The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-05-12
STORY OF 4 CREDIT FARMER"


Herald and its veraicty cannot be
questioned. 1t describes condition
which exists today in many sections Of
Williamsburg county and in thousands
of communities throughout the cotton
belt.
How did l get on my feet" ask
ed the farmer in reply to question
from the merchant. You remember
when l started l rented a one-horse
farm on Mr.. Blanks place. 1t was
fairly good land and the rent was
reasonable enough. had no capital
and my worldly assets represented a
few pieces of chear furniture which
I bought on the installment plan. |
went to the credit merchant. Credit
merchants were plentiful in those
days. "You are hard worker" said
the merchant, land | will take q
chance on you. Your line of credi:
this year will be $4,000, including
fertilizers, and you will have to put
Is acres in cotton"
81 gave the lien for $4,000 and
planted the Is acres in cotton.
worked like a beaver On fair days
ploughed and on wet days l cleaned
ditch banks and hauled vile smelling
guano from town. l remember late
one cold rainy evening as l came in
from town with a load of guano
saw my little boy and girl, scarcely
more than tots, way down. in the field
cutting splinters from huge light
wood stump. AS / unloaded tnat
guano with the cold rain pelting me
on the back of the neck l looked up
occasionally and saw that little boy
and girl trudging, homeward with
heavy loads of wood. At nign ! ate a
frugal meal of white sides and corn
bread, washed down with black cof-
fee, and by s o'clock l was in bed. ]
arose early in the mornings and wad-
ed through dew and grass doing the
chores around the place and by sun
up l was in the field. l ploughed all
through the hot blistering summer,
and the only rest got was when the
crop was laid by and l got few days
fishing down by the banks of sicklv
looking stream. l did not have money
enough to get five miles away from
home and l was too tired and exhaust
ed from the work of laying by my
crop to walk. When fall came l took
nv wife and children and went out
and gathered that Is acres of cotton.
/ went to town and got enough money
to have it ginned and as fast as it was
ginned l hauled it out to the merchant.
When the last bale had been ginned
and delivered l asked the merchant
for a settlement. He had my bill
drawn off with pretty red lines at the
bottom and when l asked him to let
me have the balance in cash he look
ed up in surprise and said: "Why,
man, you have no balance. The bal
ance is on the other side of the ledg-
er. You have come out $40 in debt"
l questioned his statement, but ne
went over it with me carefully and
when we got through l was convlnc-
ed that he had given me square deal
and sure enough I was in debt to him
to the amount of $40. He said he
was sorry, but l was net the only one.
Very few of his customers had been
able to pay out that year, but could
give another lien right now on next
years crop, including the old balance
in the new lien, and my wife and
children could manage along on dur
ing the winter. | gave him the new
lien and the next Gay l brought my
wife out to town and she bought a
few cheap articles amounting to prob
ably $4,000 and We went back home
/ went to work, however, with renew
ed determination. hGulded guano for
the next crop through freezing rains
and continued to watch my little chill
dren as they struggled along under
the heavy work of the farm. The sun
was lust as hot that summer and the
food just as scarce. When the crop
was harvested | took IN the last bale
and asked the merchant how we stood
this time. He had another sheet ready
with pretty red lines and when looS-
ed at it my eyes almost bulged out 81
their sockets. Instead of having a
balance to my credit was in debt to
the merchant something over SlOO.Oo'
Ny feelings are better imagined than
described. But what was l to 90 !:
Jobs were scarce and then again l
was not a skilled workman. Ii l got
job somewhere it would have TO be
as a common laborer. The merchant
was a kind man and he patted ME on
I ~,