The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1882-11-16

her mothers side. I tried to appear
oblivious Of these little incidents, and
advanced to shake hands with young
man coming from an inner room. He
was shorter and more squarely built
than his parents and sister, but the
contour of his face and his eyes left
me in no doubt that he was the son of
my host. A lump Of tobacco was in
his lower jaw, giving him the aspect
of man suffering from excessive
gumboil. He greeted me with kindly
gentleness, and sat down.
The interior Of the house was ex-
tremely rude. Evidently, from its
dilapidation, the cabin had been built
many years. The logs were blackened
by the weather; the floor was patched
and uneven; and through many a
Granny the sunlight cleaned. Four
beds were visible, two in the general
room where was, and two in little
room half-screened by curtain. The
beds were clean, covered with patch
work quilts, but humber than the
couches OF our superior peasantry. A
few thoroughly uncomfortable chairs
were scattered about; a round table
was in the middle of the floor; rough
culinary bench was under the window
near the back door. The fireplace
was stony chasm, without CRATE,
oven, or other cooking apparatus. A
large pot, like that used by gypsies,
stood upon the hearth. Such was the
furniture of this home in the wilder
ness.
| cannot say that the house was
dirty, untidy, or in any way wretched.
It lacked altogether that snugness and
comfort that English people associate
with home. There was no sign Of
poverty, Of that pathetic confession
of desperate fight with circumstan-
ces, SO often seen in the neat homes
OF the poor in England. And the
1;a family had no resemblance of being
hard up
Mrs Harker was badly, meanly,
scantily dressed, worse, indeed, than
any laborer's wife in rural Britain.
But she did not seem to be aware Of it.
Miss Harker wanted new gown, bet
ter shoes, competent hair-brush, and
a general reformation in her ideas Of
attire, though evidently unconscious
that she was at variance with correct
standards Of taste. The worthy
Squire wore pair Of pants that had
deserved retirement long ago. His
shirt was coarse as sai1-cloth; and
though clean, wanted the skill of an
ADLER laundress than his household
afforded. His Wellington boots, into
which his pants were thrust, were
hoary with the mud of years. Black
ing is unknown in the Tennessee
wilds, and is as superfuous as hair
powder. Shirt, pants, boots, COM
prised the whole costume of the Squire
and his son; as gown, shoes, stockings,
seemed to do for the ladies. Let no
fastidious dame or scrupulous dandy
lind fault with such heretical notions
Of dress. l was myself at that time
simply shirt, trousers, and
shoes, and feeling that these were a
burden grievous to be borne. The
was ninety-eight degrees
IN the shade; in the sun, one hundred
and twenty degrees. Teufelsdrockh
might have learned something more of
,lothes-philosophy had he been Squire
Harker's guest.
The doors and windows were wide
open, permitting a faint current Of
air to pass through the room air laden
with the perfume of azaleas, growing
ike rank weeds in the forest, and with
;he faint odor Of the prairie rose. A
1umming of bees and buzzing of flies
came rhythmically athwart the pauses
n the conversation. Outside, the in
;ense white sunlight glittered on every
surface; and the ineffable
7iolet sky scared to an immense
height. Across it, here and there,
swami rolls Of snowy cloud, like pillows
If carded wool. The remote firma-
nent, the slow-gliding clouds, the
aushing sun-glare, the droning insects,
he quiet talk Of my entertainers, the
stiffness of the forest, seemed all har-
nonious with the calm of tropical
noon.
Hurry here was impossible, rapidity
Of thought an absurdity, rapidity of
action suicide. Life was wakeful
dream, in which to smoke lazily, to
exult serenely at the dawdling pace of
Time hobbling along on padded san
1als, were the only duties.
My hostess informed me that she
had long suffered from ague and rheu-
matism. She had taken all sorts of
doctors stuff, but with little relief.
She rose to fetch the bottle contain
ing her medicine, and then | saw how
lame she was. Her left hip appeared
to have lost its power of articulation.
She moved with pain and difficulty,
using a strong stick. [ was very sorry
for her, and we soon became confiden-
tial. In talking over remedies, it was
clear that the quack was mighty in
the land, and that Mrs. Harker had
suffered much therefrom. And the
school-master was feeble. The COM
monest news of the time was unknown
to the family, or had filtered in by
small drops of hearsay. All literary,
scientific, or other culture was absent
from this household. I was non
plussed at every step, having to begin
de nopo with almost every topic. But
| thoroughly interested my friends,
who began to look upon me as an ex-
traordinary person, when ! tried to
explain the genesis of malaria and
rheumatism. Diseases were accepted
by the Squire's family as mysteries,
which no knowledge could fathom,
and which medicine could only miti-
gate.
CONCLUSION NEXT WEEK.