New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-23

because wages are low, and many poor people de.
pend upon it for labor and bread. This IL saiu oi
the level portions between inc moun,unsi :. dif1
strictly mountainous region the condition ls uii-
ferent, lin.
In making inquiry at Jonesborough regarding
ments We're given. but was interested in learn
ing that friend with whom had corresponaeeg,
lived on the head waters of the Chnch. now .n,s
friend was one of those made by this correspondence
which has been continued so many years ana he
termined to pay him visit knew that haq pe-
come seasoned to horseback riding with tnso nign
trotting black horse in the Cumberland mountains,
but had the good fortune to got an easy rldhg pay
mare. Starting early in the morning. anu leaVlng
behind every weight which so easily Desets Tray
eler we entered upon the long journey ~ ihe rate
of six miles an hour. little after noon we crossed
the Holstein and leaving to the left the road 10 war
Cap several mountain spurs were crossed put az the
day was failing and as the road was uncertain nau
to stop for the night for told by the man OF the
house that / could not possibly get through;
and. besides he urged me to stay. lie sald he mad
500 or 1000 acres which he neither ke" Sr hed
iron and coal but he had 40 acres excellent Dottom-
land. He said it was fifteen mil to Post Oince,
last Fall For supper we had great variety includ-
ing fried chicken, and do not forget the good bis
cult and butter and the money as v host s bet
he did with his surplus products. AS MADE TINS In
curry he put q whole fried egg into his mouth and
replied, as he did so. with smothered voice, Eat
IT'D NV bed was in the loft and high Win feathers;
but the cool air came through the open shutterIior
they had no glass wndows-and was lulled to sleep
by the dashing of mountain stream. Aiter gettlnR
new directions in the morning. WANTED 10 pay my
bill but was told that was not the way they did
things in the mountains. .
had to cross several spurs, to ford deep streams,
and to traverse rocky sandstone valleys but here
and there limestone and shale cropped out, anu OF
course, iron was in connection, but saw none IN
places the road was blind, but about 10 o'clock
came to house in small valley where woman
was washing clothes by pounding them on stump
with paddle, and she told me l had come wrong
must 90 back two miles, turn up branch aud tol-
low this TO ridge take the left hand path along tho
top until came to dead pine then take bride
path, and this would lead me into tho main road
which led to my friends cove. She knew the place
we'll for she had worked there in the Spring plant,
ing corn. These directions were written down, and
being faithfully followed drew up about l O'clock
before large double log house. under the shade OF
row of large weeping willows. This cove contains
about $50 acres with high mountains on every SIDE,
except where came in, large stream ran through
il, and an old orchard was across the road While
was approaching / had heard melodious
buz. which l knew came from spin
ming wheel, and while was hitch ten
of the house, and good-looking white woman 10
the front door, with several young children. She
wore a breezy and loose lawn dress and morocco
slippers but no stockings, and she stood shading her
eyes with her hand, in which she held wheel boy;
which is used to turn the spinning wheel. When
asked where her husband was, she said he had Just
gone up the mountain after q saw log, Would not
come in ] took a seat in the porch. Then she
went to her Wheel and made two or three turns and
came back and asked If l lived in those parts 1
told her who was and at once We became acquainted,
az least we shook hands, which was natural enough
for the fre-board was pasted with IHE TRIBUNE.
Then. had been to dnneri No, but bread ana mix
would suit better than anything else. She SET back
her wheel and hustled on pair OF white stockings'
then went down TO tho sprng-honse for milk eVi,
IDENTIFY forgetting the skinner. l had bread ana
milk stewed peaches, honey, cold meat, and pot
cheese Ii the first light bread had seen since
leaving Crossvle, where quite as handsome woman,
the wife of Cleveland friend. got me dinner long
to be remembered. -
In couple of hours heard the team coming. and,
standing in the road, saw two yoke of oxen issue
from the woods drawing o large saw log on slide,
which is like a stone-bOat, and black and white
man the latter ahead and walking fast for he must
have seen strange horse with recent saddle marks
in his pasture. AS he came up saw medium-sized.
rather thin man. with thin nostrils, a firm mouth,
and slight beard looking at the stranger with sharp
inauirng eyes as though it might be relative, aud
when introduced myself he was evidently glad 10
see me- but at once he went on TO say that, having
an old saw mill on his place, hc was cutting black
walnut lumber, which, when seasoned, he would
send to New-York. Going down to the mill, ho
started IT, for there was q log tho carriage. and
then speaking few words to his black man. the cut
hour the mill stopped. for 1t Of tho kind that
fakes things easy and then he took me to hill Of
iron ore, and quarter OF o mile beyond TO thick
outcrop Of bituminous coal Then, did SEQ that
cliff across the creeki ics; well, that was
limestone needed as hna F.. making aIans
He had come since the war; having seen this place
while he was soldier under Burnside, and no had
bought the Cove and the S" %irb Win Low
cept few hundred dollars but he could make little
or no money by farming He was going to get out
large quantity of black walnut lumber; perhaps he
could raft it down the Clinch TO Kingston even TO
Chattanooga; or he could haul il to the railroad by
taking week for the trip; lie expected to get it
into NewYork for SIS or $50 per NJ, and as he was
saving only the best kind such tho wide, and
that which is varegated with veins made by sound
knots he expected it would net him $l0O per H. and
perhaps more, 1t would take him year or so 10 get
large shipment on hand. say 10000 feet; and then
he meant TO take in some partners, organize COM
pany,, and start furnace. when they would have
schools society and everything else. He knew 1t
was heavy job, still the iron was there, ready for
men of energy and capital
When we returned to the house the children had
been brushed up the little girls in clean dresses pat
tered around in white bare feet, while the black man
was at the kitchen door, wping out rifle. Prepare
tons for supper were brisk, and noticed that they
kept their supplies in closet under lock and key,
adjoining the front ROOM The black woman seemed
to have gone to get pan of -four when her mistress,
hand, and heard complaining voice. in an under
tone, declare: Il reckon / can make biscuit as
well as any bodyP A little after, the black woman
was in the garden digging potatoes Just before sun
down mountaineer came out OF cornfeld, with
horse and plOw, and he was followed by two noun
tain women, who after going to the spring to drink,
should come next day. Yes, they mi ght cone. One
said she would lake pay .GT days work IN coffee,
and small package was weighed out, Wpe4 they
started for home, having several miles to travel
After supper which was supper, my friend went out
to help his black skin deeS and then he started
the saw again, when his wife and had long talk,
she telling all about tho people and how they
lived. She said she liked the country we'll enough,
for they were seldom SICK but there were no meet
ings, schools no society, and saw that her mind
reached back with fondness and regret to her people
and old home She said if there only one North
ern family near she could be more contented, but
there was so little good land that farms Oh which
could live must be far apart. Then her husband
came. and talked long, while most of the children
dropped off. But family worship was not forgotten,
and in the Scripture read passage not inappro-
pirate: Now, no chastisng for the present seemeth
joyous but grieyous; nevertheless, afterward, it
yeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them that are exercised thereby"
For breakfast had venson steak brook-trO
and avarvtbin0 oood Whan I told than, cnuId NOT