The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-08-24
KENTUCKY MoUNTAlNEERs.
A Visit to a Typical Family o.
Ruliskin Creek.

A Visit to a Typical Family on
Buiiskin Creek.
1t was early in the morning OF a
perfect April day that We went down
the road that leads to the banks OF
the Bullskin-a creek that traverses a
part of Eastern Kentucky, writes a
correspondent of the Washington
Star. It was a charming ride through
the mists and shadows OF the early
morning. Our destination was tho
house of an old man named Barger.
It was quaint old place, much clean
err than the houses in that country
usually are, with the remarkable lux
ury OF an upstairs" Old Mrs.
Barger was preparing dinnor when
we arrived, and we sat down to dine
at 10 o'clock in the morning. We
told the family that we diued at home
about eight hours later than that. but
they would not believe it.
Most OF the party belonging to the
geological survey set off Immediately
for the mountains, but | spent the
long afternoon reading, mapping
and chatting with old Mrs. Barger.
She busted herself about the stove,
which. with the dining table, was
under a shed in the yard, and sang
old-time hymns in the highest voice
l ever heard. She suddenly stopped
singing and asked me If had ever
heard that shine" before, and while
/ was trying TO guess at her meaning
she explained by saying that she got
it from an old "hime-book" that was
nearly a hundred years old.
She was an active old woman, the
mother of many stalwart sons and
daughters. One of the latter, a strap
ping bare-legged lass of Is, had just
| gone to the creek with the family
laundry. This is quite serious m t.
ter, particularly for the clothes. They
scrub them in the water, then pound
, them with heavy paddles till their
ideas of cleanliness are satisfied. II
takes good homespun to bear such
| heroic treatment. In the evening
! Joined the group sitting about the fire
waiting for supper. They were "the
boys" come In from the farm work with
several neighbors who had been help.
| ing. Darkness had fallen. and the
men about the fire were as silent and
sedate as only group of mountianeers
| can be. The silence was suddenly
broken by the entrance OF hale,
hearty, old man, whom all the party
addressed as grandpap and treated
with great respect. The old man
placed himself with utmost care on a
stool near the fire, and waited until
! Mrs. Barger had resumed her WORK at
! the fire, and the men had gone back te
chewing their "long cut" and to sill
ence; then he looked about him with
an air of enjoyment, and slowly re-
marked:
II lay I'm goin' to leave this creek.
"Why, what's the matter. grand
papp" came in chorus from all sides,
for grandpap had been "a landmark on
the creek before any OF them were
born.
Cause" he replied, cause it ain
safe fur nobody as lives on this creek;
it amt safe.'
The men sat upright for q moment
and forgot to chew, the bacon burn
uunoticed on the stove, and after enjoy
ing the suspense for a moment, tn
old man continued in his soft drawl:
bud Simpson has done beat Jo
Bakers wife all to pieces with fence
rail, and run off an lef her fur dead.
Various EXPLANATIONS came from al
sides, while sat by and listened to tn
! details of what seemed to me to bt
shocking assault Grandpap ex
planned, with slow care how the quar-
rel originated with the ''dawgs and thu
| ndWRS, duu uudIly OOuOiuuON ~ -
peating, II tell ye goin' to leave tn
creek; it amt safe.' Mrs. Barger re
turned to her bacon with the astut'
observation, "Wall, that beats m,
time" and took no further part in thu
conversation, but the men were thor
oughly aroused and discussed the out
rage with solemn eagerness. Ono tai
fellow, who seemed to be q man OF SOM
. Importance. reached quite a fever o
excitement and all the little circl
, stopped to listen when he delivered hi
: opinion. "a man amt no right t
beat a woman with fence rail. /.
man shouldn't beat none OF my wome
folks with fence rail. If Bud Simpso
) wanted to beat Tidy Baker, why disn
he take his fist an beat her. A ma
I amt no right to beat a woman with
: fence rail. He orter to have took b
/ fist"
The party all agreed that punishmer
with the fist was the proper mode TO
women, and silence soon reigned AGAR