The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-02-21

black. The hue OF tho river BY nv calm
door is yellower than ever. The water
marx is three feet higher than last night,
ana 1t creeps upward every hour. Over
the mountain crags yonder white sheets
OF loan are tumbling where none has
been seen before for many months.
This is m enforced day OF rest. l have
finished my breakfast and sit down for a
lew minutes In keen enjoyment of
id!eness. There is ceaseless natter OF
ralndrops on the cabin roof, The river
roars louder than ever over the rifle
close by. That roar is the first sound |
near IN the morningand tho last at night.
1t has roared thus for me these three
YEAR,. In one sense OF times duration
they, seem as three hundred years: in
another, they seem not much more than
three months. II is three months when
I think only OF the date OF nv arrival on
Frazer's fiat. It is three hundred wears
as attempt to recall the daily round Of
experience and thought since l came
here. Outwardly ithas been what many
would consider q monotonous exneri.
ence. Weeks have been 80 much alike
that they leave no distinguishing marks
in my memory.
wonder how many many years more
l Shall spend here. l wonder il l must
I'VE and die here. am no nearer for.
tune than three years ago, not so near
by three years. | seem more and moro
chained down here by force Of habit. I
seem tit Tor little else but to dig. l long
to see something OF the great world
beyond this lone foothill nook, Yet
without money feel less and less capa.
bic Of going out and getting on in that
world. And as for saving money-well,
We call this stree dollar claim" which
means an average daily profit, when all
expenses are paid, Of two dollars, more
or less. These thoughts are making it
as gloomy within rs the weather is
without. | must get out OF this, Nv
gray flannel working shirt needs mend.
ing: The right sleeve is ripped from wrist
toeibow. lthas been 30 ripped for about
six weeks. I have rolled that wet cleeye
up o,the elbow about hundred times a
day, and at every tenth stroke OF the
pick it has unrolled again and tapped
in my face. ! sew up The sleeve with q
very large needle and a very course
thread doubled. This is a good time to
clean up little. I will be domestic to-
day. l will bake fresh batch OF bread
and make q pie. It ghall be a mince pic,
We are ten miles from the nearest bak.
er's mince pie. 1t shall be made Of salt
beef previously soaked to freshness,
dried apples, molasscs, and vinegar in
lieu OF cider. The crust ! roll out with
a junk bottle on a smooth, fiat board.
bake it on shallow tin plate. It will
be, when done, q thin, watery pie; but
it will be pie-tho shadow OF pie at
least-such as I used to eat at home
only shadow. ..> 80
| Rain, rain, rain. The wind is up and
about too, tearing around among the
trees and shaking the cloth roof OF my
cabin. Here and there little trickles Of
water are coming through and running
down the logs. Mine is a log cabin Of
the toughest make. Four logs piled
atop OF each other form tho sides. /: A
mud chimney at one end a door at the
other. The logs are very dry and very
rotor, and abound in those insects thai
delight in rotton wood. i have found
scorpions under the bark and occasion.
ally an earwig promenades over the
table. open the door and look out on
the river. It's rising. Wrecks are com.
ing down-boards, logs, lumber and an
occasional eluice aud pieces Of huming
There is IN eddy around the turn OF the
hill above, where much OF this drift
runs in. l repair thither and make q
few hauls. 1 secure half dozen good
boards, some pieces OF joista, some drift
wood for fuel, and pile itup on the bank
out OF the Smelling waters reach. nHal
loa! That cry is from couple of men
on the other side Of the river, ploddius
down the trail In oilkins. Iknow them
Two Of the "boys" from Poverty bar
They are going to Prices store, two
miles below-store, grosshop, boarding
house, polling booth ut election, ferry
etc. Being rainy day they ere goins
there to get drunk. That is not theii
avowed purpose on setting out, but It'll
US near certainty as anything can b.
in this world. E'4 J3Q n ~ - @y@3l0
I return to my cabin. The pie hal
baked. 1t is browner than / had in
tended it should be. On one side it il
almost black. It is ornamented abou
the rim with row OF scollons made bI
pressure Of the thumb. Now I put il
tho bread, previously mixed and knead
ed. I am not good breadmaker. It il
always bread too much baked or too lit
tie, or too sour or too yellow, or tot
heavy. But I don't care. I bake only
for myself, and I am unfortunately TOT
l. easily pleased, and probably too lazy tt
take that care and elaborate preparation
necessary for good bread. 1 neve
measure accurately. the proportions O
flour, water and yeast powder necessary
for good bread. 7 throw them together
at random. It's "hit or miss''-gener
ally miss. It's too much trouble Il
bother about these small details. A par
tlcular friend Of mine who stayed witt
me few days reproyed me for the poo
quality OF my bread and the genera
sloyenliness apparent about my cooking
utensils. ts5,' 3.5..,l b * 9lt i'%
2 "You have no PRIDE" said he.m.. ,Gss
! owned up. What was the use 0
I pride about q tin kettle This frien,
was my hacker. He had set me up o.
this claim and put me, after fashion
{. on my feet. He had como to see hov
l was getting along. While on this yisl
a man Of some standing from camp u
the river, came along looking for stra.
COW. My friend asked him to dinner
one Of my dinncrs-graced by about tn
worst baking Of bread I ever accom-
plished. My friend did not realize wha
9 hc was about when no asked the futur
lieutenant governor OF the State Of Cali
5 iornia to that dinner. But when he 50
: down to my board, and when they trie
u to eat my bread. he sorrowed in secre
and gave me some good and forcible ad
z vice aiterward relative 10 culinary an
Z domestic matters: In these matters b
/, vns very narticular man. nilring hi