Year: 1876

EDITOR CHRONICLE 1t has been
a long time since I afflicted you with
an effusion, so long, in fact, that / am
getting anxious 10 see myself in print.
Some where / have heard it said that
"all is vanity" maybe / read it, at any
rate / know the expression is not orig
inally mine, and as an illustration of
the correctness of the observation /
will here say, that after mature delib-
Grafton, and you may charge it to me,
I do not believe any of us would write
a sentence if we did not expect to
please or annoy some one. Now, as
there is just little 6it-my wife says
just the shadoao-of the perverse in
my nature | am going to weary you
for while. So light your pipe. First
permit me to pay my respects to you,
dear old. ever-welcome friend, and say
that you have favored us regularly
each week, with two exceptions, which
we charge to Uncle Sam, nor do we
see how we could have done without
you, for our old friends and familiar
places have been seen often through
your pen. / do not know how soli-
tary citizen in your county can possi-
bly, do without your weekly visits. By
the way, does your January dismissal
reach us? Can't you put us on your
honorary list? Remember how anx-
ious the good wife and children are to
see you, and the good times we have
seen together, ani know you will not
have the heart to say ''git out you
swamper." 1t is difficult to break old
ties and attachments, and form new
ones, and it is just as difficult to forget
the land of our nativity, the home of
our childhood, in consequence of which
every item of news from absent friends
and well known places is eagerly
sought for. For long time Crayon
kept us posted about" men and things"
from our old home. But some how
the point wore OFF the pencil and the
news stopped. Can't you furnish an
other? Then Hilda, with facile pen,
came to the front and charmed us with
the beauties of her imagery. Though
we have cast our lives and lot with
another people, yet we are proud to
know that we were once on her roll
call OF friends. May she go on stead
lily in the way she has chosen, for [
can now see her name in shining and
beautiful letters on the scroll of
Fame's favored ones. What has be-
come of another of your New Provi-
dence contributors Is his pen per-
mitted to rest in its place. [ believe
he signs his name FL. w. W. though
it may be under or oyer another aeone
de platme that he was wont to regale
US with his thoughts. Memory often
turns to lang syne" with its good old
times lover the bridge" when the lazy
club was organized, but never ready
for work | fear it, too, has met old
father Time, for the contraction of the
currency forced the armor of march
upon one of its most promising and at
tentive members. l am pleased to see
the evident prosperity of your mer-
chants, from the very liberal way in
which they advertise their goods
Evidently the policy of contraction and
return to specie payment does not
frighten your merchants out of free
use of printers ink. I see one branch
of business left out of your columns
altogether. A gentleman inquired of
me to whom could he send in Clarks-
vile and get him first class saddle
and harness horse, I answered /
would give the address of your livery
men; but upon looking could not find
a card in the Chronicle. How is that?


We have had an unprecedented good
crop of corn and wheat here this year,
though cotton was very indifferent ow-
ing to the great quantity of rain. The
soil of our county-Scott-is extremely
fertile and easily cultivated. The
great trouble is clearing, as the timber
is so very heavy that it costs from ten
to fifteen dollars an acre to clear
The land can be bought unimproved
for four or five dollars an acre, and
when put in cultivation will yield an
average of sixty bushels of corn to the
acre. We have beautiful and pros
porous town of four hundred inhabi-
tants, and if the Southern Pacific sue
ceeds, we hope to have branch cross
ing here, from the Pennsylvania Cen
trail, and then we will be the chief city
of South -east Missouri.


have troubled you enough, so let
me wish you merry, jolly christmas
and happy, prosperous and success
full new year, and may you grow in
financial plethora. G..


Morley. Mo-. Dec. %. 1876.