The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-13
A KENTUCKY MoUNTAINEER.
What Small Amount of Money Is
Needed TO Make One Wealthy.

81 had a glimpse of life IN the Kentucky
mountains the other day that l will not soon
forget" said a capitalist. II made a trip into
that section as the representative Of syndi-
cafe TO look al some coal lands. / went as far
as | could by rail and then took horse aud
rode INFO The wilderness. Toward night l
brought up at a little cabin, of which l had
been previously Informed, and made arrange
ments 10 spend the night there. This cabin
was about twenty feet long by about twelve
feet wlde. On the ground floor 1t was all one
room Above was loft, TO which access was
gained by means Of ladder and hole III the
floor. There was little corn growing around
the place, aud there were TWO hogs. In the
rear OF the cabin was low shed. open AT one
end and with Sian ing roof lt was Just big
enough 10 hold COW at night. The cow,
which was lean, wOe-begone animal, the TWO
hogs ana the corn constituted, apparently, the
entire assets of the plac-.
In mis- establishment were living a man
and his wife and eight children, the Oldest
being 10 years. They lived on cornmeai and
milN. with occasionally some pork. Both the
man aud the woman were DarefoOted. The
elder children had clothes enough 10 cover
their nakedneSs. bul the younger were not so
fortunate. Tn man seemed 10 be a slow dull
sort of fellow, who had lived in restitution so
long tnal he had become used 10 IT, The woman
was different. Her face wore IN expression of
AFFECT despair. Ii painter had wanted
model for picture entitled 'HoDeleSsn IS, he
need have gone no further. After supper the
man went out TO feed the hogs and the COW and
do other chores
u talked TO the woman for about an hour,
and succeeded with great difficulty in getting
her story. Her pride stood in the way of her
telling me anything for long time. During all
the time in which she talked the expression of
du!l lSteSsness to which her face had become
Infatuated, never # IL but once. Then
a look of something Ike happiness came
over her features. This was when she said that
they had not always been poor. we weren't
always this way she said. I'VE were
well of once. We saved enough, him and me,
so that we were rich. We had S27 laid away
once That was her idea of wealth. Twenty
seven dollars! She went on TO say that the
children had come fast; That cow had TO be
bought, and that she cost SIS. The children
had fallen sick and doctor had to he brought
IN from civilization. and he cost So, and so it
went I'LL their fortune had gone and they had
nothing left OF that magnificent S27.
The next morning paid them my lodging.
| had slept IN the loft and the family had slept
IN the room below. None Of them took of their
clothes. | had brought with me a huge lot of
roast beef sandwiches and ale three for my
supper and breakfast for l had been warned
that l probably could not get anything to eat
there. Before leaving | took S27 and, wrap
ping II up in a newspaper, left il on table in
the middle of the room. Then L rode away.
feeling vastly pleased with myself and knowing
that there was one m0untaineers family 10
Kentucky thai had recovered its lost forlune."-
CONFECTIONERY, Louisville.