Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1872-08-01
JONESBOROUGH TENNESSEE. THURSDAY, AUGUST l. 1872
In the Mountains.

/
Porte Crayon. has recently visited the
Mountains of Virginia and reports tc
Harper's Magazine the following:
1.-The head of the Hetterick family wa:
native of these mountains, about fifty.
five years of age, with good features
| light hair and complexion, broad-chested,
and powerfully built. His countenance
was amiable, and his manner frank and
obliging, consenting to every thing that
was said with the grace of courtier, and
closing every sentence with an echo and a
twapg, a habit common to this whole re-
gion-..Ye-as oh yeas, I wouldn't won
der now, ah; yeas, indeed, ah"-at the
same time, after confusing you with the
universally, of his admissions, coming
back with opinions of his own, which he
sustained with true rourtier-like tenacity.
Dick Rattlebrain undertook to pump
him on the subject of his politics, and, to
our astonishment, discovered that he
knew neither the names of the great op,
posing political parties nor those of the
Presidential candidates for the approach
ing election.
"Oh," exclaimed Dick, somewhat airily,
sits plain to see you don't read the news
papers up here" 'a
Now the mountaineer, intelligently
aware of some of the disadvantages in
cident to his secluded life, is very sensi-
tive to any alluslon to them, especially
from stranger. To his guests incon-
siderate remark he replied sharply his
mild eountenance flushing red to the roots
Of his hair. 80
..Mister. ye're mistaken, | tell ye, ye
are, ah. We do git newspapers up here,
we do, ah. There was a fcller fetched
one up here last summer, and my wife
she read hit to ME, she did. ah. Wire,
look eff that newspaper hain't in the chist
under the head of the bed."
'.No, it haln't, she replied, "for ye
know ye lent it to Zed Kyle. Hits
three weeks to-day, and he hain't fetched
it back ylt: but he ort to have fetched hit
back, he ort, fur heerd of his havin' of
hit up at Teters's last Sunday a-readin'
of hit to tlhem-nuch good meught hit
do the likes of them !-and he mought
git hit tore, SO be mought and hit will
be many day aforc he sees another
one."
Dick FASTENED to acknowledge the corn,
and the entente cordiale was restored.
l afterward inquired privately Of Dame
Hetterick the name of the paper which
had fo md its way into their peaceful and
secluded community, AMI she gave me the
name of Baltimore paper, which name,
she informed me. was printed in big letters
at the top on one side Madam, it seems.
can read, and is the only book-iarnt MEM
Der of the family She is little vain of
her advantage over her legal lord in this
respect, and takes pains to cultivate her
accomplishment, i'll spite of the scarcity
of reading matter and uperabundance
kof household cares Except the news
| paper alluded to, she showed me the only
specimen of Gutenberg art in the settle
ment-an extremely aged and we!l-thumb-
ed copy of Methodist hymn-beok. In
this precious volume, she assured me, she
had read hymn or two every Sunday fpr
thirty years, and kept it up reg'iar for
fear she mought forgIt how. ~
! "Then you haven't a B;blo in YER
! no asc?'
.-No, Indeed" she sighed ..When /
was gal, aforc / got married, L r"mem-
Der my mother had one of 'em, she had,
and used to read In it, and wanted her
to give it to No for wcddin' present; but
there was COOL many Of US, and she
lowed she'd keep it till she was gone, and
then one of Us would git it; but she GIN
rnc this hymn-book. and hits lasted me
all this while. I've hearn tell as how
they sends shp-loads of them Bibles to
the heuthens, but us poor lonesome
Christians in the mountains gifts none, We
don't ah