The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-07-10


down South? Not in town or city or
village, but way off in the country, among
the plantations, where man drives over
FIVE miles before he hits the particular
bark -bIazed trees that mark the beginning
Of his neighbor' land, where no planta-
ton is close enough to the other so that
the cattle get mixed up when the pasture
fence is down anywhere, or one house
wife hens lay in another housewife hen
house? People go out to spend the day
in that region--they don t go to luncheon,
or to dinner, or to calI-they 90 literally
to spend the day; not to employ it or to
occupy it, or to turn it to any use what
soever, but merely to squander 1t IN a
reckless, purposeless sort of dalliance that
is irritating to persons of advanced view
and that could not possibly fill the social
void that it does but for the fact that those
oId-time plantation folks have not yet
awakened to the knowledge that nothing
amounts to anything after all, that large
matters are foregone conclusions, that small
matters are not worth bothering with, and
that all that really does signify is mental
improvement and social betterment and
financial furtherment. The rest of the
world worried out this secret a good while
ago, but they have not found it out yet,
although it may dawn upon them in the
latter part of the next century,
Did you ever spend the day, 10 fact, in
q mart of the country where finance has
never been wooed seriously, not to say
won, unless the bags of silver half dollars
and quarters that the cotton factor sends
up in the fall might be so construed; and
the phrases haven time, aud u
really must are as Sanscrit, seldom heard
on formulated; where social betterment is
impossible, because of lines fixed long ago,
and where mental processes dear me,
these people never dream of mental pre-
eesses. They are not given to examining
themselves microscopically and to search
ing for motives and for mainsprings Of ac
ton. If words sound good to them, and
proposals seem fair, and propounded theo
ries chime in with their pet prejudices,
they accept the pleasant augury without
getting up on mental stills to inquire why;
and if they enjoy the season crop Of
raspberries better this year than they did
last they do not probe for the reason.
They are sure to have raspberries and
every other kind of berries and good things
the day you 90 to spend the day. They
may not know you are coming, you and
your friends whom you take with you to
be their friends, but that makes no differ
ence The housewife brags on her gar
den. her husband on his beef club, and
the cook and her agile assistants are prac
tised on running down plump-looking
chickens on short notice, and Pumping
them in the pot or in the pie, or, more
likely, in the frying pan. No matter how
many people you take with you on sur
prise, it will be no trouble; company of
the right sort is benefaction in that cot
ton country, not an affection to be as
suaged by a mental toning up afterward, or
an interruption to be stood as best it can.
You may rest assured that the day those
Miss L. S spent with us, the young ladies,
) YOU remember, who were visiting at Col
Farows' for it may have been at Judge
Bennett's or Capt Atwoods), will go
down in household history as delightful
day, and the way that the eldest Miss L.
was persuaded to sing Miss i. was up
in music and knew all the time that her
auditors knew nothing about IT'D will be
remembered with genuine pleasure, These
plantationists do not require memory
books and s'guest registers to remind
them of the people they like.
'They meaning whoever is invited,
OF whosoever listeth-set off early about
this spending the-day business. In the
summer season they must get to their des
tiDatioD before the sun gets too hot, and
must stay there until it stops being hot.
This is well for man and beast-both for
the horse flesh that draws and the man
flesh that drives and is driven. Some
times it is mule flesh that is delegated to
the task, for mules can be groomed into
fitness for pleasure party, and they are
immune to the sun. A pair of roam or
black mules, well-shaven and clipped, APP
pes to good advantage set off in shining
harness much as does black skinned field
hand when trigged out in best Sunday go
tO-meetin clothes.
''We must get off before s or we will
broil, 1t is announced the night before.
Bearing this in mind, everybody is on
had in due season.
The way lies across country, through
winding woods roads where jealous twigs
and low hanging limbs reach over the way
and touch, and where skilful engineering
is required to get around stumps and fallen
logs. '.Look out p warns the driver as
he sees that a spiteful twig must be met
and averted Have care = he calls
out as the wheels cant ominously into some
rain washed gully that the mules refuse to
straddle Now the party jolts over a
quarter mile corduroy swamp road, with
the moist air breathing of shrubs and with
bay blossoms, and gaudy flowers that the
negroes call Fpainted faces peering
through the gloom OR either side. Straight
way they come out into great sun-baked
EledTlifSs, WueIt tic ululCS ttlC pun W IhCh
trumps to tug through the yielding sand,
and there is nothing in sight but a negro
or two squatted in the distance.
On through turpentine lands and old
field pines and carefully tended cotton
acres they 60 and at length the baying of
hounds and the glimpse of red brick Chin
neys showing through the trees tell that
the haven is near The hoof beats on
the hard, piney woods road that winds
round back of the orchard give warning of
their approach, and by the time the front
gate is reached black midget is there to
open it, smiling from ear to ear and bent
on doing the honors in so far as he may
HDey's all home p he announces,
cheerily, swinging the gate back to its
utmost and ordering off leaping dog or
two that threaten to impede progress.
Miss Anna been ride off piece, but she
just now git back.
The master comes out on the front steps
to meet his visitors, the light falling full
on his uncovered head, his face kindling
with expectant pleasure. His glad to
see you does not need the hearty hand
grasp and words of salutation to make the
welcome felt The merest stranger feels
=: al 4k.A IL =, o.l,J -, ,.o4,r,, 20 con