Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-10-25
NOT A PLEASANT PICTURE.
How the Inhabitants OF A rknnHas woods
Live.

1T Is the natives themselves that
more especially attract the strangers
attention. There's the head Of the
family, prodigiOusly tail and ungainly
quite interesting objects they are,
too, with their thousand-and-one men
tai and physical peculiaritics. The
children also, always dozen or fifteen
of them, ragged, sorrowful-looking ur-
chins, of all sizes and shapes And
the dogs bless me, came near for
getting 10 mention the dogs great
they are in numbers, and so thin and
bony that it is little wonder the great
er portion Of their existence Is spent In
I lying before the old fireplace, never
changing their position save when
compelled 10 do So A striking sense
of willingness seems 10 ovcrshadow
the whole group, as they squat about
the dingy room in all imaginable atti-
tudes, each wrapped up in the narrow
confines Of his own little self and the
quid of dog-leaf tobacco. Tobacco Is
their only solace-a homemade article
1t Is, too, meancst and vilcst TO be
found anywhere in the land Men
chew It, the women chew il, the chill
dren chew IL, and even the dogs chew
1t. It's chew. chew, chew, spit, spit
spit, squirt, squirt, from morning till
night and from night TIL morning. and
If you are not cautious enough TO get
of at safe distance you will be com
pellcd 10 dodge innumcrablc missiles of
amber colorod Juice that are shot about
in every conceivable direction irrcspcct-
i've Of persons or things. Sometimes
their jaws become weary after long
term Of service in the art Of mastiCa-
ton; chewing requires too much eNcr-
else for their indolcnt natures 10 with
stand. Something must be- done t. re-
licyc these ovcrworked members Of the
human organism, and the charactcris-
tic pipe Is a. once brought forth from
It, hiding place in the chimney. And
such pipes great, black, filthy things
strong enough 10 wreck the constitu-
tion Of fif'S Ward politician. A
man who can stand before one Of
those pipes when it is in full blast can
stand anything He would need no
life insurance.
The diet OF these people Is a remark
able thing in its way. not only in quail
ity, but also in quantity. Corn bread
and bacon constitute the bin Of fare
and in tho mcagre compass Of its life
sustaining qualities it combines all
and the only -dclicacies of the season,
never out Of season. It's corn bread
and bacon for breakfast, corn bread
and bacon for dinner. corn bread and
bacon for supper; that Is all the year
round. To moralize upon the ingredi-
ents of that corn bread would be as
hazardous as to attempt 10 solve the
mysteries that cluster around that
world-famous dish. boarding house
hash. | know it is a horrible mixture
Of corn meal and water. but | am ut
terly innocent Of anything else it may
contain utterly devoid Of salt, salcra-
tus or sofia This Is poured into a
small, rusty, iron pot. half buried in
the ashes. where il hakos and dries
until IL becomes hard enough TO knock
hole through brick wall, provided
the aforesaid wall isn't more than ten
feet thick. When the baking process
is going on the family squat about the
fireplace in languid listlcssness and fire
random shots Of tobacco juice at the
fire.
The bacon. too. is an article worthy
Of comment, inasmuch as IL imparts n
sort Of flavor to the corn bread, and
thereby renders It the more palatable
You first discover IL in huge slabs Of
fat, with little or no lean in its compo-
sition, almost encrusted in the accum-
ulated filth Of weeks and months. one
glance at IL would make a health off,
Ger sick: but to eat it, oh, horrors'
The corn bread, being baked to the
proper extent, is placed on stump
outside the door 30 cool, while the dogs
form a circle about it. lick their chops
in silent hunger. and bestow wistful
glances upon the, to them, delicious
morsel. Slices Of bacon are then plac-
ed in the great iron pot, where they
sizzle and sputter until finally resolved
into a number Of little dried-up chips
floating about upon a miniature sea Of
Shiny grease This horrible mass
grease and all--in conjunction with
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