The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1859-11-23
Written for the SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY
The Road to Pruntytown.
By SUB SCRIBER, ESQ.

1t was in the autumn of eighteen hum
dred and blank, that business called me
from the little village of NJ, in West
ern Virginia, to a village Of similar d.
mensiors among the hills of the East
Branch of.the Monongahela. The smoke
from the nostrils of the iron horse had not
then been seen among those hills, and l
adopted that primitive method of journey
ing-riding on horseback.
During the afternoon of the second days
ride observed that the road, bad enough
in any part, was gradually degenerating
into cow-path. For an hour had
seen no signs of civilization, and began
to feel some uneasiness as to my where
abouts. On reaching the summit Of one
of the hills, however, 1 saw cabin, and a
man and a boy near the corner of it, bus
lily engaged at something, I knew not what.
l rode up to the brush fence which sur
rounded the clearing. and shouted to
them,
"Hello, Stranger"
"Helo yourself" said the old man
looking around for the cause of his in
terruption. saw that the two were en-
gagged in skining 'coon,' while half a
dozen hounds were eagerly snatching at
such share of the ignoble quarry as was
allotted to them.
The old man, dressed in linsey wamus
and coon.skin cap, came TO the fence:
"Good evening stranger" said l, Il
wish to inquire"
"How de do, sir, how-de-do. Its q
nice afternoon"
"Very," said J, Il wish to inquire the
road to Pruntyto8n:"
"To wharf"
ITO Pruntytown, over on the Monon-
gahela river" s..aa
"Well rally, don't 'zackly know whar
that is, but l low you'c better GO over to
the Dunkard settlement, on Buffalo, you
might find out from some of 'em. Whar
did you stay las nigh,?"
"About thirty miles back, on Big Fish.
ing Creek"
"Weli, 'spect if you was to go back
thar, and ak, they could tell you more
about it nor could l low that's about
your best chance"
nearly tainted. Cant you tell me
how to get down Buffalo?"
Lem me see. Yes, can tell you how
to get down thar, Sc you can't miss the road
but III tell you. stranger, you have the
cussedest set of rips of people to go thro
that ever you sot eyes on. l never say
nothing about my neighbors to nobody
and specially to strangers; but 1 git sc
internal mad when l think about 'em tha
I most alters fall to swearin' Especially al
, the Jinkenses and the Nolens and the"
"Well its getting late; can't you direc
me to Buffalo?r -r. .o.
"Oh yes. In the first place, you e
over the mob and down the holler till yoi
/. cum to Jinkinses; and they'r the cussed
est set you ever saw. Efyou dom. watcl
when your goin past they'll steal tn
shirt off of ger back. Nary one of Zen
every has clothes enough to patch M
q wamus with, cause all the rest steals Zen
lfrum. lin. .t
: pd which way do go after passing
gnses?'
We'll, when you git past Jinkinses
fpiece, you go down one holler and up an
: other till you come to the Nolenses.-
q The Nolenses don't steal, but they cal
n beg a coon right out of tree. You'll
see 'em stationed along, every two jump
h for mile all sizes and colors, and they
) all be beggin' tobacker. Thar ain
y many travels this road, but them Nolense
4 begs tobacker enough to supply tbi
!. whole settlement. The old man is nigge
a and he's the only white man in the family
l.. And then them Nolen gals, they have tn
IS impercence of the devil, and you had be-
|. ter keep skeerce of them. I've seed thel
: five gals and six men all piled in one--''
v "Stranger," said I. a little impatientl
# "never mind the Nolenses, but tell n
!. which road / must go from there"
d "Sartinly, sartinly. You go past tt
IF Nolenses, that is, efyou can get pas
fur tell you they'll" s
"Tell me which way shall go FRO
of Nolenses, if you intend to-"
a. "In course will. You jst go up the b
,e and out along the ridge till you git amor
' the McMarcusses, and they'r the alfredo
+. cusses you ever saw, and the most Of 'er
X It's McMarcusses here, and McMarcus
h. there, and McMarcusses everywhere, al
ID the whole country is lousy with McMarcu
q ses. They'r the biggest devils on yerth. l
wv tell you what they done. When W
lis out 'sangin' tother day they cum to t
ed house and killed my best hound, that W
7 old Lead, and when cum home, thar W
- old Lead in my kittle bilin, hair, feat
ers an all; and Cay afore yesterday tn
put dozen nests of yalIer hornets a
ts, four polecats in the cabin and darse
cv go in it sense"
,ir (Which way do l 60 from there?
re Will You tell me, or not?"
ar "I'm teIlin you as fast as kin. You
en- on till you git out of the McMarcusses,a a
a come to the forks of the road, thar yor
er, better take the shortest road, its go
he deal the neardest, and 60 up,the holler
to the sugar camp, and thar you take up