New-York tribune., 1885-02-08
"POOR WHITE TRASH"
A DAY AMONG THE GEORGIA MOUNTAINS.
AUNT FANyY's HOUSEKEEPING AND MARTHA
JAMES LOVERS

| ATLANTA, Ga, Feb. 4.-They were rafting along
over the mOuntans-the blue-eyed young lady, the
blond young man, the preacher and the preachers
wife. The mules were of the slowest, the hack of
the toughest and the roads of the worst that North
| Georgia could furnish. That decision was upani-
nous, except for the preacher, who declared that
long ago he had travelled all through these noun
tains, and that this road was boulevard compared
| with some he had seen HIS wife looked at him
little apprehensively at this, doubling If his wits
had been jolted out of him, and the other young
people began to sing. to cover the painful pause
| They bent upon visit to " Aunt Fanny
| Smith, who kept hotel hard by Sinking Mountain
| or Sinkin Mounting the natives called it
which was of the curiosites Of the region where
| this party was soiournng. After many thump
and batter and bang the mules took Wild leap
around steep and sudden turn; the hack and its
occupants pitched after them, and were brought up
| suddenly before a small. weather-stained, high
| rooted house made of undressed lumber. Half of
the front Of the house wide old piazza with
| sagging floor; the other half was room. The
piazza itself was nearly filled by boxes of plants.
| chiefly geraniums, in vivid bloom, standing out
against the soft deep grays aud browns Of the old
| walls that that made the background. Two or
three old slat-bottomed rockers, softened also by
time, stood in front of the doorway. Mt which ap-
peared. the mules gave their last vicious jerk and
III
| their helpless load, two women. who proved to be
| Aunt Fanny and her oldest daughter.
"Wall, cf you uns don't look plum tired ont.
| Them mules must he powerful hard travellers. Come
| in an hev some buttermilk. do"
| Aunt Fanny came forward to possess herself Of
their shawls she spoke-a tail, brown. pleasant
| faced shrewd-looking woman OF one would say
| fifty, If there were not Martha Jane beside her.
who forty-fve if she day. The latter led
the two ladies into the room which should have
been the rest Of the porch, bur which was instead
the most curious sleeping apartment these two had
ever seen There were four or fvo beds in it, few
feet apart from each other, with heads against the
wall Between each pair of beds out as far as the
foot of the same, thin wooden partition about
rs high as a mans head. The rest of the room EVIL
| IDENTIFY was held in common and il one could not
see ones neighbOrs bed, was supposed to be in
| tho strictest privacy. The first acOve was the
maiden shrine Of Martha Jane. The,walls and par
| titon were hung with clothes and adorned with
| old fashioned plates, woodcuts from The Potlce
| Gazette and one or two antique tin-types framed
| in straws.
| aThese yere amt my bes cloes," said Martha
| Jane apologeticay as the blue-eyed young lady
stood before the tiny cracked glass giving an extra
| fun to her tawny bangs; II in gen'ally keeps my
Sunday cocs up attic. I've got pow'rfnl fine
glance at the blue-eyed young ady's null and lace
which was in fact too fine for such an excursion
| hit amt quite so thin yourn, but hits got
whole dollars wuth of embroidery on it. an when
jerk out them plats. hits pow'rful pretty frock"
| AMY backs weaks water sometimes she cOnhded
presently settling herself on the bed by the side Of
the preachers wife, an lately I've Just plum quit
e1pectin of it to git any better. an I've tux to
wearin galuses Hit seems quare TO You uns, l
| s'pose p-half repenting her confession" but L
| know some real nice ladies that do it, know one
lady-she's an exception. she's such lady-her hus-
| band runs on the train an she wears galluses.
She's been a-wearin 'em nigh on two year. But
| Ia, YOU uns don't know nothin' bout galluscs. l
s'pose ef we uns to go to you unses home we'd
SEQ lots o. quare things-ics as Gurus as you uns
think our things is-leastways.I spose yoa do But
| ef your hairs fixed. les 90 up attic an see my
white frock. an some shawls | made-P jes' as lief
| sell 'em as not Do you uns think bangs Is be-
| comm to me I" she demanded suddenly turning
square upon them as they followed her to the porch
Tho blue-eyod young lady gasped little. but the
| preachers wife, who had oddIty or two IN
her day looked calmly at the tough, leathery face,
| reddenlng darkly In its anxiety. the small, black
close set eyes pecpng out dehantly on either side
! of the high. thin ridge Of nose. and said smllngly :
| We haven't seen you without them you know; ;
put them back"
aOh. erer 30 becomng~ exclaimed the blue
eyed young lady. reaching up to put the thick black
| locks in place again :. You don't know how young
| il makes you look! And how pretty and thick and
! glossy your hair is," she went on. to redeem the
dnbousness of her first remarks; wouldn't you
| like me 10 show you how to do ii in twists on the
| top of your head I'm sure you'd like IT.
"WelI. happen / would" said Martha Jane,
highly battered. "We1l go into my room after
| dinner; but come up yon now"
They passed through the porch into large square
aliying room with a wide old fireplace, more beds.
| more clothes, more pictures from Gody and me
| Police Gazette the additional features being sew
| ing machine and, suspended from beam overhead,
an almostnterminable row OF sun-bonnets, OF every
| hue under heaven. From this room flight OF
steps devoid of banisters, led sup attic" where
were stored great piles OF dried "yerOs' strings OF
onions and peppers, bed-quilts home spun counter
panes, several pairs of hugo broganS' ana TWO or
three battered old trunks. Martha-Jane approached
ono of these reverently and raised the lid; the
"powrful fine frocl." however, was not on top, and
| her solemnity rolapsed into shrewdness.
| "This yere's the bes piece of homcspun l ever
made" she said. spreading the goods out on the
ladies' laps, an hits plum the prcttest piece made
In this settlement TOO, eff do say 1t I'd sell t cheap
to you uns-blue an yaller-hits kinder quiet-like,
an nd look poc'rful nice fer preachers wiie' OF
might happen that ar tow-hoaded young ieiier
downstairs ud like to buy 1t fer you; seed he was
sweet on you afore he got you outen the hack"
"Marthy Jane! You Marthy! Yere it's half
hour to dinner an that ar chicken amt even dead!
You uns mustn't pay no tention TO me-" added
Aunt Fanny as the three appeared at tho head OF
| the stairs "but ef Marthy Jane don't pearten up
an thrash round yere lively thar amt goin to DO no
dinner an men folks 'thoui dinner is wussen wiid
| stecrsP
| As the smen folks I" had gone out to explore the