Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-30

mode of life. Therppnlation of the region
Is sparse, and thu dwellings are of the
rudest and most primitive style. The i'm.
proVlsed hut of - 1ssbqnstter" in Mackerel.
vli!e would be a palace compared with
.nem, 80 utterly deetltute are they of any
tnIng ike comtortbe commodiousness.
ln order to obtalsa fair idea of the neo.
pie the reader mustmagine caricature of
the Vermont YanBA combined with the
ridiculous traits of the negro race. Tbey
are q tall, gaunt, hsshaven, unsnorn and
unWashed race, vii cold, gray eyes, no
spark of anything lil pIeasantness Of man
ner, long, bouy fpA4fs, innocent of soap,
nigh cheek bones, stFaigbt, coarse hair,
ana dark imperfect seth. Shoulders high,
arms long and loosay swinging, and the
whole covered With lpmespun cloth, fresh
from the blue dye RpS make a tout ensemble
that In BfoadRay NSGld create no little
sensation. 7s0s
Marriage and intermsgiage has here been
the custom for many generations, and it is
the general custom when a son gets mar.
rled for the father to give him slice of
the old farm and a COY and'a horse as a
dowry. He then plantss few potatoes and
a field of sorghum, which his wife culti-
Yates while he is engaged IN the more con-
uShInD
He has never seen a SCHOOL house, cannot
even read, scarcely evei sees newspaper,
knows there is town alled Parkersburg
another called Elizabeth, where the squire
lives, which contains q tavern where he
brings up after his days hunt to hear the
news and take a drink is aware of the ex-
isteuce of meeting house about fifteen
miles of, where young people get married
and old people are buried; in short, he
is the realization Of Yoltaire's ideal of
ptimitime life and manners.
The boys learn to swear, shoot and eat
tobacco by the pound; and the girls 10 sew
coarseIy, spin, make apple butter, and not
unfrequently to indulge in a quid of "pig-
tail" Reading aud writing are unnecessa-
ry qualifications.
81 There have been two Presidents, An
drew jackson and Yankee Lincoln, whose
name has been dinned into their ears by
the tumult of war.
AN ILLUSTRATIVE ANEoDoTB.
While stopping one night with one of
these families, one of the boys, who had
been in the Army of the Potomac, returns
ed. The father was loungiug around the
door with his hauds in his pockets as the
young man made his appearance after an
absence of three years, clad in neat suit
of Uncle Sans best.
"Well, father, how are you2"
"Well, Lewis-a pause-them's good
shoes you got on, anyhow"
Nothing further was said, and the boy
passed into the house. Still it was easy to
beseen that the father took certain pride
in the boy. as Lewis was fright smart
lad" and could hit q squirrel as "fur Off
as any one in the neighborhood.
'When, too, there waa any fighting to be
done, the wasn't Isuslly far off" as tho
father expressed II This man had no
politics, He had uot voted for Eve years.
You see" be- says I've got two good
horses and thlSa eo"SS and when a man
takes sides, the 5UShwhackers steal his
horses"
Among this people the women perform
the drudgery, and the higher sphere of
social life we accord 10 them at our homes
is never recognized or required here. At
the table the wife usually waits as q do
mestic until the family gets through their
repast of corn bread, sorghum syrup and
boiled cabbage; and their homes seem cold
and unhappy where woman is thus reduced
below her proper sphere and deprived of
her true loyeliness and real mission.
THEIR HREWDHBss, AND HOW NEW YORKER
WAS "soLD.',
In their dealings with the new race of
men that have come among them, wearing
good cloth and gold fobs, they manifest q
great deal of original and Indian like Gun.
ming.
Many amusing stories have already been
told, and l need repeat none here. They
ask some vague sum for their farm, twen-
ty times its original cost, but not one half
its value in the market. The bargain is
thus made. .n
Then all manner of contriyances are re.
sorted to to induce the buyer to present
t he members of the family with presents
As an invariable rule before the wife signs
the deed. when coming to town, she must
have an Involvement" in the shape of
new "frock," or some trinket. An incident
occurred few days since, which threatens
seriously to embarra SO future operations in
this line, or to exclude the custom Alto
gether. a shrewd New York capitalist,
after bargaining for farm, and getting his
titles ell transferred, acceded to the modest
requirements of the wife for the new
"frock" in consideration of her signing the
deed.
The gentlemanly buyer told her to call
at the dry goods store and select one and
have it set down to his account. The next
day the gentleman was waited on by the
shopkeeper with the modest bill of $I75
for the said ''frockn Such is the uuscrup.
ulous keenness ofthese uoudescript people;
and may add, byway of conclusion, such
WAS the experience of New Yorker who
got "sold." j. o. B.
FROM THE VALLEY.
WIHCHEsTRR, VA, Jan %. 1868.