South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1890-06-20
Taking Census.

1dkl0S S6uSub,
TCoNTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
our mind as we made a note Of the
family we bal missed In order To in
Quire about them al the nearest neigh
stor's, a. the law directed.
We'ha said that the people an.
sswered readily all the questions on
the schedules. Weshad not catechis.
cd many farmers. 'howevery before We
noticed hesitaDcy in giving tie vel e.
ucs of land and stock that came rear
bsing an exception to the rule. oEe
lid man caused us considerable de :
day aud annoyance by his hardness in
responding TO the inquiries coacern
ing these items. This we could not
unders, and until we told him the pri.
Gee we proposed 10 put on his cattle.
when he said, That's more than give
'em In at last year. We saw what
was the matter then. He had mis- =
taken us for the assessor. We as
cured him that our work had nothing
to do with taxes, after which the cross.
examination moved along very
smoothly. At the next two houses.
also, We mot with the same difficulty.
and at each OF them had to expisin
that We were not levying taxes Nor
WAS this mistake made by the poor
and ignorant only. Many persons
, of means and intelligence, who took
q newspapers and had read about the
census. were possessed by the same
erroneous notion that, IN some un-
knew0 way, our business was connecc
tel with assessing. and hence were
careful to list their property Mt very
dow rates.
In al the country part Of our dis
5rict We me. with bat one experience
tba. was worse than that recorded in
our last article. On the morning of
the fourth day VIC started out bright
and early togo To Mr.. Blanks house.
four miles away aud apparently ten
miles up in the air. For two miles
we followed the rocky bed Of run
(once diguifed with the name of
'road.") with a grade Of about 400
feet TO the mile. aud thon We came TO
the foot of steep and lofty mcuu-
tain, on whose summit was perched o
hut with few acres Of cleared land
around il. 1n going up to this house
We noticed that, in making etep, We
would often slip back further than We
advanced. We studied over the ait
uation for some minutes, and then
we cav that in such a CAGE philosophy
would indicate "crswfishing" as the
proper mode Of progression. 50 We
turued our back on the place and tri-
ell 10 walk up TO ii backward. But
then we slipped forward. Tue phil
osophy di int work worth a cent.
There was something wrong, though
we did not know what it was, and
, iherO was nothing left for US 10 Go but
TO face about and ascend the hill as
others not quite so philosophical as
turselves would have done. This we
did, and after reaching the house and
taking the census OF tho family We
looked down with smile OF triumph
on the many hills which we had cam
.vassed with 30 much labor and re-
marked with great complacepcy to
The owner OF tho place. "Well, the
worst OF our work is over; well have
II mostly down-hiIl from here on"
Indeed, you won't, for Robinson
lives up there" be replied, pointing
to the side OF knob that lowered o.
yer US to such height that We had
10 lie down 10 soc the top Of it, "tbis
- bottom land compared 10 the place
where be stays. You'll have TO go
down this hill, cross over yam knob,
and then 60 up that high one almost
TO the TOP before you'll be to bis
house We gave him one look which
We are sure lac will remember TO bis
dying day, but we said nothing We
couldn't. Three hours lator saw us
hsiling . bark. hsuler Hho vas at work
within 100 yards Of Robinson's house.
Does Mr.. Robinson lave here' Yes
he did; but he moved last Sa,ur-
day" It's we'll be did move. We
would hsvo prosecuted him " he
hadn't. There ought TO be law Tor
such people IS he, II there isn't. We
have our opinion Of any man who
would live Ia such place ss he did,
and then move away just oue day too
soon Tor the census enumerator TO
get paid fer taking bis family. lie
ought 10 Re punished, and We believe
sny icry would cay so.