The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-12-13
THOS. G.. THRUM'S
Fort Street Store
IN THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS.
A Family Passing Rich with "A Fortune of
TMentY-seNen Dollars.

Il had n glimpse of life in the Kentucky
mountains one day that will not soon for
get" said n capitalist to "A reporter. Il
made a trip into that section as the repre-
sentative of a syndicate to look at some
coal lands. / went as far as | could by
rail and then took a horse and rode into
the wilderness. Toward night ! brought
up at n little cabin, of which | had been
previously informed, and made arrange
ments to spend the night there. This cabin
was about go feet long by about IL feet
wide On the ground floor 1t was all one
room. Above was a loft, to which access
was gained 10y means of ladder and
hole In the floor. There was little corn
growing around the place, and there were
two hogs. In the rear of the cabin was
low she'd open at one end and with
a slanting roof. 1t was just big enough to
hold COW mt night. The cow, which was
n lean, wocbegone animal, the two hogs
and the corn constituted apparently the
entire assets of the place.
In this establishment were living a
man and his wife and eight children, the
oldest IL years. They lived on cornmeal
and milk, with occasionally some pork.
Both the man and the woman were bare
footed The elder children had clothes
enough to cover their nakedness, and the
younger were not so fortunate. The man
was slow, dull sort OF fellow, who had
lived in destitution so long that he had
become used to It. The woman was differ
ent. Her face wore an expression of abject
despair If painter had wanted n model
for picture entitled 'Hopelessness, he
need have gone NO further. After supper
the man went out TO feed the hogs and the
COW and do other chores.
II 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 q
long time. During all the time i'm which
she talked the expression of dull listless-
ness to which her face had become habit
uated, never left 1t but once Then look of
something like 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. We
were well off once. We saved enough, him
and me, 50 that we We're rich. We had $27
laid away once That was her idea OF
wealth. Twenty seven dollarsl 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
u doctor had to be brought in from civili-
cation, and he cost So, and so IL went till
their fortune had gone, and they had moth
ing 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 off their clothes. had
brought with me "a huge lot of roast beef
sandwiches and ate these for my supper
and breakfast for had been warned that
probably could not get anything to eat
there. Before leaving took s27, and wrap
ping 1t up in "a newspaper left 1t on the ta-
BILE In the middle Of the room. Then rode
away, feeling vastly pleased with myself
and knowing that there was one noun
taineers family in Kentucky that had re-
covered its lost fortune. '-Louisville Cou-
rler-J Journal