The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-17
Two Scenes.
[For the VIRGINIAN.1

teCUCl tunb WdS uluCI lupIoSSeu Will Uil'
different aspects humanity may take with
In the distance of a stones throw.
One OF these was visit which bushes:
hauler near us. The wood hauler of this
district is one of the most discouragine
| and hopeless of men. If he owns land
which he is clearing to cultivate, theI
there is some chance for him to rise, but
If, as is commonly the case, he is a renter
there is none, his fate seems to be to die
In the poor house if he does not fill 9
drunkard' s grave before old age and help,
lessneSs overtakes him, and the prospects
of his children are like unto his own, OF
worse. He rents a cabin to live in and
undertakes for consideration to clear
land, paying by the acre or cord as the
case may be. He drives wretchad cattle,
which the Valley farmer would deem only
fit for carrion, and a wagon which seems
ready to fall to pieces any minute. He
spends one day cutting his wood, the next
in hauling it, and investing half the pro
ceeds in bad WhSskey, goes with others Of
his kind bowling home. If he could make
a calculation he would find that counting
his time and that of his horse with feed
for both he has lost about fifty cents on
the transaction. He gets even with the
world by going in debt to all who will trust
him, taking new route after he has
gained credit on any particular road, and
at the end of the year moves somewhere
else, largely in arrears to his landlord.
1t seems contradiction to speak of a
wood hauler living in town, as one would
as naturally expect the timber out of which
he hews his rough living to take root in
city streets as he. One of the fraternity
has, however, lately moved into corporate
limits, arguing thus: II had to rent a
house somewhat, and when rent in the
country, alters have to go long way to
git home at night arter / have done sold
my load, an then sometimes / don't sell
it an | have to leave it somewhat. Now
if live in town, / kin start. out in the
mornin' an sell out arter git my wood
in, then I'm at home an don't have to go
nowhar' arter night like alters have been
doing.n Whether this is good logic or not
we will give the wood hauler who is
among the best and soberest of his class,
credit for a new idea, and call at his
house.
When / knocked at the door a mild
voice said scome in,'' and turning the
knob essayed to do SO, but Started back
as huge hound sprang at me clanking
chain as he came. The mild yoice..in the
same mild tones said ''lay down, Jim, lay
down." then turning to me continued.
walk in marin, he won't hurt you, Jim's
just maxim believe" Having aScertained
that 'Jim'sn chain was fastened to the
foot of the table, / seated myself at a safe
distance from him, and surveyed the sur
roundings with establishment. The owner
Of Jim and the mild voice, which contin-
ued to ramble on in gentle tones making
due welcome, was little old white wo-
man in striped cotton dress and check
apron, the dress hardly reached the top of
stout leather shoes tied with leather
strings and the old dame had white
tied around her jaws, and
blue one surmounting it tied under her
chin, and as she stood smiling and talking
over Jim" who now lay at her feet blink
ing affectiOnately at her, felt as if had
found the real little old Mother Hub
bard, who went to the cupboard to get her
poor dog a bone. y
The house contained two rooms and was
evidently rather too large for it's occu-
use were in the room / had entered. A
big clean pine table stood in the middle of
the room and an old fashioned high post
bedstead covered with a patchwork ''yarnp
quilt, in one corner. There was sort of
bureau or sideboard and a spinning wheel,
and three or four chairs, and the queer lit
tie old woman and the big dog. and the
seemed to be complete. The
door of the outer room stood open as the
day was warm, and l could see that it was
used for old lumber of all kinds, old sad
dies and harness, and wash tubs and
loom were to be seen with bundle of
wood and barrels of chips.
A savory odor pervaded the place, and
after had been seated, the dame resumed
her occupation of frying slap jacks in an
oven over the Goals, with slices of bacon
suffering in a spider and the coffee-pet
bubling in one corner, and the dogs nose
within three inches of the frying-pan and
his big eyes winking approvingly as the old
lady transferred her brown crullers from
the frying pan to the dish. All the while
she talked on in her mild, soft tones, pos
sibly pleased to have another audience be-
sides the dog, to whom / doubt not she
was talking before | went in and is assur-
edly talking still, ever since come. With
a few suggestive questions to start her
on fresh track she goes over
the simple story of her life. Yes marin.
she liked the house, she liked it splendid,
she haden It no fault to find with nothin',
but it seemed kinder stranger to her to be
in town, she hadn't never been in town
before. But it suited him to be in town
an what suited him suited her." A slight
emphasis on she" or s:him" Indicated
that She meant her husband whose name
she never mentioned. There was EVIL
IDENTIFY but one .'he'' in the universe for
her. mo marin, she didn't keep the dog
in the house because she was afeard of
there was nothing to be afeard
of as she knew, she kept him for company.
Dogs was heap OF company, that they
was. They had two dogs now, one always
went away with him and one always stayed
with her. They hadn't never had no chill
dren. they had good luck about that, and
she always kept dogs round her. People
wouldn't believe the sense that was in
dogs. Why in the country she had little
dog, she had raised him he lived to be
exactly fourteen years old, he was pupped
one November and he died same November
fourteen year, and such cute little dog
as he was ! Why he could tell her
anything she wanted to know, she tried
to ask him, Jack, is he a coming to
dinner ?' and Jack would run down the
road, and if he was a coming, he would
come a jumpin' and frisking back and
let her know just as plain as words could
speak.-No, marin, they did not have any
hogs now, nor no chickens they always
had them things in the country, but she
knew she couldn't keep them in town );
looking round meditatively, hes got his
team, "a raw-boned, old horse) and amt
got nothin but the dogs
The old lady insisted on my staying to
dinner, and when urged the necessity of
my going home, she and the dog followed
me to the door as | reached the step she
ran back for plate of the crullers. and
said | must at least take one with me, and
lest her gentle soul should be grieved by
refusal, did so. and carried the leathery
article out of sight, rejecting as 1 went on
the sweet contentment of the worthy
dame, living her simple life all uncon-
scious of the world of fashion and wealth
and progress, yet of sin and shame and
want around her, asking nothing of fate
but the peaceable possession of him" and
her dog rs
A few days later / found myself in one
of the aristocratic mansions of the West
end and daintily dressed party assembled
to witness fashionable wedding. twas
delightful. but the sunshine had been shut
out and the gas turned on and there was
profusion of flowers, and everything was
very fine, and there was no end of style
and the two who were TO become man and
wife wore fine raiment and clasped hands,
encased in No, 5. button kids, and plight
ed their troth after the most improved
fashion and fastidious taste, and went off
on the train for a trip to the great busy
bustling world of modern improvements,
which seems so fast drifting away from all