Year: 1879

2


obliged to you for persuading m,


off on that delightful trip to Ten
nessee. l didn't know there wa:


such a beautiful country so Close


to us. l don't know what you lef
it for, though l have known folk:
to leave their country for theil


country's good. 1 thought Nortl
Georgia the garden spot of all crea
tion, and / think so yeC so far as


concerns what nature has done fol
it, but those Tennesseans are TWEEN


ty-fve years ahead of us in fixing


up and making themselves com


Portable. Their turnpike roads,
their stone fences, their beautiful


grassy lawns, their abundant shade


and the inviting appearance of their


houses struck me with admiration


everywhere 1 went. We don't fix


up like they do. If there is turn


pike road in North Georgia 1 don't


know it. Why, we drove from Leb-


anon to Nashville, thirty miles, in


five hours, and stayed an hour at


the Hermitage, and our critter was


fresh enough to have gone back the
same evening without breaking his
trot.


What a splendid country it is
around Shelbyville, and Franklin,
and Columbia, and Pulaskii l
never saw any poor folks or worn
out farms. Every farmer had a
reaper of his own and was using it.
And the wheat don't stay in the
shock long, either. Then again
such cattle and hogs. Why, hotel
man in Pulaski showed me a Berk


shire SOW that had netted him $500
in two years, and another man
had just sold sixty five head of beef
cattle for So, 2,20O-all raised and fat
tened on his farm. My old friend,
Mr.. Glass, had three hundred acres
in wheat and he wasn't counting on
less than twenty-five bushels to the
acre. Just think of it, 81, 500 for a
wheat crop! Then there is the tim
berthe walnut and the cedar
that abounds all over the country
and is now bringing in harvest of
gold. l saw one walnut tree that
was sold for thirty five dollars as it
stood in the grove. Everybody has
cisterns and an ice house well
stocked with ice of their own say
ing. They like cistern water the
best-and it is the best.


The battle ground of Frank lin in
terested me greatly. You know all
about that for you were in it. The
land seems to be rich with the
blood of the brave. Mr.. Carter who
lives there was very kind in de-
scribing the terrible conflict, and
when he pointed out where Clai-
borne fell, told us about a gentle.
man from st. Louis writing to him
for some wood grown near the spot,
so that he might frame the Gener
ais portrait with it. Well, there
was not a tree in half a mile, but
there was the sill of an old gin
house right close to the spot, and it
was riddled with minnie balls. So
he cut of three feet of it, and split
it and dressed it down, cutting the
balls in two with his plane, and sent
that to him. Wasn't that a fitting
frame for the brave Irishman's pic
ture to be set in? Everywhere
went l met the soldiers who fol- |
lowed General johnson right along
here where we live, and they know
every hill and hollow better than L
know them myself. 1t did me good
to meet many of Forests command |
and hear them recall the memories |
of catching Straight and his bri
gade, and how the good people of
Rome gave them an ovation. Two |
of them told me they were my
guests for a week, and drank water
out of the well that Mrs. Arp made |
Tip fling a dead cat into when we
fled from the foul invader.


1t was delightful tour, and the
good of it was, it didn't cost any
thing to make it, for in every town |
we came to L spoke my little speech |
and got just about money enough |
to keep moving. You see l was
conscientious about it, and didn't
want to impoverish the country, for
the wheat hadn't been sold and
small change was scarce. Pm go
ing there again next fall and won't
indulge in so many charitable scru-
Piles.


In recalling the many things that
interested me, l must make special
mention of my visit to the Mary |
Sharp College at Winchester and
the splendid examination which
those fair girls made in Latin.
They honored me with book and
1 never looked as profoundly wise
in my life as l endeavored to follow
them in that dead but resurrected
language. You see they didn't read |
the Latin at all, but translated as
they went along. One time ven
cradle scholar by me lost the place
and asked me where they were read
ing. / told him at a venture, and |
from the manner in which he
thanked me / felt satisfied l had |
guessed right, but l was in a
mighty close place and l felt pecu-
liar. The thoroughness of the edu-
cation of that institution is only |
equalled by their kindness and |
courtesy to strangers.


But l must close these random |
remarks. 1 thank you, my friend,
for your companionship. I was
never deserted by you except when
there was a lady in sight or your
quick ear heard the rustic of pet
ticoat. Your devotion to the sex
is such that the next time we jour
ney think Mrs. G. had better 60
with you just to keep you from
running yourself to death, and
other reasons too numerous to me1-
ton. BILL ARP.


The Rothschilds.