Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-06-17
J,M.s CABIN.
A Curious Picture of Primitive Life In tho
North Carolina Highlands.

A Curious Picture Oh t'rim1tiS0 LILO IN t.
North Carolina Highlands.
Jim's cabin, like others in the mount
ain, is in hollow, so as to be close tc
an ever-dowing spring. says writer
describing the life of North Carolina
moantaineer. Barn he has none. He
raises a little corn and some of the
common vegetables. A sorghum patch
furnishes him with strip, and his bee
skips help to furnish sweets. The bull
tongue is his plow and cultivator. 1t
is single tooth, like cultivator share
fastened to homemade beam. His
harrow is a scrubby tree-top. These
farming utensils and the household
furniture are the same his father used
a century $50. This is how his churn
was manufactured: A section of sas-
safras log was bored through from end
to end with an auger. Then strips
were split out from the inside until the
shell was of proper thickness. This
was smoothed inside and Il groove VAS
cut out TO hold the bottom, made frOr.
a dry board, which was closely fitted in
ard the green she'll left to shrink neatly
about il. The churn was perfectly
tight, although it was bound by no
hook. The .'lye gum is another in
stitution made from hollow log. A
dug-out is anchored in the brook, and
in this Mrs. Railey stands when she
does the family washing. She first
dips the clothes in the clear water. and
then, drawing them over the end of the
log, she belabors them with Il paddle,
repeating the process until they are
clean. Almost every thing used is
made at home. Even the shoe thread
is from flax grown OH the clearing. and
jim tans the leather from which he
makes his own shoes.
A mountain loom is a whole show
and it plays leading part in the
household economy. Jim split the
frame of his out of white oak and
shaped it with drawing knife. The
'.quills" (bobbins) pieces of reed.
The shuttle is whitfield from the wood
Of rhodOdendrom maximum. The spin
ming wheels are also handmade from
the tree. Leaves of symplocos turn Sh
Il yellow dye: buttcrnut root Il brown,
and other colors are made from other
products of the forest.
OF course | took dinner with Jim,
and his table was bountifDlly furnished
with fried chicken and bacon, BOILED
cabbage, baked potatoes and baked
pumpkin, hard corn-bread and butter.
sweet milk and buttcrmils- coffee of
ti.e blacklist and strongest swectened
with sorghum. The first meal at a
mountain board is a irving experience
IN one respect, for the table: IS built
very high and the benches low. so
that the edge of the ta5le is on level
with the shoulders. This arrange
men5 enables the feeder to- SIP coffee
from his cup without raising it. and by
placing his north at the edge Of his
plate be can shovel in his prDw eEder
without much effort. 1t requires some
practice. however TO accomplish these
teats with grace and precision. After
dinner we sat about the big stOi:E' hre-
place. while Jim smoked homemade
tobacco in Il homemade pipe; and
Mrs. RaiIey took down from Il shelf an
earthern lar sealed with tarrcd cleth,
which she proceeded to opea.. The
contents, canred peaches, were
cmptied into large tin basin. and
over these was poured Il quantity of
honey. and afterwand some sweet
cream. Several spoons were dhen
placed III, The dish. anti Jim, taking his
pipe from his m olsth, handed one to each
of the youngsters and larger one to
ne. inviting all hands to ''lay too"
The order was promptly obeyed by
every one but me- l had eaten so
heartily that the dessert could not ex-
cite my appetite--Pkiiadeiphia Prass