lot Of
newspapers together in long roll and
then I unrolled it over the bean rows
and fastened it down with few stones
and told the weather to frost if it
wanted to. Newspapers are as good
as blanket, and it takes but little
while to paste them together. My
wife says I am a good worker when ]
get at it. That's all she says, but l
kuUW WudU ouc moduo'
We we're both Illuminating about
spring and the time to decorate the
graves, and about the anniversary Of
the surrender, for about this time 30
years ago there was trouble in this
country-this southern country. The
war was over, but there was not very
much peace. There was more fear
than peace-fear of lawlessness at
home and oppression from our con-
querors. And there was fear Of suf-
fering, for there was but little corn
and no meat from the last year 8 crop:
There were widows and children all
over the land, but there were no cat
tie, no sheep, nor hogs, and but few
chickens. The returning soldiers
brought back some sore-back mules,
but there was nothing to feed them
on. While the northern soldiers went
home in triumph, singing songs Of
victory about marching through Geor-
gia, the Georgia boys were browsing
the mules on the coming grass and
digging up their old plow stocks and
patching the gear with hickory bark.
But the long war was over, and that
was enough. The boys had got back
to home and freside and said they
could eat roots and drink branch water
and be happy. Not all the boys had
got back, for there were thousands in
federal prisons and it took time and
red tape to release them. After they
were discharged it took time and char
ity to get them home, for they had no
money and had to beg or work their
way. On every road, these returning
soldiers came. It was a picture too
big for painter, or else it would have
been painted, long ago. "The return
of the boys in gray" unshaved, un-
washed, unkempt, they plodded along
from day to day, weary and hungry
and footsore, but homeward bound,
most of them to humble, country cot
tages, where perhaps there was a
mother missing or sister or some
loved member Of the family. Even
the dog that used to bark was dead.
The cow was gone, for Sherman's
burners had taken her, but there were
a few potatoes in the hill and few
chickens left and a little meal that
had been hidden from the scouts. 1
bought the only cow that was for sale
in our County, and she had been hid
out in canebrake. I gave $10i in gold
for five bushels of corn away down in
Alabama. I had it hidden at old
Rowland Bryant's, down the river,
and he had it ground at naboring
mill by night and brought me half a
bushel at time, secreted under the
seat of his old buggy. There were six
children then at our house, and they
were hungry. We never thought of
meat or sugar or coffee. Bread and
milk and sorghum were good enough
for anybody. But there was no re-
pining. The family was reunited and
at home and that was the big thing.
Poverty was nothing in comparison.
The war was over and our people were
sad and they were glad. 1t had been
virtually over for several months and
the soldiers knew it and had got some
what reconciled, and home and wife
and children were on their hearts.
Then, there were the returning refu-
gees whom Sherman had driven from
the line Of his march to the sea. He
shelled the woods before him and they
fled. There were none to fee but old
men and women and children. He
burned their towns and seized their
stock and ordered them to "git," for
he was going to make war horrible,
and he did it. Such desolated coun-
try for 81 miles in width has not been
seen in centuries.
And my wife looked away off dream
lily and said, eyes, it is pretty near
the anniversary of our runagee trip
n L hf,,,