New-York tribune., 1889-10-20
VIRGINIA IN AUTUMN.
SOME NOTES ON CoURTDAY AND FAIR-DAY.
| UNCLE PoTTLETOTS ABSENCE-A POLITICAL
| DEMONSTRATIONS REISNICKEK.

UNCLE POTTLETOTS ABSENCE-A POLITICAL
DENONsTRATIoN-A BEIsNICKER.
Shenandoah. Va. Oct 1O.-None OF the prisoners
had escaped from the old fashioned stone jail since
The last monthly court day, and thus tho incoming
farmers were deprived of a subject for gossip which
had come to be relied upon There certain
Keeling OF disappointment. think sense Of personal
aegrievement but this was dlspeled by the news that
there was to be fright smart o. spcakln in the
eVcnin',S which means any time after noon. Tho pris
oneis who had consented remain in the jail were
quickly disposed OF after the judge took his seat upon
the bench. There wen few opportunities for the
lawyers who swarIned out of the long one-story
barrack where they dwell by themselves isolated as
u there were cOniagon in their presence. Some OF
them were surhargod with fervid southern oratory,
but the Judge wsrily euded chances for explosion
The tall mountancers who wandered into the court
room hdgeted for a time and then stole out as
quietly as their heavy boots permitted, TO find enter
tanment in talking bark upon the sidewalk Up
the street stood line OF barkte soldly built
wagons, with high sides drawn by four mules har-
messed with "brcechin'D straps foot in width. Tho
cumbersome harness and the subdued aspect of the
mules were the outward signs of troubled life spent
upon steep mountain roads and upon dlstractlng
slopes, guiltess Of roads, where wagons and mules
are held back by ropes and chains and literally low
cred from tree to tree. All over these mountains
there IS ceaseless campaign against the chestnut
oak one OF tho most abundant Of the forest trees.
The bark Is stripped of and hauled to the annereS,
where 1t is worth about SO cord. The tree itself IS
left to decay on the ground. 1t Is wasteful work
aud its danger has been shown in the annual floods
on the western side Of the Alleghaules, due to the
sudden rush Of water from mountains stripped Of
their forests
1t has been maintained that the pie hne runs
north OF Virginia. This Is mistake. Pie. und's-
md
negroes watched the sidewalk before the court
house. The mountalneers ate pie as they talked OF
bark "'lowed" that deer wuz wonderful thick m
tho mountains this fall" The farmers
rolled pie and fertilizers together under
their tongues as they bargained with the agents
or mourned the necessity of paying nearly three
dollars acre to fertilize wheat land. Every tic
rai7 along the street held row Of horses. They
were jaded farm horses accoutred with ragged sad
dies and gInny bags and there colts, groomed
until they shone in the sunlight which were fIrtvey
Inspected by gentlemen Of the horsey profession
who declined TO commit themselves while the owners
Of the colts made equal efforts to disguise their
hope of sale. The high rickety farm-wagons
loaded with wearers OF black sunbonnes and souched
hats were presently followed by Uncle Peter GTbber
who sat behind an OK which was harnessed TO a
wagon in large part home made. Uncle Dave
PotletO. from across the river did not appear.
His absence was presently explained by Uncle Peter
who had moistened his organs with new whiskey.
you see.r he said confdcnhally. the ole man,
he'se powerful cantankerous by times, an the ole
woman, she's powerful sot when she gifts her head
Last evenn' there wuz two or three neighborin
wimmin ter the house. an somethn' started the ole
man. so'se he begun fur ter up an tar round
an he lowed he boss. Purity soon the ole
woman she gOt mad, an she sez, 'Ye pore missable
olo cretur. III larn ye who's boss All ter onct
she'n them other wimmin they grabbed up some
hop poles, an they druv that thar ole man outer
the house. an they run him down the HILL an
they never stopped till they'd him clean inter
the river. They do say they cracked him right
smart and the ole man yelin' like an InJun' at
every Jump. He jst swashed outn the river whar
pwuz about up ter his middle, an thar he stopped
an sorter rubbed hisself. 1 reckon he wuz right
down sore Tho ole woman she sung out, Now,
We 'ornery ole Dave Pottetot, who'z boss nowP He
sez. short o. shaky like. Pm boss an She SCI,
Jess you stay thar then, Boss Pottletot' The ole
man he sot out fer 10 como back, but them wimmin
head him of with the hop poles. TwH cold
evenin' an blme by cud hear the ole mans teeth
chatterln' clean the river whose boss now,
Dave PottletotP sings out rhe ole woman. I'LL
rrect kon youyou'se the boss, Mriar,' sez the ole
man ez we'll ez he cud speak Come ashore, then
ye ole vagabone' sez she. an the ole man he
crawled out mighty stiff an cold an they do say he
cussed a heap. but he KEEP his cussin pretty much
TO hlsself, fur the hop poles wuz handy The ole
man he went ter bed and this mornn' he sed he
he'd rboumatiz too powerful bad ter como to emmy
court day.
There was an interval OF quiet while the town
dncd and then at one OF the hotels UP the street a
band rdey broke the silence. Farmers, mountalneerS
and townsfolk gathered expectant in the street
Presently an orator presented himself and began 10
point TO the glorious past of Virginia, beginning
with John Smith and Pocahontas while ne was
travelling down the centuries with such Satisfaction
10 himself conspicuous figure, representing the
other party, appeared on the porch Oh 'he ho'ci
across the way, and a rival band DcBau "ha' was
termed by courtesy a serenade The crown rusnou
across the street with dozen gentlemen In the Vah'
yrbose gestures and discourse betrayed extreme IN
ward disturbance One Of them uplifted his voice
IN denOunce' the seronaded gentleman as "a traitor
bought and paid for The gentleman In question
heard these unhattering remarks without the move
nent OF coat TAIL and then blandly nVlted inc
sneaker 20 come up on the porch' AS tho i@'''i
nreforred to exercise his lungs and limos IN inc
dust Of the street the politician leaned over tho
railing and denounced the shouting ana leaplng
,oD,,aroar az liar and a coward" Theroupon the
latter moderated his leaps and shouts and presently
disappeared - a,-u
Tbe uolttician began speech, but "fehow
ct.zensr was not yet well out OF Ssn' "hon
the brass instrument, of the opposite pohucai
faith began 10 bray JUST a0lo'' ~ -
For n moment the orators speech wGs IN pan
tnto then be buskily whispered TO tho band OF MS
own party. /" Boys. give EN- - 1t can De con
adently asserted that this was done. "t o[ans
Isrcbo ter mind.p said ono of the spectators @ltor
,r.rd nm, l wus a sorter ookn' fur fallin walls
Tn venerable historian over the way was Seon 70 70
opening and shutting his mouth ou' Una. was
The crowd howled and cheered' the oAiuS u'U'Ho rH
,a',Aor and louder and tho uproar might we'll haVe
s,artled tho deer on the distant mountains "nen
the opposing bands showed signs of exhaustion .a0
sis.oriaI goo,leman called out Captain, propose,
sir that you como over here and We "V"o ',iII, ".
The doughty captains rply left nothlns noro ~ w
said. 1t was simply " You go " a. d,u ,ras
stead the orator went into politics anu u'o oNi
.s,.nod 70 hs ended only BY tho captains with
Irawal to tho plaza before the court house DOUBT
n's 80 'oator demolished his adversary and his
,dyersarys party, but have kept no recori Oh inc
feryid eloquenoe which finally found an oaue'