The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-08-14
TYPICAL MOUNTAINEER.
UNIQUE IN hvsSY SENSE WIT"
x<rURn.s sr<xP UPOE SIM.
His Dialect, His Movements and HIS ways
Of Life-Agricu't"re Among the Big
Hins of North Carolina.


the typical western North carohha "o"'
tainecr. There II. believe, Ia thesc Jay
when the mania to be cIHereh' -r""
your felIow-man has reached suoh
po,nt as 10 cause many an indiVldoal
"a love his mother-in-law by way OF
originality. a kind OF insane craving ioi
unsoucness The western Norm CaroiNid
nountalneer fills the bill. He Is unique
An every sense OF the word. Ana ne
makes no effort in this direction. Nature
seems 10 have pat her mark upon him.
,y,e,her moving IN rigid hillside at
an angle Of forty-flve degrees, peddling
.yatermelons at fabulous prices by way OF
imposition upon tourists who Wish TO
leave the impression upon unsuspecting
feliow-tourists. or rather, sister-tourists,
that money Is no object 10 them. s"ind-
ling Uncle Sam out Of ms Just revenue
portion by selling mountain dew on the
sly. or swapping horses once nohih
at the county courthouse; whatever oC-
cupies his time. OF which he has an
abundance to spare, the ~ r., nui, nSarac-
feristc languld movements, his SOW,
drawing dialect fun Of homc-maue
phrases his blank. expressionless couu-
tenance and his general prosaic ehse"-
bic.
The mountaineer takes liberties WIN
the mother tongue. Rhetoric IS uuAno""
10 him. Orthoepy he knows nothihs 81;
His dialect is droli g ND asiilibs,itut Ton
Of the words "of a. is employed tetHH
iessly and sometimes almost uHlns..,,
llgibly. Such phrases as Ol up ~
FOR "at night" and he lowed lot ~, no
safd" are examples OF the many uinlus
Iva
the native mountaineeTs IN inns StC'ioi
~ country are unable TO read ana WIlle'
They seem 20 have no ambiiloh' no 80.
lied purpose. no aim I'm He, put nids V"S
a commonplace. listless sort OF ne IIOil
day TO day with nothing more eAci'i..B
than "A trip TO hnNiHe, or a Jduut -
IenOir TO break the humdrum chai ~
of their mOnOtonOus lie. feactdplV'
comfortably lazy. and ~ orousIiy go 50
fed with existence in the abstract 70
10 speak. unadOred with anything uqt
"a picturesque and grand surryuhulhs a.
most painful in Its dense Stiffness ,Ie
mountaineer lives his bfe IN thls s.S'a ~
"a corner of the world throughout the
dreary winter. and finds his only variety
IN a little stir of excitement prouuCti
bv two months sOiOurn in the sum
mer by seven or eisht huhdFeu t0"'
lists.
HIS dress usually consists Of home
Fpuu coat longer in the 'front.' tndn h'hlhu'
N pair OF trousers. commonly TWO mc"es
above HIS shoe tops. a shirt OF coarse
material with collar attached, n pair OF
suspenders running diagonally across me
chest and sometimes attached with nall
stuck through a bit Of the materal. IN
addition fancy a big SLOUGH nat usualy
OF "A nOndesCript. grayish coior, turned
down over the eyes, pair OF heavy snoes
laced up half way 10 the top, ana ire
Quently varied with odd strings DIX
hickory stick thrown across the shouider
and tin bucket or soard nansffis ny 10 q
string, and you have an Imperfect pen
picture of the typical mouhtalneer III
This section so far as his dress Is con-
cerned. ,-,.. .,a.
To complete the picture imagine that
our man almost Invariably Stoops, rarely
stratrhtens his legs while walking car
ries himself with "a drOll. Dragging move
ment. swings his arms violently by WY
OF assistance. and there you are. Gan you
see the picture! $500 .a,..o,. .,
and YOU can never forget him. Strange
10 say his complexion Is sallow, MS
countenance painfully gloomy. he seldom
smiles. Indeed. he has no apprecatlvh
for wit or humor; such a thihg as semi
vnent is unknown TO him, picturesque
views. gorgeous sun sets. or deilcate
cloud effects touch DO choFd OF sym
pathy within him. -.
Music is comparative stranE9r 10
him He never sings, seldom Whistles
md even the banjo attracts nm nOt.
lie Is a strange being. To ascertain what
his tastes are would be diincnIt unu,
taking. Indeed. I'm not at an sure ne
has any tastes. lie seems 10 I'VE D0-
cause he can't help IT.
Such a thing as an aim, an ObleC' III
Ufe never seems TO have occurred - nm.
lie Is satisfied ana Yet there Is reason
why he should be; Of course III rn op
niles TO the typical mountainecr. Ihere
are exceptions. thoush they are ny 10
means numerous.
II is source OF amazement TO see
corn, oats huckNheat, aud olher specl-
mems of The agricultural kingdom grow
Ing on hflisid-s at angles Of more IMAM
ffty degrees. How the mountdlheeIs
pillow these folds is n mystery 10 ny
average tourist. yoke OF oxen uSuany
constitute the motive power. while Ire
uucuflv 4 mule h. pressed INTO service
with an OK. thereby forming unique
continuation. You gaze upon the proper
lions Of the Hill sides and wonder no"
The seed are inserted in mother edIth' j.
(, is n noticeable fact that many 81
,h. mountait GERS WHO spend their tlhe
,illing the soil are ply sically one slueu
in other words. cas's nave Dttii 49, ~,
= hcro ono shoulder was SlderAbly
,t,her man the ether. The explanation
ms been advanced that customary Work
on steep slopes caused this phNslcal pc
ruliar.tV. one man told me uat sted
were Wanted by means 3i ,n I[ne sh lu11 mo
the giourd. I'm not disposed TO crcdlt
this statement. DO not gentle reader
suppose that I'm typcal iaTpler l0r
I'm not. Sull | can't help touching blcty
nnon the agricultural customs Of the
nrople up here. What becomes of the
crops after they are made Is question
Indeed. one seldom sees n load of hay
or grain going down The mountain. Ana
vet these products are by no means
scarce. Buckwheat Is made In abundance.
The dainty little " hite blossom makes
pretty ornament FOR the hair OF society
belle.
/ intended investigating thoroughly the
Illicit whisky process in this section. II
81 said that thousands upon thousands
OF gallons of the liquid are manufactured
around Green Park yearly. and that the
discovery OF most OF the stills is almost
an impossihility. Upon general inquiry
was told that 10 pry into this feature
OF the moUntainecrs life would be equiv
aient to getting yourself put into the
hands of the undertaken. Sufficient TO
say through the agency OF several in
dividuals who are supposed 10 receive
commissions. gallon or two OF corn
whisky can be secured ut any time.
Whence IL GENES Is question for spec
ulation.
One Of the most interesting features
of trip TO this grand and rurgcd coun-
try is the acquaintance one makes with
the gamest OF fish. lie averages about
six or seven inches in length In the crys-
tai streams IN this region. Have you ever
seen one? The trout is perhaps. the
prettiest fish that sWims. and devOuTs
the poor grasshopper. \ dozen or two
tiny red spots serve to make his toilet
exceptionally handsome lie delights in
cold swift streams. where rocks abound
and cascades beautify matters. He is
quick. graceful. ana altogether dainty as
10 HIS menu Al certain seasons Of the
year the speckied trout will not delgn TO
notice ordinary fare. lie wants little