Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-07-20
Let lis Whoop!

LeD Us w HOVp.
Col. S. II. Hardwick, ASST Gen!
Pass. Agent of the great Southern
Railway, was in our town on Wednes-
day last. In short talk with this
gentleman we learned that he was IN
Edgefield looking after the condition
of the Gap road recently leased by hls
line. He told us the policy of the
Southern was never to bottle up a
town, but rather TO build it up in all
ways they could legitimately, that,
generally speaking, the prosperity OF
the towns prospered the railroads that
passed through them. The Gap road
bed is already receiving much needed
repairs. New coaches and engine have
been put on, new crossties and trestle
timbers are already In stu, and gen.
orally, old "Tumblin" is looking up,
(not up the spout, mind you) Col
Hardwick intimated pretty strongly
that new passenger depot would be
built at the present terminus of the
road on Main street, doing away with
the present depot except for freight
purposes. The most significant and
encouraging thing to us lin this matter
is, not that our little road is to be i'm
proved, but the simple fact that the
Southern has "taken hold" of the Gap
road at all. 1t means that the authorl-
ties of that road see something in the
deal, and if there is anytm g in it for
them tits there likewise for the town
of Edgefield. Let us whoop!
And Arthur Knows.
A. S. Tompkins, Esq, who has just
returned from trip in the country,
saws that the rural "deestricts" are not
nearly so rural as you might suppose
for'instance, you eat at the farmers
table store bought flour, store bought
grits, meat. lard, in fact everything is
bought instead of being grown on the
farm. The smoke-house is abandoned
to the rats, who starve by platoons.
The old corn crib of ante bellum times,
of generous proportions. still stands,
but it is the most forlorn looking OBJ
iect in all the landscape. 1t reminds
Arthur, with its one sack of shelled
corn sitting in the middle of the floor
of single, solitary buzzard on the
dead limb Of blasted pine tree. Ar
thur says the farmer having abandon :
ed the smoke-house to the rats and the
rats having al died, the farmer man
has appropriated little 6xS room IN
his dwelling to hold his rations. Walk
into this little hole and you will see
little sack of so-called flour in one cor
ner ahout the size of shot bag, sitting
On a. chair you will see another paper
sack of meal and gHts, and that fills
the bill, except rasher of white meat
tied to string from the joist, that is
all. No wonder the farmer man doesn't
ask you to slight and stay all night"
as he used to in the good old fat times
before the war. He just can't afford it
and you wouldn't enjoy it either In
asking fellow to slight and stay all
night" before the war. you had the
general assurance that lie wasn't hum
CRY, but if he was you could fill him
up. Now, in these latter days, If you
ask him to slight" you may be sure he
will DO SO, :haU ! . is hungry, and that
you can't fill him mp to your satisfac-
ton or his either. Arthur says he sees
only one good result from the deca-
dance of the corn crib and the smoke
house, it is this: The rats nave nearly
all left the country.