Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-10-03
LIN the Arkansas Woods.

II is the natives themselves tnat more
especially attract the strangers attention.
There's the head of the family prodigiously
tall and ungainly-quite Interesting objects
they are, too. with their thousand and one
mental peculiaritles. The children also,
always dozen or fifteen of them, ragged,
sorrowful urchIns, of all sizes and shapes
And the dogs-bless me, | came near for
getting to mention the dogs-great they
are in number, and so thin and bony 1t is
little wonder that the greater portion OF
their existence Is spent lying before the OLD
fireplace, never changing their positions
except when compelled 10 do so. A strik-
Ing sense OF willingness seems TO over
shadow the whole group as they squat
about the dingy room IN all imaginable
attitudes, each wrapped up in the narrow
confines of his own little self and the quid
of dogleat tObscco. Tobacco is their only
solacc-a homemade article it is. too,
meanest and widest stuff TO be found any
where In the land. The men chew it, the
women chew it, the children chew it. and
even the dogs chew II. It's chew. chew,
spit, spit, spit, squirt, squirt, from morn
ing ull night, from night till morning, and
# you are not cautious enough TO get OF
al q safe distance you will be compelled to
dodge numberless missiles of amber-colored
juice that are shot about In every concelv-
sble direction, irrespective of persons or
things. Sometimes their jaws become
weary after long term of services In the
art of msstication; chewing requires too
much exercise for their iHdolent natures to
ha AOna
relieve these overworked members of the
human organism, and the Characteristic
pipe is at once brought forth from It's
hiding place IN the chimney. And such
pipes. great, black, filthy things, strong
enough to wreck the constitution OF Fifth
ward politician. a man who can stand
before one of these pipes when 1t is IN full
blast is proof against anything. He would
certainly need no life insurance.
Corn bread and bacon constitute the bill
of fare, and in the meagre compass Of IFS
life-sustainIng qualities 1t combines all
and the only-dellcacies 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 sup
per; that is all the year round. 10 moral
lie upon the ingredients of that corn bread
would be quite as hazardous as TO ar
tempt TO solve the mysteries that cluster
around that world-fsmous dish, boarding
house hash. / know it Is a horrible mix
ture of corn meal and water. but / am in
noccnt OF anything else it may Contain
utterly devoid OF salt, saleraIus or soda.
This is poured into small, rusty iron poi.
half buried in the ashes where il bakes and
dries until It becomes hard enough to
knock hole through a brick wall, pro-
ylded the aforesaid wall isn't more than
ten feet thick. While the baking process
is gong on, the family squat about the
tire Place III languId listlessness and fire
random shots OF tobacco juice at the fire.
The bacon, too, Is an article worthy of
comment, Inasmuch as 1t impaIts a sort of
flavor 10 the corn bread, aud thereby rem
ders 1t the more palstable. You first dis
cover il in huge slaLs of fat, with little OF
no lean in lis composition, and almost
completely enculsted IN the accumulated
fifth Of weeks and months. One glance at
il would make health officer sick, but to
eat n! oh, horrors. The corn bread being
baked to the pr per extent, Is placed upon
a stump outside The door to cool while the
dogs form a circle round, lick their chops
IN silent hunger, and bestow wistful
glances upon the, 10 them, delicious NOR
sci. Slices Of bacon are then placed in
the great iron pot where they sIzz.e and
spluuer until finally dissolved into num-
Der OF little cried up chips floating about
uDon a miniature STA OF Shiny grease.
THIS horrible mess-grease snd all-in coz
junction with the corn bread, is eagerly
devoured by these rapacious natives; and,
on this meaere diet, strange 10 say, but
nevertheless true. they manage somehow
to keep the sands of Ile in motion. Truly,
one halt Of the world knows not how the
other h1lf lives.