The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-11-24
A JOURNEY OVER ROCKINGHAM.

Mr.. EDTToR:-Br1 ". 2. Aa4@.v.
District Lecturer 18th district \. =.
and YOUR humble servant est out iyr
Leak5vilIe. our first app1utnenk. i "a
dog cart Drawn BY a mule whose chief
desire seemed t. D. u deliver ~ At t2e
apov- mentioned place behind tim.
The day wlS ali that cgult b. desireG
TIE sun shJu- clear All brlEl. IL the
heavens aud not 4 shallow Of \ cloud
dimmed the horizon. The roads were
smooth and dry. and Te travelling pn
At q brisk AIT ~ Ne could persuade
our mule 70 q, aud had put several
miles between * and our starting
point when suddenly. without Il InD-
ment's warning. while ascending 4 hill.
smash went the seat Of our cars AMI
down went your humble servant. cart
seat. MASSEY and all. Nobody hurt
With the help Of briii- reirs and IIu-z
We tied up the cart ami again set sal
for Leaksville. Without anT more
miShaps We arrived at that nice li@tle
town about noon, Il hour bohind
time. Leak5Vile Is SItu4te3 On the
river Dan one mile above its junction
with Smiths river. Immediately on
our arrival in town We We're taken in
charge by Rev. Z. y. Anderson. PreSi
dent Town Creek SUbAl lance. and
cOnduced to his residence ana there
served to q SumpbuOuS dinner. Bro.
Anderson IS an AllianCemAn all OYER.
and il does a fellow good i shake
hands with such man as Bro. 4. Bro.
y. is one Of the kind who don't have
TO telegraph to Mr.. Vance to know
whether he must bake his potato in the
oven or roast it in thu ashes. We hope
to soon see the day when we can hail
Bro. a. 5 sheriff Of our county,.
At me O'Clock a large audience com
posed mostly Of Alliancemen assembled
in the town hall TO hear the speaking.
Bro. Massey was introduced to the
audience by Bro. Anderson, and for
about an hour Bro. Massey poured
forth his elOquence, astonishing every
one who heard him. To hear such a
stream Of eIOquence pour from the
throat of a common CiOd-hOpper was
something approaching the marvellous.
ClOd-hOpper orators don't grow wild
IN this part of the country, and none
have been cultivated as yet. Some
are perhaps born, but if so. before the
pillow boys were invited to the feast
they were born TO BLUSH unseen an /
waste their elOquence on the desert air.
After the speaking was over and our
cart had been repaired, We again set
out on Our urney, the residence Of
Mr.. J. II. Carter, Henry county. Vir.
ginia, being our objective point. Our
road for miles lay over a sandy ridge
to Ridgeway. Va From thence over
mountain peaks called Chestnut Knobs.
Night had overtaken Us long before
we reached that mountainous country
consequently we were doomed to bad
luck for travelling through some of
those mountain r~eCesses, we lost our
road and got tangled and twisted and
did not reach destination until the
hour Of midnight.
In speaking of Henry county, Va,
will here say that it is a somewhat
peculiar fact that Henry county and Its
sister county, Patrick. are named after
Patrick Henry, one of the most famous
orators America ever produced. Henry
county should be the most fomous
county in the world for chewing to,
bacco. And Patrick county should be
famous for its apples and brandy. OF
late years the industries Of both OF
these counties have been handicapped
by the inteCn revenue laws. In
travelling over Henry county you will
| see vast fields where once grew the
waxy weed now growing up In briars,
brushes and inhabited by rabbits,
| opossums and other denizens peculiar
10 the country. Vast novels of the
| sable children of Ham Once turned
over the fertile fields. We are told
most Of them are now gone scattered
to the four winds, left the unremunera
! tive farms and gone off in quest OF