The Van Buren press., 1897-01-02
ARP TENDS FLOWERS.
Philosopher Burns Brown Leaves
and Sweeps the Walks.
Msets "a Friend of Years Ago-Bartow's
Sage Hears Man Compliment His
Wife and Recalls Child
hood Days.

let us wash our hands and turn over q
rev leaf. 1t is a curious paradox that
hs a general rule a man can't be elected
until he first falls from grace. Poll
tics makes strange mixture of Calvin
ism and Arminianism. But l reckon
we will all survive our disappointments,
and, as DIR. Miller used to say, learn to
spell the word acquiesce. lie always
pronounced it with the first e long, like
IL was aequieece. This seems to be the
young mems era, and | reckos they can
run the machine, but L 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 fig tree, where I am elect
ed all the time. The fact is, l never fall
from grace inside of my own premises,
though sometimes things are not calm
and serene even there.
l worked hard yesterday cleaning up
the flower garden and got in quite
sweat of perspiration. The leaves from
our big trees had blown all over the
beds and the chrysanthemums had
fallen down and had to be stal<ed up
and tied and the old Gamma stocks had
to be cut down and removed. By the
time | had got everything in good order
and the leaves all burned and the walks
raked out l thought it was about time
to receive some praise from somebody,
for l had observed that Mrs. Arp was
sewing by the open window and occa-
sionally gave me an uXorial glance.
And so I sat down on the iron seat and
mopped the honest dew from my aged
forehead. Suddenly she drew near the
window and remarked:
81 wish you could just see Mrs. Craw-
ford's front yard and flower garden;
they are as clean as a parlor. | was
there yesterday at the meeting of the
MD society and everything was lovely.
Mr.. Crawford certainly knows how to
keep place in order"
Well, that disturbed my tranquillitya
little and l was about to say maybe
you had better get him to come up here
and fix this one, but I didn't. But
wasn't serene at all, and yentured to
remark that Mr. Crawford didn't do
II, for he had to weigh cotton all day,
and I reckon it was Mrs. Crawford's
work. I paused for a reply, but she
resumed her needle and thread and |
sat and ruminated. When I came to
dinner I continued my broken remarks
and said that Mr.. Crawford didn't have
Four acres of big oak trees to litter up
his front yard, and I thought that
carpet of rich brown leaves wasn't an
unsghtly thing nohow. She asked me
10 send down my plate for some chick
en-. After another pause I remarked
that had long since found out that
we couldn't have every good thing in
enc place. We couldn't have beautiful
grove and a fine flower garden near it,
for flowers won't grow under shade.
Those beautiful roses that Mrs. Lara
more sent me have the sunshine all the
day.
"Let me help you to one of these
poached eggs" she said.
"But reckon" said I, as handed
lily plate, Mrs. Crawford had things
fixed up extra fine because the aid So
ciety was coming"
at is going to meet here next week."
my wife remarked, in Modifying tone
OF voice. won't you have glass of
huttermilk? 1t is fresh and good"
And so gave it up, and after dinner
she came out and was quite profuse in
her admiration, for she knows that ii
takes lots of encouragement to keep me
at work. I'll keep on cleaning up until
that aid society comes and goes. I'll
watch the leaves as they fall and catch
'em in my hat. I'll sweep and sand
paper every walk and then Mrs. Craw-
ford can go home and praise me to Mr..
Crawford and put him in pouts. Tn
going to put out two more rows of
strawberry plants to-day, for she
limited that we hardly had enough. I
heard her tell the girls that she was
ashamed of that old patched-up carpet
in the dining-room, for it had been
down for four winters, and she wished
she did have large rug to put under
the table. I'll surprise her with one
some of these days when sell my gold
nine. 1t will sell now, reckon, since
Mckinley was elected, for there is gold
in it. 1t was the only thing that / had
that Sherman's bummers didn't pick up
and carry off.
Travelled the other day with an old
soldier from Atlanta to Gainesville. He
couldn't find seat, and looked troubled
as be toted his old valise up and down
the aisle. So pulled his coattail and
made him sit by me. He looked thank
full and in reply to my inquiry, said he
was going to Calhoun, and from there to
his son-in-law's in the country, a couple
Of miles; said he wanted to see Sally and
her children mighty bad
Sally is n powerful good woman"
said he, land she has good, industrious
husband, and they are gittin' along
mighty well considerin'. My old woman
died eight years ago, and I'm so lone
some at home that | go about and
about and stay with our married chill
dren. That's all that an old man can
do for comfort"
This old veteran was nearing his four
score and was still quite alive and lively.
lie followed old Joe Johnston all the
way down from Chicamauga and had
never been over the ground since. How
the old ean's eyes frightened as |
pointed out Kennesaw mountain,
though he said he marched on the other
side, toward New Hope church.
Eve had a hard fight over there" he
said, "and we everlastingly salivate1
'eIn, as the boys said. Wekept old Sher-
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