The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-05-26
Split Bottom Chair Town.


y IN different portions Of Virginia, but
u IN none Of them have been more en-.
= terlained than / was during a two
y days stay in what am going TO de-
+ signate as Split-Bottom- Chair-Town.
IL IS located In one Of the Southwest
ern counties Of the State, and on a
branch Of the n. Il w. Its one street
begins at the depot and runs one mile
IN Westerly direction with houses
scattered at intervals Of 200 yards.
The dwelling houses are built OF wood
painted IN white colos, having caps-
cious and most attractive porches and
surrounded by acres Of lawns and
grass lots. Shade trees abound and
the fragrance Of fair flowers fills the
air.
There are three stores, two OF brick
and one Of wood, lawyers office aud
doctors. Three modest church
buildings crown the hill tops and the
mails come and go twice a day. The
people OF the place rise early, eat early
and then spend the rest OF the day
comfortably seated IN old fashioned
split bottom chairs Of approved make
and finish. Nobody is in want aud
nobody works, nobody hurries and
yet everybody has home. When
dinner is over the merchants repair to
their respective stores, and with coun-
tiers for beds and oyeralls for pillows
proceed at once 10 indulge in after
dinner maps. During this period Of
well earned (?) rest the town people
know that business is at stand still
and that interruption would be con-
sidered intrusion. ventured into
one Of the stores about an hour after
dinner, a store in which the postoiiice
is kept and found the proprietor and
postmaster sleeping soundly, and
strange TO say, softly. lie made no
sign at my coming and ] fell into a
split bottom and went to reading. In
short time cOuntryman strutted in
and did ask for his mail, but Uncle
Sans custodian Of mails drawled out,
There amt nothing for you" The
party retired without uttering word
ofprotest. I'm about an half hour two
lady shoppers entered, and slowly and
reluctantly the merchant got on his
feet and began TO show goods.
thought Of restless, hurried, nervous
New York and Of busy Farmville and
wondered why it was necessary to go
at the breakneck speed, when these
slow movers seem to "get there"
The gardens were well worked but
saw no one working them, the lawns
were well kept and the flowers well
trimmed, but saw NJ one keeping or
trimming. The houses were clean but
no one cleaning and we had something
to eat though / could see no smoke
coming from the chimneys Of the
kitchen.
The Richmond papers reach the
town at $50 p. m. and then everybody
goes TO the postoiiice and waits pa
tiently for the handful OF mail TO be
opened. No one spoke evil Of his
neighbor though did hear one man
remark that the churches were not as
harmonious as might be.
Old field strawberries flooded the
market the days Of my sojoum there,
and you may boast Of the cultivated
variety as you will but as for me give
me the kind that grow on the gully
banks. a little sour this season ow-
ing 10 absence Of sunshine but Split
Bottomburg happened TO be well sup
piled with sugar and honey too.
There are exceptions to all rules and
in this town ! did find one man al
most as active as Charley Chappell, Of
your town, and on inquiry learned
that he owned well nigh everything
sin sight"
But the nOn-Owners were just as
hearty and just as happy. II any OF
the readers desire TO visit the place.
would be glad TO direct them.
VISITOR.