Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-06-06
A Ride to the Country-Bad Roads.

A man who is confined to an Office the year
round does enjoy ride to the country. even
though it be by compulsion and over bad roads.
Such ride took on the I'd inst. to the upper
part of Augusta county, near the Rockbr1dge
line.
The country was in its glory. The hills were
never greener, and the waving wheat was new
er more promising. Cattle, horses and sheep
were luxuriating in rich pastures all along the
road. While passing the beautiful farm OF
Meredith Hogshead, near Middlebrook, with
its grand North Mountain background, near
ly exhausted my stock of Latin quotations by
muttering to myself: o fortunate agricola, sui 81
bona aorint. But Meredith don't know it. II 1t
be true as hear, that he wants to sell out. He
should not wait long for a purchaser. II hao
the money to lay down.
My ride did not take me by the farm of my
friend Sproul, as I could have wished MY
destination was along the Squire McNutt
road" to the hospitable mansion Of Enos OIL.
It did me good to look on Mr.. Otis farm, and
to note the comfort and elegance Of his home,
as well as that of VIM. G. McKemy and others
in the same neighborhood. By the way. is
there any county in the whole country In
which there are SO many handsome brick
farm-houses as in this county of Augusta?
doubt II there is. have travelled extensively
in the North and West, as well as South, and
certainly have never seen such country resi-
dences as are found in every part of Augusta
county.
One very pleasant incident of my ride was
the meeting and exchanging greetings with
one and another country friend-Palmer OF
Arbor Hill, Smiley and Fulton OF Monetts
Greek, and others-not now in the confined at
mosphere of an Office, but out in the free air
and mellow sunlight.
It was also pleasant to observe that the squir-
rels and partridges above Mtddlebrpok, know
their friends. A fine gray squirrel, with
splendid brush, disported himself before me in
the road. evidently vain of his appearance;
and plump partridge stood on the fence few
feet OF, and eyed me with apparently affec-
tionate interest
must not forget to say that Middlebrook
presented a neat and inviting appearance, nor
fail to bless the man who provided that copious
supply o. flowing water for man and beast in
the main street of the village. The churches,
too, in Middlebrook and Arhor Hill were at
tractive features in the landscape. Pres. Hogs
head, Of the former place. stood at the door of
his store, and gave me friendly nod for old
acquaintance sake. But a word with you,
Preston-why don't you enclose your lanyard
vats7 They look mighty dangerous. Some
guest Of the public house. beyond the watts,
will surely find a watery grave in one of them
some dark night.
John s. McCorkle did not set eyes on. His
customers came out on the platform to look at
my horse, a very fine one; but John s. was not
in sight Was he ION for goods" or ''round
eollecting?" have a feeling of personal in
jury at his not showing himself to me. as no.
body else has passed through Middlebrook for
fifty years, more or less. without seeing Mac.
Things looked very lively in Sam. Helms's
cabinet-maker's shop. wonder what was 60
ing on in there. Fauver, across the way, was
| at the door of his shop, and seemed to be fin
| ishing off a picture frame, showing that the
fine arts are patroniZed in MiddlebrOOk; or
| maybe it was for a bureau looking-glass. I
wish Fauver all the patronage he deserves, but
nevertheless was glad to see his hearse under
the shed. evidently unused for long WHILE
| Friend Smith had board tackled to his black
smiths shop, with pathetic appeal inscribed
| thereon to gentlemen and boys' not to walk
| through his garden. I join in the request
Please don't.
cannot forbear making affectionate, If not
| honorable, mention of a certain gigantic oak
| in the forest, near the road side, three miles
| from Staunton, which towers above all other
| trees, having no doubt stood there since long
before Columbus discovered America. But
| there are ASSOCIATIONS with this oak IN the
| mind of the writer "With which stranger in
termeddleth not"
| Here am, however, rambling on, instead of
coming to the point. At the outset intended
merely to call attention to the wretched con-
dition of the Staunton and MiddlebrOok road.
From Capt. Fulcher's farm to point two miles
beyond Arbor Hill, the road is a disgrace to the
county-yea, to the civilization or the nine-
| tenth century. Here is this great thorough
fare the highway for more produce to Staun-
ton than any other, almost impossible in
many places during this month of June, Ammo
Domini 1882, and nearly one hundred and fifty
years since our ancestors began to make roads
hereabouts Thankful at having got home
| without disaster, say no more. WA.