The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-08
AMONG THE PINES.
ODD THINGS ABOUT THE NATIVES IN
NORTH CAROLINA WOODS.

/
chant-Ho Kept tho store Strange
Method Employed For Computing Dis.
! tances Between Points.
The sojourner roaming in the piny
woods of North Carolina will be fire.
quently confronted by u sign or an
nouncement printed in stenciled capital
letters on o board or feet square and
nailed to pine tree, whereby the way
faring man is told of the manifold
things he may buy at a bargain store''
ut Southern Pines, one item in the list
being 1.-TWO pair of sox for 10 cents. /"
The other day a visitor, curious to know
what manner of "sox" it might be that
could be purchased for cents pair,
went over to patronize this bargain
counter. He found the store. It was q
frame building fully as large as q freight
train caboose. 1t stood on the edge of q
big lot, the remaining area being occu-
pied by u vineyard and strawberry beds
and blackberry patches. A strong fenco
surrounded it. Facing the front of the
store was gate heavily barred against
all corners. The door of the store was
evidently locked and there was no sign
OF life about the establishment. The
would be customer made up his mir.d
that here was a case where advertising
had not paid, when he saw placard on
the door which gave notice to the pablo
thus: In the Back Yard. If You Want
Me, Holler.'
Acting on this advice, the searcher
after cent socks "hollered' Presently
n man appeared from somewhere back
Of the store.
Do you want to git IMP" he asked.
Being told that such was the visitors
wish, the man came forward, unba1red
the gate, unlocked the door and let his
customer in.
I'm workin up my garden, (" said he,
land don't want folks foolin round un-
less they want to git in for bargains
The socks were worth the money.
You may be travelling for the first
time somewhere through North Caro-
lima backwoods district, and, not having
q clear idea as to distances, you natural
~ stop and ask the first native you come
to how far it may be to and SOS place
Expecting to hear him reply that it is q
mile, two miles, or whatever the dis
lance is in miles, you will undoubtedly
be surprised and puzzled when no says
after due elaboration:
well, sub, it's about two looks from
hyuh, sub, reckon. May be two looks
an peep though, sub. It's right
smart ways, anyhow, suh.'
You are obliged, of course, to ask for
q solution Of this puzzle and will then
learn that "loolS," as n measure of
distance, is the limit of vision ahead of
you from the spot where you are, and
1T may be turn i'll tho road 100 yards
away or point mile or moro distant.
You travel to tho end Of that look"
and from there take another look to the
farthest object i'll sight as your course
lies and travel on to that If you have
been told that your destination is two
looks" ahead, when you get to theend of
the second look there you are. If it is
two looks" and q ''peep, 'you peep off
to one side of the road or tho other from
the second "look" and see the place you
arc after.
One time q New Yorker went down
to North Carolina to join so1no friends
who were hunting wild turkeys in the
piny woods They had gono out for a
days sport when he arrived, and no
started to hunt them up. Not having
found any sign Of them after tramping
about for half day, he met native in
an old road and asked him if he had
seen anything of tho party.
Yes, sur, he replied. "They'ro up
this road yonduh, three looks and
boot, subj
The New Yorker thought the native
IL,
huff. He went on until he came to
bridge, where he met another piny
woods denizen mt work, and he asked
that one the same question. Tho man
looked up the road. The farthest thing
III sight was big pine tree, nearly
mile away.
Yes, sub, I SEQ em 'smawnin, subj"
he said. "They was jes' bout one look
an boot from hyuh then, subj.
Tho stranger glared. at the man and
went grumbling on his way. Just before
he camo to tho big pine tree another
native came out of the woods, and tho
New Yorker, with much misgiving,
asked him the question he had put TO
the others.
"Oh, yes, suhr' was the reply. "They
only jes' in hyuh Root, suh''
The native turned toward the woods,
put hand on each side of his mouth
and shouted lusty:
'Hoo-o-o-o-CO--hoot!'
In few seconds Il similar cry came
back from the woods
Thar they is, subj" exclaimed the
native. "Thats them, suh.''
And it was They were two "looks'
and "hoot" from tho place where tho
New Yorker had first inquired forthem.
New York SIM.