The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-06-22

''"''S, 'uI u UlI ulNJl'D tGt ! money
mat Is earned. | saw moro mills in
Orangourg and that city is on u boom
bl re mills are being built-built from
tho Vide Of the first NILS. The
town Is stretching out and putting on
Guy airs. | wish il would stretch to
mat Coast Line depot, for it is an aw-
lul long mile for Il man Of nv age to
wax and carry Il valise. | was told
that "A hack would come for me at half
past 0 O'Clock, but as it did not come. |
walked FOR fear Of being left. 1t was a
little after day break by hat Eastern
Time n had hardly got rested in the
depot before the street car came roll
Ing Gown without n passenger. What
an ldiot | was, but nobody told me how
10 10 and | wouldent have been left fC
Slo. But think Of it, | left at & O'clock
ana reached Atlanta at II o'c!ock-26l
mites In SIX hours, forty-tbree miles an
ho"r, including stoppages. This was
the fastest travelling | ever did in my
NE. | visited another town that ia
Just taking on its second growth. ST.
Georges is a lovely little village thai
mas recently been made u county seat
ana the people are proud, very proud.
they are preparing to build a court
house and expect that factories and
street cars and waterworks and gas
lights will soon follow.
But right now" said my friend, "we
nave a town full of the prettiest girls
In the State.' Yes. His wife is ia
Europe and every girl looks sweet to
MIN. learned that the town was
named Tor a clever old settler by the
name OF George, but how he came to be
canonized into q saint | did not learn.
meta Howell there-a cousin Of Evan.
he Is editor, postmaster and general
tactItum and 81 rahpl tp tbn ,,ro n,,
W D.. Is. Freeman, Of Gainesville,
another editor, has proved his claim to
be the youngest soldier Of the Confed-
acy, but Howell pushes him very close,
Tor he ran away when he was fifteen
years old and fought at Vicksburg and
Chickamauga and then got into a hos
pltal at Rome and DR.. Miller took pity
on the beardless sick boy and cared for
him two months at his own home, and
then sent him home 70 his mother.
But ~Barnwell, old time honored
Barnweil, quiet, peaceful Barnwell,
gave me the most royal welcome.
Those good people are not in a hurry
about anything except once a year, and
that Is on the race track. They trot
around that and TALK politics and dis.
cuss Tlilmanism and the ~dispensary o..
the way. What fine old gentlemen
met. A ripper scholar than Colonel
Simms, u son Of William Gilmore
Simms, can hardly be found. A hand
some man and a pleasant and earnest
talker. Thent there was Ex-Governor
Hagood-General Hagocd, the horo of
Petersburg. His solid, massive, benevc-
lent lace made an impression on me that
will endure as long as | endure. But who
would have thought of duding there a
brother OF Mrs. Lincolu-Dr. Todd, a
leading physician and surgeon, a friend
to the South a lifelong Democrat
he has domictled there ever since the
war and commands the respect of tina
people. ! knew his younger brother,
who was al unter rifed rebel and was
an aid de camp on Joe Johnston's stan
Is 1T not singular that all Mrs. Lin.
coins kindred were loyal to the South
during the struggle? | remember tina,
one OF her nieces presented IL flag tc
the Selma Guards when they started t
Virginia. wonder ii Mrs. Lincolr,s
kindred were all traitors and guilty OF
treason.
But | am home again and happy =
not that | was unhappy while away
but u feeling OF rest and repose comes
over me here that | cannot find abroad
| would never leave home If there was
not a pressure OF necessity and | count
the days and the hours when | shall
return.
There has been another birthday il
the family and | was bound to be here
My, wife, Mrs. Arp, shall not close hel
sl~xty-hith year without my presence
1T Is all over nOw-the morning kiss
and a ten dollar bill slipped under he,
breakfast plate was the best | could dc
and don't know yet which was mos
appreciated. She will spend that mon,
ey on some OF the children or grand,
children. Strange To tell, but it is true.
one of our neighbols has the same
birthday and is the same age and in.
vited my wife to dine. OF course she
accepted and found there a goodly
company of matrons. There were nine
OF them and they we're over 600 years
old. No, | don't mean that; | mean
That the sum OF their several ages was
600. Some OF their ages had to be
guessed at for they were widows,
They talked principally about ante.
bellum days and the times "whon mig.
gers was" and about the falling OF the
stars and when matches and steel pens
and cooking stoves and Kerosene oil
first came, and about the old high
swung carriages their fathers owned,
and how che steps folded up in the door
and were let down like a staircase, and
a little mig stood up behind and a big
mig SET up before on u hickey and was
proud of belonging to quality folks
Ihen one of the most ancient of these
matrons said that kind Of riding was
all right and ladylike, but as for her,
she never intended to ride q bicycle,
no, indeed-not unless they invent
a side saddle arrangement, said an,
other.
1t was a goodly company and no rude
a need apply. They discussed no
gossip AMI had kind words for every.
body anc closed the happy communion
with prayer-a good, humble, grateful
prayer by one Of their number. NV
wife says 1T was a day to be remember
ed, and che has invited them all to
meet at our house on her next birthday
and spend another centennial. Amen
and amen, say |, and may the good
Lord take none OF them away.
BILL ARP