Year: 1865

tenances Of my friends house-place and plan


tation exhibited order and Infringement; and
it is true, for with all his diosyctasies he has


been successful farmer, and the wonder to


his friends is.how he makes so much or ratt-


er made so much upon such worn out lands.
! With all, his theories and. visionary projects
he is shrewdly practical, sharp as a steel trap,


but with much native warmth and goodness


of heart, which has perhaps been obscpred by


long contact and attrition With the world, but
/ which in early life was an attractive feature
| in his character, depth of feeling and senti-


ment rarely found and which in its fresh


bloom was . relief to eyes and hearts hack


neyed with the conventionalties Of a town or
! village life. One would scarcely suppose in
looking upon that careless exterior that at the


age of twenty.one it enshriued heart alive


to the most refined feelings and emotions, with


the most delicate shades of sentiment, and:
! that it was eglass of fashion and the mould


of form" AndS yet, well do I remember him


when be bore himself with the air and lnien


of one Of Natures noble sons, and his form


was strikingly elegant which his early love of
dress. enhanced with all the fictitious aids of
Fashion: His wardrobe was the wonder Of all


his acquaintance and he squandered money


with that profussness which only. Young men


ola certain class. can do. There was no end
Of fine boots and shoes in his bachelor apart


ments, and vests and coats of all kinds and
styles from hashy to genteel. He kept the


finest horses and no one was a better Judge Of
| horse,fesh. He rode better than most or all
of his compecrs. and he appeared 10 great
advantage on horseback especially upon the
beautifulsorrel mare called Fannie, which even
to my untutored eye "was love of an. ami
| NAL" to use a feminine phrase. He cxcelled,
Eetoo, in those rural sports Of hunting and FISH
ing, and in craftsmanship at shooting lne tchcss
T and bis natural shrewdness o. sharpness. was


not suffered 10 rust by the kind Of associates
and companionship which he met at Liberty


Hall, where they were fully developed in his
contact with the hard, Keen wits Of the back


woedsnnen> who engaged in: the practices be-


fore alluded to in former chapter. Woe to
the .luckless wight who unwarily engaged in


a,hors@trade with him in after years, or to


the spooney wao engaged him in cards or
pitted cock against his thorough brcds in a
fight. But these were the excesees or ezcres-


censces Of youth fostered by MS proximity to


the notorious locality before allnded toy the
| sowing of the wild oats of youth, whilst un-


derneath all elis there lay feelings of the ten
t-derest character, affections OF the warInest ma


ture, love forssis:ers and brothers and other


RELATIONSHIP proportion, which almost redeem


ed him from these youthful Irregularities. He


had great quicknesss of mind, and his intellee-


tual parts were quite above mediocrity;; and
| the clSssies and mathematics at school were
no stumbling Blocks to.him as to many Of his
+ contemporaries or school fellows. His brow,


which, with his hazel eyes, are his finest fea-
lures, also. isindicatiTe ofmind: The latter are
also susceptible. Of q softness, which if not


habitual to him in later life, was formerly, and
sometimes yet lends beniguity to the express
sion Of his face. But was speaking of his
mental capacity, and this reminds me Of. his
application to enter the South Carolina Col
| lege when he was youth. He rode to Coz
umbia and made application with the most


promising success, but his freedom from re-


straint IN his previous life could not brook


the idea of College rules and regulations, so
he turned round mounted bis horse and was
seen no more within the College walls. He
studied law, and with every prospect of sue


cess in that profession still preferred a life in
the country and the occupation which was his
inheritance and ITO the manor born" namely
farming or planting. But l have made a long
episode in this somewhat elaborate portrait =


of my friend and swilfnow return TO the point
! of diyergeMce where ] had arrived at the
kgate of his residence after sunset. It was.
situated on rather elevated point with the
ground sloping away gradually on all sides,


which made the place look high and dry, and
| with oaks around the house the, place has a
pleasant situation. The house is plain
country residence with no pretension to ar
chitectural beauty, being only an ordinary


framed painted house with plaza in front


This is not the hereditary mansion or rather


the family mansion, which is a mile further


on at the point where four roads meet, a large


red brick house which in its isolated situation
/ looks almost like castle; but more Of this
anon. The greeting from my friends wife
1 was somewhat ir character {when to her sur
prise walked in with her husband and daugh-


ter, and found her with their youngest pledge


in her arms,1 "you are the last person ez-
| - =


*Those who might think this portrait over


draw and who in comparing this sketch with the


original in it's present frame and setting, might


be inclined to use the wordsaof Shakespeare and


say Look on this picture, then on that" must


make due allowance for the modifying hand Of


time and circumstances which often change the
character as we'll as the outward man and if my
friend has not now hand and heart ''open as


day to melting charity" or is not so free-hande1


as in his youth, but c!ings closely now to what he


squnndeCed my youth, it will or ought to be re-


membered that such is the result Of experience


and observation,a as youth of prodsalitv is often
reversed by an old age Of clcsc and rigid econo'