Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-11-29
EASTERN SHORE DIALECT.
Queer Expressions Tn Common Use
Among Natives OF Maryland


from its opportunities should be one OF
the most enlightened instead of most
benighted regions OF the country. a
teacher in the public schools or a
minister OF the gospel no less than
any member of the common herd
would never fail In telling of his lack
of luck in iNhing To say. Il was gone
all day and never caught either fish"
or ON meeting with similar want OF
success in hunting would declare he
saw plenty OF rabbits, but never got
either one"
Among these people there are no
early vegetables or fruit grown. bur
forward potatoes. cabbage. corn.
strawberries, etc, are quite common.
i have even heard the remark. .''rhe
forward bird catches the worm" Here
rails are not used in constructing the
old Fashioned worm fence. only fence
logs" although they he split as Lin
coin made them in his forward davs.
What are called sawIogs in other
states are chunks" here. regardless of
length and size. One never sees a
corncrih hereabout. but "cornstalks"
buildings in which maize is stored nj
gathering time) are found on every
farm. There are no barnyards or sta
ole lots either. All such things are
given the name Of pound"
The universal misuse Of the word
mead Is ridiculous. il not luCicrous
y man has five or six or ten head OF
children or visitors on a Sunday. but
ne never applies the word head TO his
stock Our congressman. who operates
a large mill here. il asked how many
hands he employs would tell Won so
many or about so many head" Re
Gently news item in one OF the coun-
Y papers was headlined. big Revival
In PrOgreSS-Four Head Baptized"
Quite as general. as well among the
white as among the colored portion OF
the population. is the use OF "a for
''th' in the words the. this. that. they
and them. The propositions lin" and
into are basely mistreated. the first
by neglect. the other by overworking
H. Nobody has money invested lin"
stocks land. merchandise and the like
out always into" them. Ask a man
what his farm or horse is worth and
he'll answer 10y telling YOU what
amount of money he has invested
into IL. One never has hole I'm his
trousers or n dollar in his poclxet
but into" them or il. l heard a lady
teacher say she had lost her portemon-
naie. But. thank fortune" she add
ed. there wasn't a penny into it,"
People never haul anything here. but
carry it, \ man carries his wife or
family 10 church, his wood or croDs To
the railroad station or boat landing.
his cattle TO pasture or his chunks to
the steam mill. never sawmIl. What
ever he takes into his arms or on his
shoulder 20 convey from one place 10
another, he totes. instead of carries.
There are no bugCies or phaetOns here.
every vehicle used exclusively to ride
in being a carriage. if ii has more than
two wheels. The land is OF two kinds.
hard and kind Hard land is chiefly
clay and kind land mostly sand The
land Is never broke when plowed. but
flushed, never narrowed, but drug to
make the surface fine Crops when
titled with n cultivator are narrowed.
and a cultivator is known here only as
harrow, while n harrow is called a
drag.
Teams. except when attached to car
-l'i-CSs art OllNtn WITHOUT GelnS or
lines. The driver, whether walking or
riding directs his team by his word Of
mouth. supplemented with n long lash
ed whip. When he wants his team
horses, mules or ONen-to 60 or turn TO
the right, he hallOos 'gee-a." If he wants
short turn TO the left he yells petty
wo," but if only a slight diversion In
that direction lie calculates "ha-ther'
pronounced like father in a sub
dued tone. To stop his team he yells
'wo-back," loud enough TO stop a
train, and the team usually halts with
in space Of ten rods. The familiar
gee" "haw." "ho" or whoa" of our
Ohio bOyhOod days is not heard in
this country, and the use of single
line on the leader of a team is I'M
known.
No odds how wicked the natives NAV
be in this part of the moral vineyard.
none Is so abandoned as to use the
word hello. They consider it shocking
profanity. worse indeed than down
right "cuSsin." Heigh-ho is the word
they enjoy instead.-John A. Geeting
In Indiana School Journal