National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-10
MoUYTALy LIFE IN KENTUCKY.


True enough .one-half of the world does not
know how the other half lives. There are old,
people in the mountains of Kentucky who.
have never seen grain of tea or coffee In all
their lives. Not long since heard Jealous
Sunday school missionary for the mountain,
districts of Kentucky, preaching about the
destitutions in that region, enforce his remarks
with the following incident: A young theolog-
ical student from somewhere down East, W no
knew far more of books than of human nature,
as Mr.. Beecher used to say, and withsl a very
delicate and nervous body to whom tea was an
indispensable beverage, came to the mountains
of Kentucky to improve his health, and do
good at the same time, to those plain, poor
people. By way of precaution he brought his
tea along with him, a pound canister. He
put up for the night at plain log cabin, worn
with the labors of the day, and no tea. To his
hostess: Madam, can't you make me cup Of
tea in the morningl"
"Oh, yes, lean cook anything that's cooked"
The young man handed her his canister, and
assembled q stick ladder to his bed in the loft.
"Next morning" said the preacher, "they kept
waiting for him to come down, and he kept
waiting for them to invite him down, for he did
not know whether the ladies below were all up
and dressed, but If he had had any common
sense" added the preacher by way of psren-
thesis, che could have peeped through the
cracks and seen for himself. But at last he
ventured down, and what was his horror when
he saw four or five little white-headed mount
aineers rolling the empty tea-canister over the
floor. In the meantime the lady of the house
came in, her cap-strings streaming in the wind,
and with her best smile on. 4 am not certain
about them dried greens you gave me last
h,,tT 80 ha av,I
piece of middling and put them altogether in
the pot, and when they began to unkink then
/ knowed was right The loss. of all his
'gunpowder' in one night put an end to that
summers campaign"
"Those mountaineers," said the missionary,
Shave sovereign contempt for any man from
'the bluegrass who does not know everything
they know and more too. This young preacher
effectually ruined his influence over them. One
morning he was washing his face from q tin
pan on the stump in the yard, when a deer came
bounding through the lot. He threw down the
bowl of water, and took after 1t as hard as he
could 60. Now they said, ANY man who
don't know he can't catch deer afoot, must
be born fool"
A young sprig of nobility from the bluegrass
rode up into the mountains on business quite
a number of years ago, where, he first met Mr..
Il forbesr to mention his name, as he Is
now the Cicero of the mountains, representing
one OF more OF THOSE COUNTIES IN the senate OF
Kentucky.) overheard their conversation on
the train of these now old friends.
Mountaineer: Well, Mr.. Bluegrass, do
you remember your first visit 10 our county,
You had on the first pair of overshoes ever
saw, and l said to myself, If these mountain
boys don't strip you of them double shoes
won't know the reason why"
eyes," said Mr.. Bluegrass. 81 remember,
too, the hotel put up at that night; log
cabin with only one room, no loft, the old folks,
one boy, and five bouncing, buxom lassies.
was tired and sleepy, and began to look around
to see where 1 was to sleep. pulled out my
watch. tLor, what is thatP said one of those
bouncing girls.
"'My watch
'Watch-what's that for! never seed the
like of that beforep
"The landlady spread down some deer skins,
when puff and out went the brief tallow dip,
leaving just light enough from the Gre for
every man to see how to shed off without Sec
ing any one else, and find his own quarters for
the night"
And such Is mountain life.