Year: 1877

Poor Eli married, but not the girl he first
loved. His coat and pants were sent to him.
but the vile hog had ruined them. For a
number of years after this sad affair, Eli
Dockins became nervous on the sight Of hog.


Correspondence of the News and Courier


THE STATE CAPITOL.


At the State House, the heads of depart
ments, together with their assistants, have
been quite busily engaged in the labor OF set
ting things to rights generally in the various
Offices, and in getting acquainted with the
books and other details of their respective du-
ties. A commendable activity prevails in this
quarter, but nothing of news is evolved there.
from for the benefit of the outside world. The
Governors Office is never without one or more
visitors of both races and sexes bent upon all
manner of business-sometimes OF the most
trihing nature, and these sit patiently in the
ante-room hour after hour awaiting their turn
with much the air ofso many bapless convicts
awaiting execution, and not few apparently
getting "a turn" before their time comes. The
Governors private secretary. Mr.. Wade 81.
Manning, occupies the little pigeon-hole Of a
room partitioned off from the ante.room for
the use of such Offices, and upon him falls the
chief burden of state. All applications to see
the Governor are made direct to him, and to
him falls the duty of considering such appli-
cations, and, if approved, of obtaining the
much desired audience. No situation in South
Carolina requires such an immense reserved
fund of politeness and courtesy in the incum.
bent to enable him to give satisfaction; but
Mr.. Manning seems possessed Of such fund,
and none are turned away with rough an.
swer. To the banker, who desires to advise
the Governor upon his financial policy to the
applicant for a trial justiceship in the back
woods and to Dinah who wishes to secure
"the Gubner's influence to keep her ole man
from Citing drunk and beating of her." to all
these, and to many thousands more bent upon
many thousand divers errands, Mr.. Manning
exhibits the same unruff1ed countenance, and
only counsels all to wait and he'll see what he
can do. A faring card, bearing the legend,
"No admittance, except upon business" stares
at the visitor from the panel Of his (Mr. Man.
ning's) door, but NJ visitor ever stares at it.
For all practicable purposes it might as we'll
be turned to the wall every rule has its ex.
ception, and every visitor considers himself
the exception in this case, and with the less
hesitation that every man, woman and child
who chances to read the sign, excuses him
or herself on the ground that he or she is
certainly ION business" Clearly, "private"
secretary is misnomer; the unfortunate gen.
tleman who answers to that title so many hun.
dreds of times in the course of day, is the
most public secretary in life. I must not omit
to mention Billy Rose in this connection. Bill
ly is the private secretary's private secretary
and the Governors messenger, and the Gov.
ernor himself is not half so important per-
sonage as is Mr.. Rose, in Mr.. Roses own eyes.
This old coored man is character in his
way, and is we'll and favorably known by all
who visit his kingdom, the ante.room. Uncle
Billy was an attache Of the State Democratic
executive committee during the dark days of
quo ,uarranto and aliunde proceedings, and the
putting effects of all the hard words he heard
in that capacity and in those days may be
seen in his every movement. Moreover, Bill
Tvs history extends back into the days of
"The Lost Cause" when upon one Of the
bloodiest fields of the war the old man, then
a servant, knelt by the side Of his dying mas
ter and received his last sad messages to his
far-off family and friends-that soldier was
Gen. Maxcy Gregg, and Billy now wears a
beautiful gold watch which is the most sacred
thing to him in the world, given into bis hands
as a present from the great soldier who died
that day at Billy's side. When Gov. Cham
berlains private secretary turned over the
great seal of State to Governor Hampton's
private secretary, uncle Billy was present, and
to him Governor Chamberlain's old colored
messenger "Wash," another character we'll
known about Columbia, turned over the coal
scuttle, the insignia of his humble Office, and
Billy was thereby inaugurated into bis present
high estate.


In the Secretary of States Office the usual
routine work is in progress somewhat varied
at present with copying and asserting the
acts passed by the recent Legislature, though
on second thought it may be doubted if such
work can be assorted under fewer heads than
of the acts themselves.


In the office of the comptroller-general the
Big Bonanza is at present on the boards
again, positively its last appearance for one
year.


The first series of claims passed by the
commission is now being rapidly paid up, and
the lucky owner of sound warrants fit from
the comptroler's to the treasurers office in
happy succession, making much work neces'
sary in both departments.


The superintendent Of education and the
adjutant and inspector general are also hard
at work.


A visit to the Supreme Court room showed
Judge Willard occupying his new seat, the
middle one of three on the bench. Judge
McIver occupied the one on his right, looking
as dgnifed and as much at home as if he had
been "born and raised" there, and had never
left it for moment since his advent. Wright's
seat is vacant-even more so, if possible, than
when he used to occupy it; and the chair
where he so often sat when syruptitiously i'm
peached on divers never-to-be forgotten occa-
sions-now stretches out its empty arms for
his probable Democratic successor.


BoYHooD's D1sEAsEs.-The various diseas-
es which attack boyhood are worthy Of study.
When man is sick he just takes to his bed
and says no more aboutit. If he is very sick
he is calm, placid and tractable. He takes
his medicine without murmur and sips his
chicken broth with becoming gratitude. If he
is only little sick he is harder to take care