Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-05-21

Z
| Depends on how we take it.
We arose sbetimes' in the morning,
and while the gaP was preparing the
fragrant hash, ,stroIled up the mountain.
Oh, how beautifu! Pen or pencil can
nerer portray the scene. The silyery
brooklets were falling in showers OF
pearls from the rocks above, the birds
were warbling their sweetest gush of
morning song; the air was laden with
the odor of resinous woods, and the
soughing of the wind could be heard
among the branches of the pines. How
near to God! We could now compre-
hend why Christ went up into a noun
tain apart to pray, and the words of
that beautiful hymn were ever recnr-
ring to our mind + na:.'aai
IN carer my God to Then carer to Thee;
/ Even though it be aeross That raiseth me-.
A yell from the cabins indicated that
breakfast was on and with an appe-
5tite sharpened byour walk We hastily
obey the summons. Among these
people the habit of clay eating is about
entirely broken up. Their business is,
hunting, herding cattle, and cultiva-
ting little patch of oats or corn, which
appears from the valleys to be about
as. large as a baudana handkerchief OF
the -eorn-they- manufacture whisky,
bread, and hominy--and the indispen-,
sable hominy-blocks can be seen at al
most every door, The cattle are brO't
pfrpm the valleys by the owners, and
one family will, take charge of from
one to two hundred, receiving as their
pay about one dollar per head for the
season. They accompany the cattle for
a .time,as salting at regular intervals,
and always blowinga tin horn while
the salt is being distributed. Theocat-
tie soon learn to come at the. sound of
the horn,l and when this result is ac-
compIished the herdsman returns to
the bosom of his family, going forth
occasionally to see that none are miss
ing. From shoofing it over the rocks
the soles of their feet become very cal
ious, but we cannot believe SO much SO
as those of the herd girl written of by
Grace Greenwood. She had been ex-
posed to a storm of wind and rain, and
while standing on the hearth-stone
drying her clothing, her mother drawl-
ed out, Sal, there's a live coal under
yer FOOT and the girl innOcently in
nocently inquired, Which foot, mann
my?
The drink of these people is very
simple, seldom using anything Stronger
than apple-iack or cOrn-w hisily. OF
tobacco they use the twist kind which
must belong to, the animal kingdom if
one would Judge from the name of the
different brands. Snuff is used bounti-
fully by the laGies, and the most ap-
proved method is to form {. swab of
piece of cotton urOn the end ofa slen-
der stick, the gums are we'll scrubbed,
and the better to enjoy the sweetness,
the stick is sometimes left protruding
from the mouth like cigar. 'Tis said
that Qike the pestles used for pounding
spices in the East), these sticks from
constant use become very precious, and
we do believe we are eligible to
Congress, as we saw one belonging to
sSuse' lying on the window ledge. ard
acasn't tempted to steal 1T! We saw no
churches or school houses, and if they
do die sometimes, we could discover no
graves or graveyards. The greatest
consolation one could afford to dying
clay-eater would be to assure him that
at the day of judgment he would ap'
pear, clad in a blue flannel shirt trim
med up the front with red skirt braid.
When the circuit rider comes round,
preaching is held at the cabins or in the
open air. Children of both sexes are
clad in a long tow slip, very coarse,
and extending short distance below
the knee; and up to the age OF IL this
one single garment completes their
costume. They all look alike, but
should you toss an apple or an orange
into their midst, the boys will catch it
in their hands, while the girls will
make "a lap to catch it. eve hadn't
any apples or oranges.) Tub-mills are
used in the mountain streams-thelr
forests are covered with dense growth
of underbrush, and in many places can
be traversed only by trails cut through
the bushes. Their favorite riding ami
NAL is bullock, and it was amusing to
see the boss start to mill astride this
noble beast. As laborers they are
worthless-and they own so much
land that they haveto stock it,
In accordance with promise made
| to some bright-eyed little girls of the
| North, we solicited 'the gall to make
| for us party, if all was serene, and
one could be gotten up upon such short
notice. She said she thought she could
get one up 'over to Stubbs'.' Stubbs
lived on a mountain peak just across
the ravine, and seemed near neigh
Dor, but it, required q walk of about
two miles 10 bring you to his place.
sThe gal' went out among the neigh
boring cabins, and returning with q
beaming face said 1t would be all right
We spent the day in rambling, and
rafurning for supper, politely solicited
'the gals company to the party, ifshe
had no preference. She graciourly ac'
cepted and in order to afford her an
opportunity to wash her feet and neck,
and put on her other frock, We strolled