The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-02-17
Our George on His Travels.
LETTER NUMBER EIGHT.

| count of not getting any dinner. | realized for
the first time the meaning of that text, ''the first
shall be last and tie last first" 1t refers to being
waited on at restaurant. party of four of us
gentlemen chaneed to be the first into the dining
| hall, at place called Weldon, n. G. We took
seats at table, and sat gazing at dish of butter,
| and bottle of peppersauce. None OF us were
| large men, and the two above mentioned articles
| were too strong for us to tackle The passengers
| kept coming in and kept seizing hold of the
coat tails of the passing walters, and ordering our
| dinner. but none came. We called up the head
waiter, and land our case before him. and told him
| that were the first there and had not been
helped, and he said he would attend to US, but he
| lied. As many hundred and fifty had their
| dinner, and did not get bite. we could not
| buy it for love or money. As the whistle blew,
got up empty as lot of promises, and
asked the waiter at the door how much there
| to pay and he wanted to know what we had had,
and we told him nothing but patience, and he said
that wasn't on the bill of fare and there no
charge, and as | left poured my indignation all
over him, by quoting in sarcastic tone of voice,
Nv edon, good and faithful servant, enter thou
into the jaw of thy Lord and he smiled and said
all right Mr.. Lord, call agIn" More than two
thirds of my wit gets split in just that way, pour
| it on the wrong man.
From the car window we could see the fields of
late cotton and the negroes out picking it, had
| always supposed that cotton picked, just the
| same as pocket is, | mean get all there is the
first time but learn that it is more like gathering
| hen fruit You get what eggs are ripe, and then
| later get the rest The cotton saw was planted
| in rows, wide enough apart so that you could pass
| between them easily and pick. The cotton blows,
| or ripens or whatever you call it, just as corn
| pops. The field is watched, and as fast as the
| cotton is ready to pick, that which is good IS
| picked and the rest is left till another time, and
so the field is gone through with from time to
time till it is all gathered l saw some sheep in
| cotton field and persuasive passenger tried to
make me believe that if you fed sheep on cotton,
| that you could raise cotton and wool on the same
animal, but asked him to get minister's affidavit
to accompany his statements, and when got home
! among my friends. would try and believe it. and
| | wound up my remarks by emphatcally saying
| Eve don't ram that remark down my throat,
| you old mutton head, and he looked sort Of sheep
| ish and said he lamb-eIted saying what he did.
Between Weldon and Richmond VIC saw our first
snow and also the curious spectacle of the darkies
ont in the fields picking cotton when the ground
was covered with snow Occasionally one of them
who was looking at the passing train would stoop
little low and pick up handful of snow and put
into his bag | thought if they could only succeed
| in weaving that snow into cloth, what nice cool
sheets could be made from it for summer use, but
presume its snow use expecting such results.
1t was my intention to have stopped day or
two at Richmond. | supposed that it was city
Of considerable interest, but nearly every one
whom | talked with told me there not much
to see and advised me to put in my spare time and
spend my extra dollar in Washington | told
them that thought they must be mistaken about
| Richmond for | could distinctly remember some
years ago of an excursion party from the north of
one or two hundred thousand men, who wentd down
near Richmond and camped out in tents and put
up with all the nconyeniences of camp life, and
hung around there from 1861 to 1868 trying to get
a chance to get into the city. and | felt that
there must be something there worth seeing. Says
|, &c Grant that my statement is correct p and
they replied Yes. General Lee
From the cars | got quite view of the city, and
mad pointed out to me various places that were
well known to me from their connection with the
| war. | saw the celebrated Fredega Iron orks, a
glimpse Of Libby prison and many Of the tobacco
war houses some of which are immense Rich
mond is situated on the banks of the James river
and has one of "the finest water powers in the
country. do not mean temperance societies
though, tguratively speaking. they water pow
ers, but one of these old fashioned arrangements,
where water runs down hill, and detantly asserts
that it will be damned before it will stop. Well
it is damned here and furnishes power sufficient
TO run all the manufactures Richmond will ever
be able to erect, 1t began to like getting
North to see city with some get up" toit There
| are few signs of the late war about Richmond or
| Petersburg. to be from the cars. Some of the
lines of intrenchments are still visible, but as one
gazes at them there is nothing suggestive of
mage or gore
We passed through Fredericksburg in the eve
ming, so got no view whatever Of that, and the
cars were so behind time that we did not arrive in
Washington until midnight. They seemed much
pleased to see me the depot was all lighted up
and quite a crowd had gathered to see me when
left the cars. | should say without exaggeration
that there were hundred gentlemen there with
carriages and they each Of them asked me as
many as five times apiece If ! would ride. They
We'd with each other in showing me those little
courtesies and attentions which agreeable
to the stranger in strange land But | said ''no
gentlemen, no, | insist on not receiving any oya
tons in being treated other than plain, hum
| Bile citizen of the State Of Maine | was not ex
| Pecting such reception and am entirely unpre
| pared, and you must excuse me and seizlng my
| htte grip sack fled the scene. and plunged into
the snow and soshed round in the slosh, and
made for hotel, and succeeded in drawing up a
charter party with the clerk, whereby he agreed
| if | would deposit with him one dollar he would
| give me bed for the remainder of the night; and
inside Of a couple of minutes | was fired up be-
tween the partitions in an elevator, to the twenty
| fourth or fifth toor Il always like to be up high
| it is nearer the sun, and consequently warmer IN
! winer) and had every square inch Of me sound
| asleep. Ii was the first bed that had Slept in for
| over two weeks that kept still, and didn't keep
moving about the room, and turning over and all
| that sort of nonsense and do not think that
| should have rested any better if had been buried
| met with quite a disaster the following morn
| ing. The shuttle OF my watch got out of order
down to Charleston, else the bobbin winder would
not work. At any rate it had not been going for
two or three days and the consequence was that |
could not tell whether | was having a good time
or not When awoke, held an enquiry meeting
| as to whether it then or afterwards. | could
not decide, and so got up and dressed, ard went
| down into the office. and that had robbed
myself of about two hours sleep. it being six
o'clock If there is anything that makes Inc want
to eat up raw, pair Of twins it is to find that |
have got up half minute earlier than there is any
necessity for. | averaged the thing, however, by
not leaving my bed the next morning until ten.