Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-12-12

1hc indifference to ones habita-
ton may be Judged by the following
admission: A man was bemoaning
the extravaganza of one of his
neighbors, who had CARED" property,
and who, he said, had "wellnigh run
through" with what he had received
10y his "foolishness" in building ga
plank house" with one room and
shed attachment) And this was
said by man who lived in one
room, unchinkcd log house; who had
money in the bank and mortgage
upon many Of his heighbors' cattle,
cotton crops, and lands, and had
produce piled SO high round his
house that he lived in its shadow;
and withal he was an excellent fel-
low.
A common drawback of this coun-
try is that every man tries to coniinc
his operation to his own labor with
out hiring. A farmer with splendid
slow grounds" boastcd to me that he
bad made 500 bushels of corn and
other stuff and had never hired n
man single day. Your corrcspoh-
dent mildly suggested that perhaps
if he had hired some one to work by
his side he might have made double
the quantity, but go, no, that would
not pay," was his answer.
A pitiable sight-onc that fills the
heart with sadncss-in the lower
country is the old plantations that
were worked by shareholders. They
can bc recognized at once by the re-
mains of old fences rotting on the
ground, where they were nine rails
high and ridcrcd, by their over
worked appearance, and the fine old
houses which were built to STAY.
The modern mountainccr cschcws
them as he would Il haunted palace
and, like the Indians when the Gov
crnmcnt built them cabins, stabbed
their horses in them and built wig
vans III front of them for them
selves. Scarcely vcstigc of slavery
remains in the shape of the cold
quarters" and the negro himself if
ever here has for the most part
vamooscd. Patches and not farms
are now cultivated, and it would ap-
pear that only enough produce for
home or hcighborhood consumption
is aimed at, although the lands are
fertile enough to make an Eastern
Nirglnian's mouth water. This
country holds its own, and more
land has been cleared than has been
allowed to grow up. No timothy or
clover is grown, although a man may
walk across fields of ungathcrcd ma
tive dead grass so thickly covering
the ground that he need not get his
feet muddy. The almost total ab-
scncc OF the sound Of the woodman's
axe and the crack of the sportsman's
gun, and that sweetest music the
baylng Of the hounds, is oppressive
1t is dead hush that should not
characterize these splendid noun
tains. Indeed | have yet to find
how these people amusc themselves.
First of all, the country is "dry;"
no liquor to be had The dcarth Of
the hilarity this fluid produces as
presented in these parts has greatly
changed my mind on this subject
Is it this absence, or is it the shadow
of the great mountains tha: causes
no merry laughter or shouts to the
hounds to be heard in it's dismal hol-
| lows
Just here | will note another alb
scncc in these mountain homes; no
laughter, no smiles and no surprise
ever expressed, and there is really
more garullity or "chin music" in
tins letter than you could "grub" out
OF the average family in week.
Whether it is on account OF linn
tied vocabulary or q ,lsinclination to
talk | am unable to say, but when
they do utter Il word it is to the
point and "horsc sense"
The trees Of this vicinity are
simply glorious, especially the pines.
These giants of the forest have a
grain in many cases as close as the
leaves OF book, and are SO majestic
in height and graceful in shape as to
excite spirit OF devotion. | fire.
qucntly find myself taking off my
hat to them and bowing obcsiancc.
| suppose it is their sweet, sad music
that snpprcSScs anything like bois-
tcronsncSs in the hardy mountainccr.
Cedars and holly are rare, and when
found are very unlike the Virginia
urOWth-nOthiur like co Loor,;r,l