Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-09-16
Letter From Gale Parting
ton.
srAUNToN, VA, Sept. IS.

To the Editors Of the Independent
I am here. I've been here two
weeks. / was three days coming.
When leaving Martinsburg /
met the Darkesville tole-gate keep
er, whom / took into my buggy.
Fifteen cents saved thereby-no
toll at the gate.
At Darkesville / saw banner
nailed over the shutters ola house.
On it were the words, "Tilden and
Hendricks" The ''s' of the Hen
bricks was turned backwards.
That crooked 49, / suppose, is to
represent the crooked ways of the
Republican party. / also saw an
OF Ter sign in the same village with
a ,arn-door staple on it to repre-
sent twisted stick of candy. A
cake was painted on the sign too.
It looked like the lid of a Mason 8
box of backing. l arrived ia
NewtoWn the first night.
looked at the Tilden pole, then
eat my supper.
The boy who acts as waiter and
hostler at this village inn loves to
ride the Wearied horse of the trav-
eler about two miles after having
watered him, for the purpose, [
was told, of settling the water in
him.
AT Newtown several young la
dies, who had seen me come down
the pike and put up at the inr
called that night to see what I had
to sell, and were sure that / was q
peddler.
Wasn't it hot next day, though?
Phew!
/ thought the horse would melt,
then / would be obliged to haul
the buggy one side and walk to the
next town. But the horse didn't
melt. Pm glad he didn't.
At Woodstock where / stopped
for dinner several men sitting iu
the ante room of the hotel were
quite anxious to know who [ was.
1t was natural, you know, seeing
that / was a stranger. One more
ingenious than the rest asked me
what / thought of the presidential
election.
Said /, Seymour will beat Grant
and C0lfax sure as / am sitting
here"
The men in the room all stared,
"Don't understand at all said the
ingenious one"
"Where are you from ?' said an
other.
"Martinsburg, Berkeley county,
West Virginia, United States. Of
America" answered 1 with seem
ing indifference.
"They'rs not going to vote for
Seymour, down there, are they 9
Just at that moment / happened
to make a downward motion with
my head for the purpose of dis
lodging q Woodstock fly off my
nose. All present Interpreted
that motion of my head thus:
Martinsburgers are going to vote
for Seymour instead of Tilden,and
have therefore been asleep for s
years.
am sorry they have such an
impression of Martinsburgers, but
Pm sure it wasn't my fault.
On the second night of my trip
1 stopped in q town about 25 miles
this side of Woodstock. The name
1 have forgotten.
Here a frOwnZy-headed negro
girl waited on the table. III er hair
stood out like the sprigs on that
Democratic broom on the Tilden
pole in your town. She was in her
barefeet which fact, perhaps, was
the cause of her keeping from near
me, and q neighbOr who had be-
spattsred the floor with tobacco
juice.
We had to do our ewn waiting,
then. In fact L waited an hour to
be helped.
1 asked the landlord what he
charged a night, "two dollars and
seventy-five cents said he $500
if you put on airs. We always
charge 25 cents extra if a man goes
bossin' around and putin on airs"
l gave him the extra % cents
to be allowed to put on airs. These
were the cheapest airs l had ever
see. wish the hotel keepers at
Long Branch had been as reason
BILE when l was up there three
weeks ago. / wouldn't be here
now, so / wouldn't.
AT Harrisonburg l dined on the
third day of my journey That
night L arrived in Stanton. My
horse and / were very tired. We
pulled straws to see which was the
most tired. He pulled more straws
than / but l am sure even now
that / was entitled to the wager.
Staunton is built on / don't
know how many hills. The man
that chose this as site for town
should lie doWn-nOt die, but re-