Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-04-08
More From That w. Va. Singing Teacher
huntsville. w. Va.

March 80, 1897.
EDITOR REGIsTER-Before giving you
some of my recent experiences want to
mention some matters which | forgot to
include in my previous letter.
| have frequently heard the expression
that if all the people were Christians
there would be no need of locks Wen,
should say that all the people in this
section are Christians, for there is very
little use made of locks. Jim Richard
wouldn't have much use for this country;
thew wouldn't know what 10 do with the
product of his shop. Scarcely anybody
locks doors at night. believe they do
lock up stores, churches and the Jail, but
an occupied dwelling is seldom locked
when the occupants are at home and fire.
ouently left open when they 60 out. 1t
made me feel kind of queer TO go TO sleep
under such conditions, but | soon got &C
customed TO it. Even at the hotel IN
Summersville my room door was locked
only because the catch was broken and
| had to lock it to keep the wind from
blowing it open, it being an outside door.
The Young toughs mentioned in nv
last letter as kicking up row at sun
day school entertainment, am happy
TO say. have turned over a new leaf; they
were converted at a revival and have be-
come respectable members of the COM
munity; and this leads me 10 mention
the old-fashioned revivals in vogue out
here. | have been told they have hlgh
times in some places-the kind they used
to have in ShepherdstOwu and Scrabble
when we were boys.
Family looms are still TO be found In
some houses. Blankets, coverlets, cloth
for wearing apparel are woven by the
women. The looms had been idle for
long time, until the tariff on wool was
reduced. The price on wool got So low
that it paid better to work II at home
than to raise it for the market. Put up
the tariff on wool, say |, so that these
mountain people can get fair price for
the product.
Another prevailing product of these
mountain houses Is rag carpet. Every
BODY has more or less of it, and some OF
il very handsome One housewife told
me she had had made some two hundred
wards last wear. Her daughters told me
they had gotten so tired OF sewing carpet
rags that they used to bury the balls
even after the rags were cut and sewed.
And they were sweet girls, too; eh Harry.
Another product, not yet developed,
is silver. The rocks are full OF 1t. y
gentleman told me he had plenty of it on
his place. Stepping from his front door
a few feet he picked up stone and
breaking ii so as TO get fresh fracture
he showed me the white particles. lex
amined it with my pocket-glass, and,
sure enough, there was the white stun,
and he said it was silver. 1t goes with
out saying that that man IS an ardent
and disappointed sily "rite.
Up to this point have been writing
of Nicholas county | want to repeat
that the people are among the best l
have ever met Observation-Disclosures
hospitable, liberal-mnded and fond of
music-which last trait is the one lmost
admire.
lam now in BraXton county, further
west, and to get here | drove thirty five
miles, crossing two mountains and in
Vulnerable hills. few creeks and small
er streams-an all-day trip. and the day
one of those nasty, raw, leaden, wet,
snowy days in the last week in January
And the road-about like the Martins
burg road when that road is bad, some
Of il much worse. All the time it was
either climbing up or sliding down the
mountain; many places like the hill on
the big mill road below town. Now and
then patch of corduroy, and then fire.
quent stony" places Mud all the time.
Six or eight miles right on the roof of
the mountain, along the comb where
the road is hardly twenty feet ;Eide, al
lowing a view down either side. In sum-
mer time such a trip, no doubt is de-
lightful; but in winter, on raw, dark,
damp day, with light snow or mist shut
ting of the view-which is said to be
very beautful-the trip is anything but
attractive. 1t was a delightful episode
on our way down the mountain and five
miles from dinner to fetch up against a
tree that had fallen across the road
There was no way to get around 1t; the
only thing to be done was to find an axe,
maybe not one within two miles, and cut
our way through. Fortunately, we got
an axe within half a mile and got to din
ner only a little late.
guess have written enough for this
time will give you my BraXton expert
ence in my next. Yours,
b. C.. / NSELD.