The Van Buren press., 1898-09-24

tity and quality of the fruit, and they
The output is about 5000 cans day,
but did not find out how much money
it brought. The owner says he is 60
ing To build a crate factory for the
next peach crop. When | expressed my
fear that timber could not be found
l was told that Judge Lawson had !, roo
acres of sweet gum forest in one body,
and that would run factory for many
gears. | never saw any forests of any
kind as | journeyed TO Eatonton. l
saw nothing hardly save cotton
cotton field after cotton field
with here and there at magnif
cent distances few acres OF
pines-young pines that had sue
ceeded the old oak forests and were
now carefully preserved for special
uses. There is an increased acreage
of cotton all over this beautiful undu
lating region, and it betokens a most
bount tiful crop. How kind these farm
ers are to Us. We get our cotton goods
now for almost nothing, but the farm
ers sympathize with our poverty aud
intend to make them cheaper still.
| did not mention Eatonton as the
home of Joel Chandler Harris in his
boyhood, but | did not forget him.
The Eatonton people won't let you
forget him. They love him and are
proud of him. Mr.. Denham told me
that he got whipping once from i'm
posing on Harris, and he was glad of
it, for he deserved it. Said he: Il
was going to school to a Mr.. Turn
well and Joel had to pass our way
every day on his way to his work. He
didn't seem to care a darn about us
boys and so one day we waylaid him
and pelted him with aeorns. The
ground was covered with big acorns
and we gathered them by the hatful
| and pocketful, and charged on the lit
| tie red-headed rascal. He showed fight
| for awhile, but soon broke down and
ran like a turkey. We never did find
out who told on us, but he didn't, and
the next morning our teacher gave us
lecture about our bad conduct in
imposing ON that poor little boy, and
he gave all three of us good licking.
Long after that | felt like l ought
to apologize to Joel, but reckon that
honors are about easy"
But | missed the Branhams. Alas!
how many changes old Anno Domini
brings about in a few brief years.
| When | last visited Eatonton Dr.. Rich
Branham was preaching there and his
younger brother was teaching there.
and | was their honored guest. The
| Branhams had been conspicuous fig
ures in Putnam county for Is years,
but now there are nothing but graves
| and marble slabs and monuments to
| preserve the name from oblivion.
Here, too, was the home OF Mark A.
| Cooper for many years. He was
| grand man, a pioneer in Georgia's
progress in manufacturing and in ag-
riculture. He it was who induced the
formation of the State Agricultural
society and was its first president and
his name deserves place and tablet
in our capitol.
With many regrets departed from
Eatonton and found my travelling
companion the same DR.. bowman
who greeted me with a cordial well
come. l love to travel with such men
abroad, for l fell like Providence will
take care of them and l. too, will be
safe. Nor can l forget the exceeding
kindness of my hostess, Mrs. Rainey,
and her little boy, who chaperoned
me, nor the many kind courtesies Of
Mr.. Reese and Mr.. Adams, of The Mes
senger. They are gentlemen by nature
and couldn't be otherwise.-Bill Arp,
| in Atlanta Constitution,