The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-09-11
WAY DOWN SOUTH.
The Mountains and Lowlands-Different
Kinds Of Hospitality.
BY W. W.

BYw.w.
If there is any convertible term in
the English language that should be
made to do duty upon occasion when
the purpose is to draw the lines betwixt
motives and their fruition in relation to
the everyday walks of life, it is that
term hospitality when it is applied
to society in widely-separated and
strongly sections of our COM
mon country
While, with the people of the mount
ian districts of the South, it generally
meant freely sharing for night, upon
occasion, what slender and crude re-
sources they had in possession, in the
richer country below itmeant, in certain
cases, days or weeks of luxurious enter
tainment, comprised in fine dinners,
boating or fishing excursions, and what
ever else could be devised to enable the
guest to have good time of it gener-
ally.
But right here comes in the scripture
distinction while poverty in the
mountain region gave of its all, even if
but mite" wealth below gave of its
abundance; and sometimes, in rejecting
upon the primitive and scant means of
living in wild and out-of-the-way places,
a person is led to wonder whether peo
pie more largely advanced in wealth
and comfort, in all that appertains to
life in an old and prosperous community
whether such really appreciate Their
immunity from many of the evils and
discomforts to which those referred to
as dwelling in remoter regions and
humber walks of life are subject.
On one occasion, being detained by
business in a locality where my only
shelter and boarding place among the
mountains was an old log-cabin, half
the time, perhaps, for three weeks of
bad weather, alternating with sunshine,
was I routed out of my bed by thun-
der-storm at night, and left no alterna-
tive but to ensconse myself on a spare
feather-bed on the floor aL7lder it, glad
to make the upper one my tent, as it
were.
And the poor woman who presided
over the household arrangements of
that unthrifty establishment-shall I
ever forget the entire patience with
which, the next bit of sunshine that
came, she would proceed to hang upon
the fence close by the soaked articles
she Valued so highly, and for which she
had, on the premises, no adequate shell
ter from the rain. And when the good
natured, easy-going, pipe-smoking hus-
band was from time to time appealed to
to repair the leaky roof, and promised
again and again that he would do SO
when such and such task was accom-
plished, was it not something to wonder
at, if not admire, the patience of the
poor woman with her oft-repeated dis
appointments?
The result, indeed, of my sojourn I'M
der that persistently-leaky and sieve
like aoak-board" roof was that, for more
weeks than stayed there, after I left ]
could not get over the habit, ey en- under
the tight roofs of the city, of expecting
whenever it set in for heavy rain, 8
shower right down upon myself almost
any night. Indeed, I got to slightly
wondering how roofs could be made
tight at all, incredulous from habit and
being so often victimized, SO far as 6
good ducking might be in the case.
As a contrast to this kind of enter
tainment, was that within the power o.
the wealthy when one got out from
among the hills. Before the war, i
must be noted, hospitality called
cost very little, comparatively, to the
rich or well-to-do entertainer; little o
money to the host, and little of trouble
to the household. The produce raiset
and the dinner resulting was almost en-
tirely the work of servants. And hov
this was looked upon by the average
Virginia planter, when the war so great.
interfered with the old arrangements
was well exemplified by conversation
in steet-car in one of our cities wher,
all the passengers were compelled to b.
listeners.
II am told you have given up the oil
place in Virginia?" was the query of
friend, apparently, to a portly, substan
tial-looking old gentleman who had jus
stepped aboard.
"Yes," was the reply; "my wife ant
myself could not stand the country an,
longer. You see," he continued, "tha
in olden times we had no trouble, be
cause when the girls came home fror
Ghurch with their beaux there was some
body-Jake or Jim-to take thei
horses, while dinner was all ready t
put on the table. Since the war, tn
servants have left, or gotten thing
their own way, and SO 1 found had t
! take the horses, and the old lady sh