The record-union., 1892-06-18

preston, my son. had no Ievity or
taunt IN 1t. 1T Is everywhere here term
of friendship and respect.
Between Saltash and Truro | made ap-
pllcatlon at the houses of many farmers
for food and lodging. The food could
always be had by paying for 1t before it
was eaten. But the latter could not be got
for any wheedling or sum OF money.
/ they would bluntly tell meto find an inn.
Ii proiesSed ignorance of the locality of
one, they would go, or send some one,
with me. / always dismissed my escort
before the place was reached, determined
to pass the nights in the homes OF the
lowly.
This sort Of procedure and conversation
with others than farmers upon the sub
ject, gradually developed the fact that
Cornish farmers nave nothing in common
with the great body of Corlish people.
/ They are d species of gentry in the
minds of the latter. Though only tenant
farmers their holdings are large for Eng
land, from 20 to IU0 acres, and have been
occupied for generations by the same
families on ninety-nine years leases.
They often go TO "Lunnon,'J - and their
children are sent to Truro for schooling.
They are stanch supporters of the ES-
tabiished Church, while the masses are
Wesleyans.
But the Usher and mining folk are un-
equivocally hospitable. The fisherman
viii take care OF you in his little cottage
without question, without locking thing
III his habitation against you, but still
with dumb sort of quiescence. The
miner Is a more rough ana ready fellow,
and If not always hearty about 1t, settles
the matter for or against you at once.
All this the literary tramp will quickly
discover, and L shortly began directing
my diplomacy toward the ordinary home
IN the mining villages.
You will find them through nearly all
the length of Cornwall from LiSkeard to
Romance, and they are seldom clustered
in dirty villages continguous TO the mines
as in our country. | do not recall a single
instance of this sort during my entire
journeying. Two, three, four, a half-doZen
and sometimes a score, may be found to-
gether. They are in all sorts of odd and
out Of the way places, on the roads and
of. Like the Irish cabins, they are
oftenest at the back, instead of at the
front, OF somewhere or anywhere. Near
ness to a mine seems to possess no adj
vantage.
Few are as near as half mile; thou
sands are miles away. "Pairdners' in a
''core" (corps) who combine their labors
and work one of the three eight-hour
''shifts" OF each day, may live in as many
different directions from the 'bal" or pit
Jack, lem or Jan often occupying homes
from six to ten miles apart. But wher-
ever these little miners hamletS are.
their walls are all of everlasting stone,
embowdered in brilliant Cornish roses
and creepers, with cement floors and
thatched roofs, every one subject to in
terminable repairs from onslaughts of
vicious sparrows, themselves tiny miners,
endlessly sinking shafts and drilling
"crosS-cuts' and levels in the soft and
yielding straw.
was soon able to march squarely up
to Jack and Jenny at their cottage doors
and boldly ask for accommodations for
the night. There was no haIting in the
negotiations on either side.
''Wass say, Jenny?" the burly fellow
would pleasantly ask of his honest wife.
''Shal aw lay un oop?'
Lay un oop," it should be explained,
did not mean that the stranger should be
attacked or hustled. IL is Cornish for en-
tertaining, caring for, or housing him.
If tina (thee, thou can STAN un, Jack, ;"
the wife would reply.
''All right, IN son." would be the re-
joinder, addressed to me. IF tha Gun
STAN un, maak a sci yourself thoam."
There was no further ceremony about
the matter. l always slept in the half
story garret beneath the thatch There
is one room below-sometimes two. One
door, the front one, is found sufficient,
window is at either side of this, and
often directly above these are tiny lights
for the garret. Each cottage is provided
at one end or at the back with an open
fireplace in the center Of the wall. It has
sort of range at one side covered with
outlandiSh brass ornaments at which the
Cornish housewife is endlessly polishing
At the other side is the ''ungconer.n
This has ''heps," or upper and under
doors, behind which are stored furze fao-
OTIS or other fuel.
The furniture of the cousin Jacks"
home though scant is honest and useful
At the fireplace is the ''brandes,'' a trian-
gular iron on legs, on which, usually
over furZe fires, the kettles boil. the cir
cular castiron ''baker'' and cover are set.
and the fish or meat, when they can be
INDUCED in, is ''Scrowled' or grilIed.
There are perhaps four chairs. These
will have solid mahogany frames, but
the seats are Of painted pine, and are
waHed weekly. These four are "best,"
and are all the best. For everyday use
one or two firms" or rude benches are
provided.
The single table is of pine, one top COM
ing flush with the sides, the other, de-
tached, TWO inches thick, one side un-
painted and secured snowy white daily
with "growder," a rotten granite which
lathers like soap, and the other side
painted for Sunday or Company use
and drawer beneath for rude cutlery.
The tableware is something startling IN
cheap goods, and each member of the fam
lily IS provided with real ''chany'' cup
and saucer with a gorgeous gilt band. Two
or three rude engravings, generally of
Scrlptural subjects, in cheap oaken frames
such as the village carpenter may make
with the beds and bedding under the
thatch, complete the furniture of the mi
ner's cottage.
For his class and means he is a gener-
Gus liver. Soups and stews are consumed
by the gallon. For his breakfast, il he is
out OF the mine, 'mawther," the wife,
will provide the usually vilIainous ''tay''
consumed by the English and Irish work
ing classes, infrequently an egg, perhaps
bit Of saffron cake, a Cornish favorite
apparently devoid of everything but
sweet and color, and, may be, bread
without butter) and treacle Sometimes
this is varied with "butter-sops,n stale
bread scalded and seasoned meagerly.
AT noon, or for the mine 'croust' or
lunch, there are ''taty pasties," or Dota-
toes, and vagrant meat scraps inclosed in
a crescent-shaped crust, interchangeable
with 'hggy pasties," the same as ''taty
pastles," with few raisins added; "hog-
gans" or round pork pies and ''taggans.' -
tough crust cakes SO hard, at least in Cor
nlsh renown, that they would not break
II hurled down / 200 fathom mine shaft.
For supper, 'croust," that is lunch of
any sort left over from the days pro-
visions. or perhaps baker o. taties, y
which means mashed potatoes fried in
grease, turned and Drowned. and cut in as
many SegmentS as there are members OF
the family, may be provided. The one
big Sunday meal, however, is seldom
lacking in generous supply Of boiled
meat, and as every cottage has its acre or
half-acre garden. there is always in sum
mer bountiful supply of vegetables in
the Cornish miners home.
EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN.