The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-01-09
THE GOOD AND BAD THINGS.
The Joy That Came to a Poor
Family In an Unexpected WAY.

10 start at the beginning, | would
have to go back to the hills from whence
the Saluda river, in G%reenville
South Carolina, to a period OF
over twenty years ago.
About this time there lived some ten
or twelve miles from the village Of
Greenyille a family, recently moved into
our community, to await the starting Of
the George w. Scott factory. Their
home in South Carolina was not so
humble as the n they now occupy, nor
were their circumstances 80 distressed.
Inc truth is that it is u family who were
doing well on a little farm on the Saluda
river, ou. caught the manis for going to
town and have been working at the
factories in Grcenville village of recent
years, till, at last, they have come
to Georgia seeking work and think with
regret of the home they left, and find it
monstrous hard to keep their sitter going
while the Scott factory is being made
ready for work.
At their home on the Saluda, one dark
cold night, there came a man in a wild
state of delirium. The stranger had lost
his hat, had torn his clothes and, all to.
gcther, were in q forlorn condition from
a protracted spree, but bore every mark
Of a gentleman and Of a maj with plenty
when at himself.
~ shhS W. - thnJN Nv wac tohShi IL nllu
kindly cared for by the family, one Of
the boys, as dark and cold as it was,
mounting his horse and riding three
miles for a doctor. This stranger re.
NAMED several days at this home on The
Saluda, it developing in the meantime
that he had but little money on his per
son. This made no difference with the
Carolina countryman, but when the
time came for the stranger to depart the
~ ~ - o. ,,o ., ,t,vnl ,,~ A.. Ia,t
ance he had and the oldest boy carried
the stranger to Grcenvillc village.
There comes the story. The stranger
would have the boy receive a fine coat
that he himself wore, q genuine broad.
cloth it was, tailor made, and no such
coat had been worn before by any young
man along the Saluda river. That coat
has done service in the couutryman's
family for many years, until recently it
had been hung upon a nail in the she'd
room never to be worn again, it was
thought.
This present Christmas found this
country family in a bad way, between
moving to Georgia and waiting, out Of
work, for the Scot mills to start. 1t is
not necessary for me to state that the
countryman Of Saluda river was a very
different man from the factory operative
that he is now He has grown old and
feeble and 80 has that good wife, and
they together live with a widowed
daughter. where they are several lit tic
grandchildren, who have already learned
that life is a struggle and who expected
not a thing to come their way in the
nature Of Christmas cheer.
1t was just the natural thing for the
grandmother to set her wits to work to
} provide some present for her favorite
!, grandson. 1t was a happy thought, ]
} think, that caused her to decide to get
!. down the old Goa and undertake to
make a small jacket for the grandson
) out OF what was yet sound.
1t was Christmas eve morning when
; the grandmother set herself to work tC
table while the now feeble countryman
} sat in the corner and fully understood
> that it was his part to keep the fire
l punched up. think that both these ole
| people had heavy hearts when the first
rip was made upon tho old coat. One
) sleeve was ripped from its socket, ant
) the old man leaned over and watched as
the grandmother ripped that down to
5 the cuff and hen smoothcd it out or
3 the table. The other sleeve was soon
l out and treated in the same manner
) Then came the work Of carefully rip
) ping out the lining. AS this proceeded
1t was discovered that one pocket hat
. been ripped sometime or other, and the
1 grandmother had some remarks about
} it's being Sc wed since it had come into
| their family with white factory thread
3 She didn't like the white thread
5 but she knew 1t was her daughter who
| had done it and she ripped along.
5 what is this?" suddenly holding up q
: piece Of white paper, which had evi
} IDENTITY worked through the hole in the
= nnNknt hnfnrn - ~ into thn;r
|, sion. The old man soOn had on his
} specks and read-it was simply a piece
5 OF old letter head:
JERRY LYNCH,
MERCHANT Tailor,
Whitehall Street,
Atlanta, Ga.
The old letter. head was torn angling
n there could only be seen the letters,
"Dear War"
No telling what the balance Of that let.
ter was, but it did not matter, and was
only curious because 1t brought up mem.
cries OF the Die home on Saluda river.
h grandmother went or with her rip
ping, and perhaps not many words
would have been spoken between the
pair all morning, for l know their
thoughts had turned back to Carolina,
and they were living yer again the
years upon the Saluda; but suddenly
iettluB ncr sClSSOrB drop, Bnc eXClalmeC.
And what is this?'
What is what?" drol'ed the old man,
adjusting his specks with one hand
while he reached to his wife with the
other.
"a five-dollar note, by cracky!" cx,
claimed the old man as they both arose
with more excitement than dignity. I
shall not try to describe what folio wed
1T took more than an hour for the family
to settle down. The bill Of money pass
ed through all their hands They felt
OF 1t, turned 1t over aud about, to at last
scoot for the store and lonrH for certain
that 1t was genuine greenbacks.
There might be some more, grand
ma" suggested one Of the children.
They had never thought Of this; per.
haps there was some more, and the
work on the old coat was at once re.
sumed.
1t Is useless for me to try to describe
what followed. AS the ripping proceed
ca two or three wads Of money (grecn.
backs) was found and rejoiced over. 1t
Is perhaps not prudent to tell lust what
they did get, IL l knew, but l can tell
you n thing, Christmas morning found
hat whole family with tickets for Green
,yille, .. o., and l expect that before his
ID read they will be back on the Saluda
again, and the old man will have a deed
to the old home they loft. This was low
enough Tor one family In one Christmas,