The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1848-05-24
THE HOOsIE ERss IN b THE HARD
5SSis SEIE IL

Stt El5lISS .a
i iiESSs sBY. MAJOR JOS. JONES, or P1NRy1LLE.
5zsssl very efreshing in these dayssof
prog ress, afler rattlifi over this: country for,
days and nights at the rate Of oftwenty miles
l 9 hourin q railroad ca oar---with hyo,lr mouth
&fnll lof dust and smoke, and with sob ever
slastin clatter in your ears that You can't
hear yourselft fthink-to gitin.o good old.
fashioned stage e.coach. Theirs something
3sociable and friendly y in stnge coach tray.
ellin, s.. different from the hustle and con-
fusion Of. al railroad, whar people are whir,
led along "slam hung TO eternal smash,,"'.
like they was SO many, bales and boxes of
dry-goods and groceries, without so much
as chance of seeiny ywhar they're gwine,
or Of takin any interest in their fellow
sufferers. love 10 hear the pop Of the
whip, and the interestin conversation be.
tween the driver and his horses; and Ilke
the constant variation in the motion of ii,e
stage, the rattle over the stones, the still.
ness ofithe drag through the heavy sands
the lung'nlg and pitching into the ruts md
gullies. the slow pull up the steep hills,
the rush down agin, and the splashinI Of
the horses feet, and the wheels in ihe wa
ter and mud. And then one has time, 10
see the country, to count the rails in the
pannels Of the fences and the wn,min and
children at the doors,-to notice the np.
Pearance of the craps, and the condition of
Z the stockton the farms, and now and then
to say word to the people on the road
side. All these things are pleasant aficr
long voyage on the roll road. Blu, what
still more agreeable about stage.coach
travellin, is that we have opportunity of
maxim the acquaintance ofour fellow pas
sengers, and Of convcrsin with 'em, or
studyin their interestin traits Of charac
ter, which, from the slrkin contrast they
often present, never fail to amuse if they
don't interest our minds.
When was down South last fall, I had
pretty fair specimen of stage ride from
Warrenlon TO MilledgevilIe, in Georgia.
The road wasn'tthe best in the world, and
didn't run through the most interest part
of the State, but we'd a good team, good
stage, and first rate driver, and the com
pany jest about ns good one as could be
jumped up for sich occasion. Ther
was nine of us, besides the driver, and
don't believe ther ever was crowd of
the same number that presented greater
variety of character. Their was old
gentleman in blnck, with big round spec.
tacles and gold headed cane, dandy
gambler, with more gold chains about him
than would hang him, old Hardshell
preacher, MS they call 'en, out in Georgia,
with the biggest mouth and the uyiiest
teeth ever seed, q circus clown, whose
breath smelled strong cnuff of Ticker to
upset the stage, cross old maid, as ugly
as tar bucket, butifu! young lady with
pair OF the pret,ycst bright eyes, drov-
er from lndiany, what was gwine to New
Orleans to git u army contract for beef
and myself.
For while nobody didn't nave much
to say. The young lady put her green
veil over her face and leaned her head
bnck in the corner; the old maid sot up
strait, and looked as sharp rs steel trap:
the old gentleman drummcd his fingers on
his cane, and looked out Of the windcr:
the circus man tried to look intcrcstin; the
gambler went to sleep; the preacher look
ed solemn, and the hoosler stuck his he'd
out OF the winder to look at the cu,te
what we passed evry now and then.
"lills alnt no great stock country,' scs
le TO the old gentleman with the cane.
"No, 'ssir,' Sos the old gentleman.
'iher's very little grazing here, aud the
range is pretty much wore out.''
Then ther was nothing scd aein for
some time. Bimeby the hosicr opened
agin:
"lt's tho dst place for smmon.
trees and turkey -huzzards ever did sect"
The old gentleman withthe cane didn't
say nothing. ond the preacher give n
long sroan. The young lady smiled
through her veil, and the old maid snap.
ped her eyes and looked sideways at tile
speaker.
"Dont make much beef here, reckon"
ses the hoosier.
"No." ses the old gentleman.
"Well, don't see how in the h-ll
they all manage TO git along in country
whar they amt no ranges, and they don't
make no beef. a man amt considered
worth cuss in Indinny what hast got
his brand on hundred he'd"
Yours is great beef country, be-
lieve," ses the old gentleman.
swell, Sir it, amt nothing else. A
man that's got sense cnufTto foller his own
cowbe!l with US ain't in no danger of star
vin.-l'm gwine down to Orleans to see if
| can't git contract out Of Uncle Sam to
feed the boys what's been licking them
internal Mexicans so bad. spose you've
seed them cussed lies what's been in the
papers about the lndiany boys at Bony
Visty.''
i've read some accounts Of the battle, +"
ses The old gentleman, "that didn't give a
very fattering account Of the conduct Of
some of our troops"