Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-03-24
Sam Hardingl

In the carly days Of KentucE
history, a hardy pioneer, damed Sa
Harding, located his family on q sp
a high up the, Kanawha river, at whiC
fpoint he built himself a log cabin,
rude ferry boat, and "a small carr
: for the two or three faithful anima
by whose aid he had reached the sit
,of his new home me. Sans wife
good, notable, Industrious woman
aided by their son, "a stout boy {
itwelye) took charge of the ferry
while the head of the household
armed with a long rifle, did up th
hunting necessary to supply the fami
ly with meat. This division of la
Dor suited Sam exactly, and as it wa
fno very laborio4s office to ferry owe
the few travellers who at that early
day passed that way, Mrs. H. cheer
fully took upon herself the duty.
Sans head, d n his hunting excur-
sions, WIS garni she'd with a bright
yellow fox-skin cap; Il tow shirt tied
at the gsck, breast an d wrists, with
stringZ covered his muscular breast
ahlIoulders, while his neither ex-
remitieS were cased to the toe in
buckskin. The soles Of his mocca-
Sins had been mended 50 frequently,
tha! he might with truth say he mad
at length obtained a stout UNDER
Standing. His breeches had but one
patch up on them, and that WAS across.
his entire rear. Time had made d
rude ASA ult in tia quarter, but Sam
did not ehide him for the attack up
On hiF ulImentionableg philosopher
ike, he turned it to account, He
ripped OF en- the top seam of the large
bucks 4bin patch, and made it perform
the o lice of a p3 3ck ct, in which he
stowe h away his hunting traps,
,rovi4 lions, and a cert hin tin-aask fill /
ii wi Lh western co mf5rt in the shape
IF wlIisk H. Thus clad, and furnish-l
ii With the bullet-poueh and rifle, I
sam. hitter Mrs. H. had inspected his
ig, VI oulh sally forth to mike war
pon he red deer, or any other "var-
ANTS which might happen to cross
is p4th. H
Nlitters moved along after this
lshion fdr a few years in a smooth
lrrent, but finally a ripple came in
ie shape of few more emigrants
ho. by Sans PERMISSION, located on
is claim near thu ferry. He had
luse to repent big liberality, for no t
,oner had the NEW comers fairly es-
lblished themselves, than the wo-
en began to rilR up the hitherto j
acid waters of Sam S duck pond
hey bee gan to say that it was 4 shame 1
iat laz1 Sam Harding should 60 !
,out lohfing III the woods all day,
ID IeaN Iis poor wife to slave at !
.e ferry Besides, they commented t
5on the rudenessf of his habitation, s
ID even upon his dress. They said t
, nigh t-now tbe ueighborhood |,
IS impr OWING become a little less
a sava be in his manner and appear f
ICE. Al Mrs. II WAS by priority h
settler nent the chief female Of the II
wn,sbe was privately condoled with /
,ou th E hard lot which fate had
nictod upon her by uniting her to il
ch an nconsi lerate, ,unenterprlslng. d
lisky-Cl lriAking helpmate. b
Poor Mrs. H. had never before q
und cut Sam s worthlessness, but it
w did appear to her that her new I,
.iehbofs cabins looked better, had q &
" more comforts about them in the s
ape of a garden, well, SC; their
ildreu too, had their heads combed 5
d their faces clean, besides, "now il
d then aclean garb; and that the L
,ung IIardings had. not the same Il
ean faces and combed heads, Mrs. J.
began to thiuk WAS as equally at
buiable to Sans laziness as that /
ey had no garden, and still dipped I
eiir water from the Kanawha instead o.
well. Mrs. H. at length deter h
ned to stir up-to arouse his DOR I'll
mt spirit Of enterprise. lie,
A caftain lecture Of course follow h
this determination, and the out
lst staggered the old pioneer worse S
an ever ahisky did. He had no k
ed something Of a change eyer g
ICE the advent of hisnew neighbors,
I he little thought their presence ii
pld envelope him IN an atmosphere Il
clouds, from which would OCCASION o.
' breii's forth the mutterings of il
mestic thunder,