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NEWS & PLANTERS’ GAZETTE.
. Cr. COTTIWC, Editor.
No. O.—NEW SERIES.]
News and Planters' ’ Gazette.
terms:
Published weekly at 7’a>o Dollars and Fifty
Cents per annum, it paid at the time of Subscri
bing ; or Three Dollars if not paid till the expi
ration of three months.
No paper to be discontinued,unless at the
option of the 13 Jitor, without the settlement of
all arrearages.
O’ Litters, on business, mustbe postpaid, to
insure attention. No communication shall be
published, unless uui arc made acquainted with
the name of the author.
TO ADVERTISERS.
Advertisements, not .exceeding one square,first
insertion, Seventy-Jive Cents; and for each sub
sequent insertion, Fifty Cents. A reduction will
be made of twenty-live per cent, to those who
advertise by tiie year. Advertisements not
limited when handed in, will be inserted till ‘for
bid, and charged accordingly.
SaldS of Land and Negroes by Execntors, Ad- !
ministrators and Guardians, are required by law,
to be advertised, in a public Gazette, sixty days
previous to the day of sale.
The sales of Personal Property must be adver
tised in like manner, forty days.
Notice to Debtors and Creditors of an Estate
must be published forty days.
Notice that application will be made to the
Court of Ordinary, for leave to sell Land or Ne
groes, must be published for four months—
notice that application will be made for Letters
of Administration, must be published thirty days;
and Letters of Dismission, six months.
Mail Arrangements.
POST OFFICE, )
Washington, Ga., Sept. 1, 18 13. )
EASTERN MAIL.
By this route, Mails are made up for Raytown,
Double-Wells, Crawfordville, Camack, Warren
ton, Thompson, Dearing, and Barzeha.
ARRIVES.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at 9, A. M.
CLOSES.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 24, P M
WESTERN MAIL.
By this route, Mails are made up for all Offi
ces in South-Western Georgia, Alabama, Mis
sissippi, Louisiana, Florida, also Athens, Ga. and
the North-Western part of the Stale.
arrives —Wednesday and Friday, by 0 A. M.
closes —Tuesday and Thursday, at 12 M.
ABBEVILLE, S.g. MAIL.
By this route, Mails are made up for Danburg,
Pistol Greek, and Petersburg.
ARRIVES.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, by 1 P. M.
CLOSES.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at 6 A. M.
LEXINGTON MAIL.
By this route, Mails are made up for Centre
viiie, State Rights, ScuJi-sboals, and Salem.
k. arrives —Monday and Friday, at. 9A. M.
-'*■ closes —Tuesday and Saturday, at 9 A. M.
APPLING MAIL.
By tliis route, Mails are made up for Wrighis
buro’’, White Oak, Walker’s Quaker Springs.
arrives —Tuesday and Saturday, by 9 A. M.
closes —Monday and Friday, at 9 A. M.
ELBERTON MAIL.
By this route, Mails are made up for Mallo
rysville, Goosepond, Whites, Mill-Sione, Harri
sonville, and Ruckersville.
Arrives Thursday 8 P. M., and Closes same time.
LINCOLNTON MAIL.
By this route, Mails are made up for Reboboth,
Stouey Point, Goshen, Double Brandies, and
Darby’s.
Arrives Friday, 12 M. [ Closes same time.
It j” The Letter Box is the proper place to de
posite all matter designed to be transported by
Mail, and such as may be found there at the
times above specified, will be despatched by first
post.
Wilkes Agricultural Society.
AT a meeting of the Society, held this morn
ing, it was Resolved that Premiums be a
warded lor the fallowing Stock to be exhibited on
Friday the 20th of October next in Washington:
For tiie best Horse.
Do. Colt, under one year old.
Do. Cow.
Do. Native Cow, which if she be
the best Cow exhibited, may
take both premiums.
Do. Bull.
Do. Boar.
Do. Sow.
It was further Resolved, that none shall com
pete for the premiums who have not become
members by paying the admission fee of One
Dollar and signing the Constitution ; though all
persons are invited to attend and exhibit their
Stock.
FRANCIS T. WILLIS, Secretary.
O’ The semi-annual meeting of the Society
will take place on Friday the 20th of October, at
which time a public Address will be delivered by
a member of the Society.
September 7,1843. 2
COTTING & BUTLER,
ATTORNIES,
HAVE taken an OFFICE in the rear of
Willis & Hester’s Store.
January, 1843. 28
For Sale •
n_a The Subscriber offers for sale his
Land possessions of near fourteen
|[|B> hundred Acres, lying in the county
‘•nr - -*™* of Wilkes, twelve miles West of
Wasli.ugiuU, on the Scull Shoal Road, on Kettle
Creek. There is attached to the premises, a
Saw-Mill in fine operation, and a Corn Mill on a
small scale—a commodious Dwelling, a well of
fine water, with other necessaries. Persons
wishing to purchase would do well to call on the
Subscriber—he is determined to give a bargain.
lie would also offer a Lot, No. 241, in the
„ county of Dooly.
k D. WATIES McJUNKIN.-
/V-Wilkesco., September 7,1843. 4t* 2 I
| ware-house
COMMISSION BUSINESS.
AUGUSTA, GA.
Os Jllil
TNTENDING to establish myself in Augusta
- in the above business, I ofifer my services to
my friends and the public, and shall be in Au
gusta, ready to receive consignments, by the
middle of September.
My charges will be the same as those, at other
Fire-proof Warehouses, except that for those
who consign me i heir Cotton, I purchase goods
free of commissior.
Liberal advances made on produce in store.
11->■ My office will he at. Clarke & Roberts’
Fire-proof Ware-House, where all Cotton con
signed me will be stored.’
FRANCIS T. WILLIS.
August 24, 1643. 52
STOVALL & SIMMONS,
COMMISSION MERCHANTS,
AUGUSTA, GA.,
riIHE undersigned having associated them- i
selves under the firm of STOVALL & j
SIMMONS tender their services to the public
in the transaction of a GENERAL COMMIS
SION BUSINESS at the Fire-Proof Ware-
House lately occupied by Stovall, Simmons &
Cos., on Broad-Street.
Particular attention will he given to the Stor
age and Sale of Cotton and receiving and for- \
warding of Goods; and liberal advances made ;
on Cotion in store.
Mr. John Robson, of Madison, will make ad
vances on Cotton consigned to us, and the A- I
gents of the Georgia Rail Road Company will
torward the same, and despatch Goods to our
customers.
Checks on the different Banks and Agencies
in the ulterior w.il be procured and forwarded
to suit the convenience of customers in making
remittances, wiioi! desired.
PLEASANT STOVALL
GREENVILLE SIMMONS.
Augusta, August 24 h, 3843. Gi. I
An iMS uc HOPKINS,’
FIPiE-PEOdF WABE-MSE.
AUGUSTA, GA., August 22. 1843.
rriliE Subscribers respecting) e.-der their
-1- thanks lor tiie liberal patronage nereio.ore
received—arid again ofiei their cervices to thei’
iriends ami the public in the VV;VR.R-HOUSr
& GENERAL ’cOMMiS. -> .
in this city. Prompt a onus
the Storage ami S -rding
Goods, purchase i X- . mpmei o;
i otton, &c. Proceed- tie remitted
(if so instructed by i . ) i o k Clieckt
payable at Washington. Gre. ■ > no’. Mail non,
Eatonton,Milledgevdle, C'ov ngton, nd <. o r.:
bus, or in Bank Notes by m ...
Messrs. F.C McKinley & Cos. of M u,
will act as our Agents lor she forwarding ...* . ot
ton by R'li Ro::u, make advances on Cotton con
signed to us, rece irn sales of Cotton, and
pay over proci M ison if desired.
Messrs. McKinic; &. Seymour are our Agents
tor forwarding Colton per Rail Road from
Greene djoro’.
ADAMS & HOPKINS.
John M. Adams. )
Lambeth lioriuxs. $
August 31. 9t 1
TO MERCHANTS AND PLANTERS.
HAMBURG, (S.C.) July, 1843.
I BEG leave to inform you, that I continue the
WARE-HOUSE AND COMMISSION
BUSINESS at my old stand, known as the IFa
ler-procf Warehouse. Detached as it is from oth
er buildings, its location renders it nearly as se
cure from tire, as if it was tire-proof The floors
have been elevated above tiie high water mark
of the great freshet of May, 1840.
•Planters will thus be secured from the possi
bility of loss and damage by freshets.
I avail myself of the present occasion, to re
turn my thanks to my friends and patrons, for
their liberal support during the past season. 1
solicit from them and the public generally, a con
tinuance of this confidence, and assure them that
in return for their patronage, I will use my best
personal efforts to promote and protect their in
terests, committed to my charge. In addition to
this assurance, I pledge myself that I will in no
case purchase a bale of cotton, directly or indi
rectly. I will attend personally to the sale and
forwarding of cotton to Savannah or Charleston;
also, to the sale of Bacon, Flour, &e. &c., and to
the receiving and forwarding of goods to the up
country. Having a fine wharf attached to my
Warehouse, no wharfage will be charged on
Cotton consigned to my care, either for sale or
to be forwarded to Savannah or Charleston.
My commissions for selling cotton, will be 25
cents per bale, and 121 cents for forwarding. I
will also attend to the buying of goods per order.
Very respectfully, yours, &c.
G. WALKER.
August, 1843. 52
months after date, application will be
made to the Honorable the Inferior Court
of Elbert county, while sitting as a Court of Or
dinary, for leave to sell all the Lands and Ne
groes belonging to the Estate of Haley Butler,
deceased, this 15th May, 1843.
EPPY BOND, Adm’r.
June L m4m 40
POUR months alter date, application will be
■*” made to the Honorable Inferior Court of
Wilkes county, while sitting as a Court of Ordi
nary, for leave to sell all the Real Estate of John
S. Walton’s minors, lying in said county.
I. T. IRVIN, Guardian.
.Tune 15,1843. mlm 42
WASHINGTON, (WILKES COUNTY, GA., OCTOBER 5, 1843.
TAKING THE CENSUS IN ALABA
MA.-
BY “A CHICKEN MAN” OF 1940.
The collection of statistical Information
concerning the resources anil industry of
the country, by the assistant marshals who
were employed to take the last census, was
a very difficult work. The popular im
pression that a tremendous tax would soon
follow the minute investigation of the pri
vate affairs of the people, caused the cen
sus-taker to he viewed in no better light
than that of a tax-gather; and the conse
quence was, that the information nought bv
Tm >.v e ‘I, - held entirely, or given *
J w ith great reluctance. The returns there
fore made by the marshals exhibited a very
imperfect view of the wealth and industrial
progress oi the country. In some portions
of the country the excitement against the
unfortunate officers—who were known as |
the •'■chicken men” —made it almost danger- |
ous for them to proceed with the business
of taking the census, and bitter were the
taunts, threats and abuse which they re
ceived on all hands, hut most particularly
from the old women of the country. The
dear old souls could not hear to be cate,
chised about the produce of their looms,
poultry yards, and dairies ; and'when they
did “come down” upon the unfortunate in
quisitor, it was with a force and volubility
that were sure to leave an impression. We ]
speak from experience, and feelingly on
the subject: for itso happened, the Mar-i
shal of the Sonthern Distiict of Alabama,
“reposing especial confidence” in our a
bility, invested us one day with all the pow
ers of assistant Marshal, and arming us
with the proper quantity of blanks, sent us
forth to count the noses of all the men, wo
men, children and chickens, resident upon
those nine hundred square miles of rough
country which constitute the county of Tal
lapoosa. Glorious sport ! thought we ; hut
it didn’t turn out so. True we escaped
without any drubbings, although we came
unpleasantly near catching a dozen, and
only escaped by a very peculiar knack we ,
have of “sliding outhut then we were
quizzed, laughed at, abused, and nearly ,
drowned. Children shouted “yonder goes
the chicken man !’*—Men said, “Yes, d—n
him, he’ll he’ll be after the taxes soon
and the old women threatened, if he came
to enquire about their chickens, “to set the
dogs on him,” while the young women ob
served “they didn’t know what a man wan
ted to be so pertic’lar about gal’s ages for,
without he was a gwine a courtin’.” We |
have some reminiscences of our official
grinations that will do to laugh at now,
although the occurences with which the}’
are connected, were at the time, anything
nut mirth inspiring to us.
We rode up ope day to the residence of a
widow rather past the prime of life—(just
that period at which nature supplies most
abundantly the oil which lubricates the
hinges of the female tongue)—and hitching
to the fence, walked into the house.
‘‘Good morning madam,” said we in our
usual bland, and somewhat insinuating
manner.
“Mornin’,” said the widow gruffly.
Drawing our blanks from their case, we
proceeded—“l am lie man, madam, that
takes the census, and ”
“The mischief you are !” said the old ter
magant “Yes, I’ve liearn of you ; Farson
W. told me you was coming, and I told him
jist what I tell you, that if you said‘cloth,’
‘soap,’ or ‘chickens,’ to me, I’d set the dogs
on ye. Here, Hull 1 here, Pomp !” Two
wolfish curs responded to the call for Bull
and Pomp, by coming to the door, smelling
at our feet with a slight growl, and then
laid down on the steps. ‘Now 7 ,’ continued
the old she savage, them’s the severest dogs
in this country. Last week Bill Stoneck
er’s two year old steer jumped my yard
fence, and Bull and Pomp luk him by the
throat, and they killed him afore my boys
could break ’em loose, to save the world.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said we, meekly ; “Bull
and Pomp seems to he very fine dogs.”
“You may well say that; what I tells
them to do they do—and if I was to sick
them on your old horse yonder, they’d eat
him up afore you could say Jack Roberson.
And its jist what I shall do, if you try to
pry into my concerns. They are none of
your business, nor Van Buren’s nuther, I
reckon. Oh, old Van Buren ! I wish I had
you here, you old rascal ! I’d show you
what—l’d make Bull and Pomp show
you how to be sendin’ out men to take down 1
what little stuff people’s got, jist to tax it, j
when its taxed enough a’ready !”
All this time we were perspiring through
fear of the fierce guardians of the old wid
ow’s portal. At length, when the widow
paused, we remarked that as she was de
termined not to aaswer questions about the
produce of the farm,” we would just set
down the age, sex and complexion of each
member of her family :
“Nosuch a thing—you’ll do no such a
thing,” said she ;‘l’ve got five in family,
and that’s all you’ll get frtim me. Old Van
Buren must have a heap to do, the dratted
old villian, to send you to. take down how
old my children is. I’ve got five in family,
and they are all between five and a hun
dred years old, they all a plaguy sight whi
ter than you, and whether they are he or
she, is none of your consarns.”
We told her we would report her to the
Marshal and she would be fined, but it on
ly augmented her wrath.
“Yes! send your Marshal, or Mr. Van
Buren here, if you’re had off to—let ’em
PU B L ISIIE D EVE R Y Tll URSI) A V M ORNINd,
! come—let Mr. Van Buren coine”—(looking
as savage as a Bengal tigress)—Oh, 1 wish
j be would come”—and her nostrels dilated,
’ ! and her eve gleamed—“l’d cut his head
! off!’
‘•That might kill him,” we ventured to
remark, by way of a joke.
L | “Kill him! kill him—oh—if 1 had him
j here by the ears I reckon 1 would kill him.
I A pretty fellow to be eating his vittilsout’n
J gold spoons that poor people’s taxed for,
and rasin’ an army to get him made king
lof Ameriky—the audacious, nasty, st. kinp
j old scamp !” She paused a moment, and
; then resumed, “And now*, mister jist put
down what I tell you on that pager and
don’t he telling no lies to send : Wash: s.
I ton l*y. Jist put down J.jdv Torn;;’.
1 ageable woman, and four children.”
Wo objected to making any such entry, j
hut the old hag vowed that it should be done, j
to prevent any misrepresentation of her case. !
We however were pretty resolute, until j
i she appealed to the couchant whelps, Bull
j and Pomp. At the first glimpse of their
teeth our courage gave way, and we made j
theentryina bold hand across a blank
schedule—“ Judy Tompkins, ageable wo
man, and four children.”
We now begged the old lady to dismiss
her canine friends, that we might go out j
and depart: and forthwith mounting oi . I
old Idaek, we determined to give the old
soul a parting tiro. Turning half round, j
in order to face her, we shouted—
“ Old ’omen !”
i “Who told you to call me old ’omen, you
| long-legged, hatchet-faced whelp, you ?
I’ll make the dogs take you off that horse
if you give me any more sarse. What do
you want ?”
“Do you want to get married ?”
“Not to you, isl do !’
Placing our right thumb on the nasal ex
tremity of our countenance, we said, “You
needn’t be uneasy old ’un, on that score— j
thought you might suit sorelegged Dick I
S up our way, and should like to j
know what to tell him, he might count on j
if he come down next Sunday !”
• “Here, Bull !” shouted the widow, “sick j
him, Pomp !” but we cantered off, unwoun- ;
ded, fortunately, by the fangs of Bull and j
Pomp, who kept up the chase as long as!
they could hear thecheering voice of their J
mistress—“ Si-c-k, Pomp—sick, sick, sick
him Bull ! sulioy ! suboy ! subov !”
Our next adventure was decidedly a dan
gerous one. Fording the Tallapoosa riv
er, where its bed is extremely uneven, be
ing formed of masses of rock full of fissures
and covered with slimy green moss, when
about two-thirds of the way across, we
were hailed by Sol Todd from the bank we
were approaching. We stopped to hear
him more distinctly. j
‘•Hollow ! little squire, you a-chicken ;
hunting to-day ?”
Being answered affirmatively, he contin- ;
ued—“You better mind the holes in them !
ere rocks—if your horse’s foot gits ketched
in ’em you’ll never get it out. You see
that big black rock down to your right?— ;
Well, there’s good bottom down below that.
Strike down thar, outside that little riffle;
and now cut right into that smooth water
and come across 1”
We followed Sol’s directions to the latter
and plunged into the smooth water, we found
it to he a basin surrounded with steep led
ges of rock and deep enough to swim the
horse we rode. Round and round the poor
old black toiled without finding any place
at which he could effect a landing, so pre
cipitous were the sides. Sol occasionally
asked us “if the bottom wasn’t first-rate,”
but did nothing to help us. At length we
scrambled out, wet and chilled to the hone;
for it was a sharp September morning—
and continued our journey not a little an
noyed by the boisterous, roaring laughter
of the said Solomon, at our picturesque ap
pearance.
We hadn’t more than got out of hearing
of Sol’s cachinatory explosions, before we
met one of his neighbors who gave us to un
derstand that the ducking we had just re
ceived, was but the fulfilment of a threat
of Sol’s to make the “chicken-man” take
a swim in the “Buck Hole.” He had
heard of our stopping on the opposite side of
tiie river, the night previous, and learning
our intentions to ford just where we did, fix
ed himselfon the bank to ensure our find
ing the way into the “Buck Hole.”
This information brought our nap right
up, and requesting Bill Splawn to stay
wiiere lie was till we returned, we galloped
back to Sol’s, and found that worthy, rod
on shoulder, ready to leave on a fishing ex
cursion.
j “Sol, old fellow,” said vve, “that was a
j most unfortunate lunge I made into that
hole in the river—l’ve lost $25 in specie
out of my coat pocket, and I’m certain it’s
in that hole, for I felt my pocket get light
while I was scuffling about in there. The
money was tied up tight in a buckskin
pouch, and I must get you to help me get
it.”
This, of course, was a regular old-fash
ined lie, as we had not seen the amount of
cash mentioned as lost, in “a coon’s age.”
It took, however, prettv w.dl. and Sol con
eluded, as it was a p etty cold spell of
weather for the season arid the water was
almost like ice, that half the contents of the
buckskin pouch would he just about fair
for recovering it. After some chaffering !
we agreed that Sol should drive for the
money “on shares,” and we went down with
him to the river, to point out the precise
spot at which our pocket “grew light.”—
We did so with anxious exactness, and Sol
soon denuded himself and went under the
water in the “Buck Hole,” “like a shuffler
: \ duck with his wing broken.” Puff! puff!
ijas he rose to the surface. “Got it Sol ?”
. | ‘No dang it, hear goes again’—and Sol dis.
! appeared a second time. Puff! puff! and
a considerable rattle of teeth as Sol once
more rose into ‘upper air.’ ‘What luck,
old horse ?’ ‘By jings, I felt it that time,
but some how it slid out of my fingers.’—
Dow n went Sol again, and up lie came af
ter the lapse ofa minute, still without the
pouch. ‘Are you right sure squire, that
you lost it in this hole’ said Sol getting out
upon a large rock, while the chattering of
his teeth divided his words into rather more
than their legitimate number of syllables.
‘Oh. perfectly certain Sol, perfectly cer
uii You know $25 in hard dollars weigh
a pound or two. I did’nt mention the cir-
I cumstance when I first came out of the riv
j er because 1 was so scared and confused
that I didn’t remember it—But 1 know just
I as well when the pouch broke through my
I coat pocket, as can be !’
Thus re.assured, Sol took the water a
gain, and as we were in a hurry, we re
j quested him to bring the pouch and half the
i money to Dadevill, if his diving should
prove successful.
‘To be sure 1 will,’ said he—and his blue
lips quivered with cold arid his whole frame
| shook from the same cause.
The “ager” made So! shake worse than
j that, that Fall !
But we left him diving for the pouch in
| dustriously, and no doubt he would have
got it, if it had been there !
Once, as we were about to leave a house
at which vve had put up, the night previ
ous, one of the girls—a buxom one of twen
ty ; followed us to tiie fence, and the fol
lowing icte a-tete ensued :
‘Now, squire they say you know, and I
want you to tell me, if you p/case —what
will chickens be worth this Fal 1 V
‘How many have you ?’
‘The rise of seventy, and three hens a set
tin !’
‘Well now, Miss Betsy,’ said we, ‘you j
know how much I set by the old man your j
daddy ; and the old lady, you know how j
she and me always got along ; and Jim and j
Dave, you know vve were always like •
brothers; and yourself, Miss Betsy, I con- I
sider mv particular friend, and as its you,
I’ll tell you !’
‘Do, ’squire, es you please; they say j
V an Buren’s going to feed his big army on ‘
fowls ; and some folks say he’s going to j
take ’em without paying for ’em and some J
say he ain’t; and I thought in course, es he j
did pay for ’em, the price would rise !’
‘Well, the fact is ; but don’t say nothin’ j
about it; the. army is to be fed on fowls; !
the roosters will be given to the officers to j
make ’em brave, and the hens to the com- j
mon soldiers, because, you see, they ain’t !
as good.’
‘ln course !’
‘So you see, the hens w ill be worth about !
three bits, and roosters a half a dollar, and
ready sale, at that.’
She was perfectly delighted, and vve do
not hesitate to say, would have rewarded
us with a kiss, if vve had asked it, but in
those days, modesty was tiie bright trait in
our character. As it was, she only insis- j
ted on our taking “a bit of something cold” j
in our saddle bags, in case vve should reach S
town too late for dinner.
Our next encounter was with an old la- ;
dy notorious in her neighborhood, for her
garrulity and simple-mindedness. Her lo- j
quacity knew no bounds : it was constant, j
unremitting, and sometimes laughably sil- i
ly. She was interested in quite a large
Chancery suit which had been “dragging
its slow length along” for several years,
and furnished her with a conversational !
fund which she drew upon extensively, un- !
der the idea that its merits could never be j
sufficiently discussed. Having been warn
ed of her propensity and being somewhat :
hurried when vve called upon her, vve were j
disposed to get through business as soon as j
possible, and without hearing her enumer- !
ation of the strong points of her law case, j
Striding into the house, and drawing our j
papers—
‘Taking the census, ma’am ?’ quoth vve. j
‘All! well! yes! bless your soul, honey, ‘
take a seat. Now do ! Are you the gen
tlemen that Mr. Van Buren has sent out to
take the censisl I wonder ! well, good Lord
look down, how was Mr. A r an Buren and
family when you seed him ?
We explained that vve had never seen
tiie President; didn’t know him from a side
of sole leather;’ and we had been written
to, to take the census.
‘Well, now, thar agin ! Love your soul!
Well 1 ’spose Mr. Van Buren writ you a
letter, did he ? No ? Well, I suppose
some of his officers done it—bless rny soul?
Well, God be praised there’s mighty little
hereto take down; times is hard, God’s
will be done ; but looks like the people
can’t git their just right in this country;
and the law is all for the rich and none for
the poor, praise the Lord. Did you ever
hear tell of that case my boys has got agin
old Simpson ? Looks like, they never will
git to the end on it ; glory to His name ?
The children will suffer, I’m mightily a
feard ; Lord give us grace Did you ever
see Judge B ? yes? Well, the Lord
preserve us ! Did you ever hear him say
what’he was agwihe to do in the boy’s case
agin Simpson? No? Good Lord ! Well,
> squire will you ax him the next time you
see him, and write me word ; and tell him
what I say ; I’m nothing but a poor widow,
and my boys has got no larnin, and old
Simpson tuk’em in. It’s a mighty hard
case on my boys any how. They ought tq,
ha’ had a mighty good start, all on ’em, but ]
i God bless von, that old man has used ’em
ill. J. It Al* I* 131., Printer.
I up “till they aint able to huv a creetur to
j plough with. It's a mighty hard case, and
j tiie will oughtn’t never to have been bro
; ken, but ’ |
Here vve interposed and told the old li.dyi
that our time was precious, that we wished
,to take down the numberofhor famiK arid’
the produce raised by her last venr. an : h
: off. After a good deal of trouhl •’ > * I
! through with the descriptions of’ ts
: hers oflir family and the - S
| hie” as far as the article “tl< “
! ‘How many yards of r o . .1.
j weave in 1840, ma’am ?’
‘Well now ! Tie Lord 1.. u- rev :
Less see ! You know Saliv .! i.eu.s that
| used to live down in tiie Siuim seltc o ent
’ poor thing, her daddy druv her off’ on ilit
, count of her havin’ a little ’un, poor oree
i tur ! poor gal, she couldn’t help it, I dare
| say. Well, Sally she come to stay ’long
! vvi’ me when the old man druv her away,
i and she was a powerful good hand to weave
. and I did think she’d help me a power. —
Well arter she'd bin here awhile, her ba
j by hit took sick and old Miss Stringer she
! undertook to help it ; she’s a powerful good
hand, old Miss Stringer, on roots and verbs
and sich like ! Well, tin Lord look down
from above ! She made a sort of a tea, as
1 was a saying, and she gin it to Sally’s ba
by, hut it got vvuss ; the poor creeter ; and
she gin il lea, and gin it tea, and looked
like, tiie more she gin it tea, the more ’
‘My dear ma’am, I am in a hurry ; please
tell me how many yards cf cotion cloth you
wove in 1840 ! I want to get through with
you and go on !’
‘Well! well ! the Lo d-a mercy ! who’d
thought you’d bin so snappish ! well, as I
j was a’savin’, Sail’s child, hit kept a git
tin vvuss, and old Miss Stringer, she kept
a givin’ it the yearb tea tell at last the
child hit looked like hit would die any how.
And ’bout tiie time the child was at its vvust
old Daddy Sykes lie oome along, anti he
said if we’d git some night-shed berries and
stew ’em with a little cream and some hog’s
lard ; now old daddy Sykes is a mighty lino
old man and ho gin the boys a heap of migh
ty good counsel about that case ; boys, ses’
he, I’ll tell you what you do; you go ’
‘ln God’s name, old lady,’ said vve, ‘tell
about your cloth, and let the sick child and
Miss Stringer, Daddy Sykes, the boys, and
the law.suit go to the devil, I’m in a hurry!’
‘Gracious bless your dear soul ! don’t git
aggrawated, 1 was jist a tel lin you how it
come I didn’t weave no cloth last year.’
‘Oh well, you didn’t weave any clotii
last year. Good ! we’ll go on to the next
article.’
‘A es ! you see the child hit begun.to swell
and turn yal/er, and hit kept a willin’ its
eyes and moanin’, and I knowed ’
‘Never mind about the child ; just tel!
me the value of the poultry you raised last
year.’
‘Oh, well, yes, the chickens you mean !
Why the Lord love your poor soul, I reckon
you never in your born days seen a poor
creetur have the luck that I did ; and looks
like we never shall have good luck agin,
for ever sinceold Simpson tuk that case up
to the Chencery Court ’
‘Never mind the case ; let’s hear about
the chickens, if you please.’
‘God bless you, honey, the owls destroyed
in and about the best half what I did raise.
! Every blessed nigiit the Lord sent they’d
come and set on the comb of the house, and
hoo-lwo hooo, and one night partiklar, I re
member I had just got up to get the night
shed salve to : nint the little gal with ’
‘Well, well, what was the value of what
you did raise ?’
‘The Lord above look down ! They got
so bad, the owls did, that they tuk the old
hens, as well as the young chickens. The
night I was telling ’bout 1 hearn somethin
squall! squall! and says I’ll bet that’s old
Speck that nasty oudacious owl’s got, for
I seen her go to roost with her chickens, up
in the plum tree, fornenst the smoke house.
Sol wenttovvhar old Miss Stringer was
sleepin’, and says I, Miss Stringer! Oh!
Miss Stringer! sure’s you’re born, that
j stinkin’ owl’s got old Speck out’n the plum
jtree; well old Miss Stringer she turned
j over ‘pon her side, like, and says she, what
did you say Mrs. Stokes ? and says I ’
We began to get very tired, and signified
the same to the old lady, and begged she
would answer us directly and without cir
cumlocution.
‘The Lord Almighty love your dear
heart, honey I’m tollin’ you as fast as 1 kin.
The owls they got worse and wor§e, arter.
they’d swepted old Speck and all her gang,
they went to work on bothers ; and Bryant
(that’s one of my boys,) he ’lowed he’d
shoot the pestersome creeturs —and so one
night arter that, we hearn one holler, and
Bryant, he tuk the old musket and went
out, and sure enough, there vvasovvley. (as
he thought,) a-settin’ on the comb of ‘he
house : so he blazed away and down come
what on airth did come down do you
reckon ; when Bryant ?’
‘The owl, I suppose.’
‘No sicli thing, no sich ! the owl w arn’
thar. ’Twas my old house-cat come a turn
blin’ down, spittin’, sputterin’, and scratch
in’, and the furr a flyin’ every tim’ site
jump, like you’d a busted a feather bed
open ! Bryant he said, the way he come
to shoot the cat instead of the owl, he seed
something white ’
‘For Heaven’s sake Mrs. Stokes, give
me the value of your pollry, or say you will
not ! Do one. thing or the other.’
‘Oh well, dear love your heart, I reckon
l last year nigh about the same as I’ve
t. this.’
i ‘Then tell rnc how many dollars w orth
[VOLUME XXIX.
