The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1896-11-30
Philosopher Gathers tho BfOWa L'aTsS,
DurnS Them and Sweeps Walks.
MEETS a FRIEND OF YEARS ago
Bartow's Sage Hears Man Compli-
nent His Wife and Recalls =
Childhood Days.


viVe our disappointments and, as Ut. "lll-
Ter used 10 say, learn TO spell the worn
acquiesce. He always pronounced IL WIN
the first Ions like it was acGuieece' mn
seems to he tho young mems era ana l
reckon they can run tho machine, but
must say that it has been long time
since / have had my choice in anything
outside of home. ! am doing reasonably
well under my own vine and hg tree, Whcro
am elected ali the time. The fact IS
never fail from grace inside of my own
premises, though sometimes things are
not calm and serene even there.
worked hard yesterday cleaning up the
flower garden and got in quite a sweat
of Precipitation. The leaves from our big
trees had blown all over the beds and the
chrysanthemums had fallen down and had
to be staked up and tied and the ca
Gamma stocks had to ne cut down ana re-
moved. BY the time / had got everythihs
in good order and the leaves all burned ana
the walks ral1ed out thought II was about
time to receive some praise from some
body, for l had observed that Mrs. arp
was sewing by thu open window ana oc-
casionally gave me an uxorial glance anu
so l sat down the iron seat ana moPpeu
the honest dew from my aged foreAeai.
Suddenly she drew near the window ana
remarked:
81 wish you could Just sec Mrs. Cra"-
fords front yard ana flower garden; they
are as clean as a parlor. / was there
yesterday at the meeting of the ala So
clety and everything was lovely. Mr.
Crawford certainly knows how to keep
place IN order.
Well that disturbed my tranquility a
little and l was about to say maybe you
had better get him to come up here and
Tx this ore, hut / dident But / waScnt
serene at all and veutured to romar@ that
air. Crawford dident 40 it, for he had TO
weigh cotton all Gay and | reckon 1t was
Mrs. CrawfOrd's work ] paused for re-
ply. but she resumed her needle ana
thread aud / sat and ruminated. When
came TO dinner l continued my broken re-
marks and said that AIR. Crawford dident
have four acres Of hi@ Cak trees to litter
up his little front yard and thought that
q carpet Of rich brown leaves wasent an
uusightiy timing nChow. She asked me 10
send Gown my plate for some chicken.
After another pause | remarked that
had long since foand out that we couldent
hayo every sood thing in one place.
We couldent have a beautiful grove
ana = fine flower garden near 1t
for flowers won't grow under shade. Those
beautiful roses that Mrs. Laramcre sent
me have the sunshine all the day.
Let me help you 10 one of these poached
cggs." she said.
but ] reckon" said ]. as I handed my
plate. Mrs. Crawford had things fixed up
extra line because the aid society was COM
ms,
1t IS going to meet hero next week." my
VIE remarked IN a modifying tone OF voice.
won't son have a glass of buttermilk; 1t
IS fresh ana good"
And so ! save il up, and after dinner she
came out and was quite profuse in her ad-
miration. for she knows tnat it takes lots Of
encouragement 10 keep me at work. III
keep on cleaning up until that aid society
comes ana goes. I'll watch the leaves as
they fall and catch EN- in my hat. I'll
sweep ana sandp3per every walk and then
Mrs. Crawford can 20 home and praise
me to Mr.. Crawford and put him in pouts.
I'm going 10 Put out two more rows OF
strawberry plants today, for she limited
that We hardly bad enough. I heard her
ten the gir.s that she was ashamed of that
Old Yaicncd-up carpet in the dining room.
for it had been down for four winters. and
She wished she di1 have a large rug 20
put under the table I'll surprise her with
ono SOME Of these days when ! sell my
gold mine 1t VIII sell now, reckon, since
Mckinney was elected, for there IS gold IN
it, Ii was the only thing l had that Sher-
mans bummers dident pick up ami carry
on
I Travelled tho other day with an old sol
der from Atlanta to CartefsVilIe. he
couldent lind a seat, and looked troubled
as he toted his old valise up and down the
aisle So l pulled his coattaiI and maze
him ST by me. lie looked thankful. and in
replv to my inquiry, said Re was going to
Calhoun. and from there to his son-in-law S
IN the country. a couples of miles; said he
wanted To see sally and her children
mighty bad
"Sailv is n powerful good woman" said
he, and she mas u good, industrious nus
band, aud they G~e gittin' along mighty
well cousidcrn. Ny old woman diea elsht
years ago. and I'm 50 lonesome at home
fhat / 20 ABOUT and about and stay with
our married children. That's all that an
old man can DO for comfort.
This old veteran was nearing his -FOUR
score and was stiil quite alive and livery.
lie followed ola Joe Johnston All the way
down from Chicamauga and had never been
over the ground since. How the old man
ewes frightened as ! pointed out kennesaw
mountain. though he ssiu ne marched on
The other side toward New Hope churSh.
I'VE mad a hard fight over there ne
said, land we eyerlastngly saiivated en-
rs the boys said. We kept old Sherman
powerful busy burrying of his dead
| pointed out Lost mountain, ana when
we reached the station that they used to
call Big .snanty, the old man stretched up
another iucn aud pointing his trembling
hand. sand: Plight over there is the spring
whore ! used to ill my ola canteen- Yes 1
would te glad TO stop long enough 10 Walk
over there and take one more drink of that
water. We icisod them yankees all around
here. but there was too many of 'em-too
many. They just come up out of the yearth
like locusts in ES4pt.'
The CID MAN was familiar with every
place We passed. and talked fast and
eagerly Nhen ne told me lac was from old
GWinnett and had a farm on Yailer river.
I WAS drawn closer to him and asked him
about the CraSs and NauShans and the
old Moses Liddell place and Shoal creek
and Montgomery mill pond and Fairview
church and the old manual labor school.
The old man locked At me again and again
with q Dew ldered curiosity and finally ven
turei to ask what mout my name he.
''nid YOU Know the AleNdndcrS and Strlck-
lanes and Nathan Hutchins%' said /.
"Oh. yes, [ knowed Or. Alexander and all
Eis boys, aud all the Stricklands
from old biza down and
/ kuowcd the liutchinscs | come
down 10 Atlanta with Fits Hutchns this
morning. He's our judge, you know. and
he's q good friend of mine. | knowd all
tho boys Clarence amt fur from me.
What uoul your name be- said ne.
"Did you know an old man in Lawrence
Vile named Asa Smith?' said |.
"Why. OF course J did; everybody knowd
him. l traded in his store for years and
years. He moved away 10 Floyd county
just before the war. Did YOU ever live in
Lawrcnceville?'
mo Won remember a little dark-slIin,