Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1851-12-31
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SAM HARD1N1,..T Head of a New
settlement.
ny iollN 8, nom, Rso,

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Kanawha River, at which point he built
himself a log-cabin, rude ferry-boat and
asmall carGt for the two or three faithful
4sNinsls by whose aid he had reached
tho site of his new home, Sans wife--a
good, notable, industrious woman--aided
hssthe!r son Ia stout boy of twelve, took
charge of the ferry, while the head Of the
household, armed with q long rifle, did
up the hunting necessary to supply the
family with meat. This division of labor
suited Sam exactly, and as it was no very
laborious office to ferry over the few trsr,
ellers who at that early day passed thst
way, Mrs, H. cheerfully took. upon herself
the duty.
SANS head. on his hunting excursions,
was .parnished with a bright yellow fox
skin cap, q tow shirt, tied at the neck,
breast, and wrists, with strings, covered
his muscular breast and shoulders, while
his neither extremities we're cased to the
toe in buckskin. The sole of his mecca
sins had been mended so frequently that
he might with truth say he had at length
obtained stout understanding, His bree-
ches had but one patch upon them, and
that was across his entire rear, Time had
made rude assault in that quarter, but
Sam did not chide him for the attack up
on his unmentionables philosopher-like,
he turned it to account. He ripped open
the top seam of the large buckskin patch,
and made it perform the Office of poe
kst, in which he slowed away his hunting
traps, provisions, and a certain small tin
flask, filed with western comfort, in the
shape of Whiskey. Thus clad, and furnish
ed with bullet-pouch and rifle, Sam, after
Mrs. H. had inspected his rig, would sally
forth to make war upon the red deer, or
any other varmints" which might hap
pen to cross his path,
Matters moved along after this fashion
for few years in smooth current, but
finally ripple came, in the shape of few
more ehigrants, who, by Sam permission,
located on his claim near the ferry. He
had cause to repent his liberality, for no
sooner had the new corners fairly estab-
iished themselves, than the women began
to rile up the hitherto placid waters of
Sans duck pond. They began to say it
was shame that that lazy Sam Harding
should go about loafng in the woods all
day, and leave his poor wife to slave at the
ferry, Besides, they commented upon the
rudeness of his habitation, and even upon
his dress. They said he might-now the
neighborhood was improving-beOome a
little less of savage in his manner and
appearance. AS Mrs, H, was by priority
of settlement the chief female of the town,
she was privately condoled with upon the
hard lot which fate had inflicted upon her,
by uniting her to such an inconsiderats,
unenterprising, whiskey drinking help
mate.
Poor Mrs. H. had never before found
out Sans Worthlessness, but now it did APP
pear to her that her new neighbors' cabins
looked better, had a few more comforts
about them, in the shape of garden, well,
de-; their children, too, had their heads
combed and their faces clean, besides now
and then clean gsrb and that the young
Hardings had not the same clean faces
and combed heads, Mrs, H, began to think
was as equally attributable to Sans lazi-
ness as that they had no garden, and still
dipped their water from the Kanawha in
stead of a well, Mrs H, at length deter
mined to stir Sam up-to arouse his dor
mant spirit. Of enterprise,
1 A curtain lecture, of course, followed
.
gerad the old pioneer worse than ever
whiskey did He had noticed something
of change ever since the advent Of his
Gew neighbors, but he little thought their
presence would envelope him in an atmos-
phere of clouds, from which would occa-
sionally break forth the muttsrings of do
mestic thunder.
About the period of Mrs. HIS. first de-
monstration against Sam, along came an
itinerant expo1nder of the Scriptures: a
good, humble, fearless missionary, who
was cheerfully threading the almost un-
known paths of the western wilderness,
for the purpose of picking up those wan.
dering souls who, without religious teach
ing, were scattered about in the by-places
Of the earth, Speaking reverently, Mrs,
H, thought the missionary 'God-send.
for, by his aid, she hoped to awaken Sam
from the error Of his heathenish ways,
and refine him into the respectable head
of new settlement
The minister asked the good dame, as
of the first settler, if he might administer
spiritual consolation in her cabin to the
thirty souls of the settlement? She gave
Already assent. knowing well that although
Sam was absent in the woods, he would,
on his return, sanction her act. That night
was the time named for the preaching, and
the hour for commencing had nearly ar
rived before Sam made his appearance,
He had during the day the worst kind OF
luck. 1t appeared that the recent lecture
of Mrs. H., which was a most unusual
thing to hear in his peaceful household,
had preyed upon him, and troubled his
aim. For the first time in his history,
since his location in that spot. he was re-
turning without game, and it SO annoyed
him that he sought for consolation down
even to the bottom of his canteen. When
he entered his cabin it was with that sui
len spirit which. while it invariably blames