Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-08-08
MARYLAND DIALECT.

Queer Expressions in Common Use
Among Eastern Shore Natives.
On the eastern shore of Maryland,
which from its opportunities should be
one Of the most enlightened instead of
most benlghted regions of the country,
teacher in the public schools or min
lister of the gospel, no less than any mem
Der Of the common herd, would never fail
in telling of his lack of luck in fishing 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, but forward"
potatoes, cabbage, corn, Strawberries,
etc, are quite common. | have even
heard the remark The forward bird
catches the worm" Here rails are not
used in constructing the old-fashioned
worm fence, only fence logs although
they be split as Lincoln made them in his
forward days.
What are called sawlogs in other states
are chunks here, regardless of length
and size. One never sees q corn crib
hereabout, but corn stacks" buildings
in which maize is stored at gathering
time) are found on every farm. There are
no barnyards or stable lots, either, all
such things are given the name of
pound"
The universal misuse of the word
''head" is ridiculous, if not luGicrous. A
man has five or six or ten head of chill
dren, or visitors on d Sunday, but he
never applies the word head to his stock.
Our congressman, who operates a large
mill here, if asked how many hands he
employs would tell you so many or about
so many head" Recently a news item
in one Of the county papers was head
lined, big Revival in Progress-Four
Head Baptized" Quite as general, as
well among the white as among the col
ored portion Of the population, is the use
of ID for 18th" in the words the this,
that, they and them. The propositions
in and Unto" are basely mistreated;
the first by neglect. the other by over
working it. Nobody has money invested
in stocks, land. merchandise and the
like, but always Into" them. Ask a
man what his farm or horse is worth and
he'll answer by telling you what amount
of money he has invested Unto" it. One
never has hole in his trousers or dol
lar in his pocket, but Into" them or
it. | heard lady teacher say she had
lost her portemonnaie. But, thank for
tune she added, there wasn't a penny
into it.
People never haul anything here, but
carry it. A man carries his wife or fam
lily to church, his wood or crops to the
railroad station or boat landing, his cat
mill, never sawmill. Whatever he takes
into his arms or on his shoulder to con-
vey from one place TO another, he totes,
instead of carries. There are no bug
gies or phaetons here, every vehicle used
exclusively to ride in being a carriage,
if it 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 broken
when plowed. but flushed, never har-
rowed, but drug to make the surface
fine; crops when titled with a cultivator
are narrowed, and cultivator is known
here only as a harrow, while harrow is
called drag. Teams, except when at
tached to carriages, are driven WI thout
reins or lines. The driver, whether walk
ing or riding, directs his team by his
word Of mouth, supplemented with a
team-horses, mules or oxen-to go or
turn to the right he halloes ''gee-a." Ii
he wants short turn to the left he yells
''petty-wo!" but if only a slight diversion
in that direction he calculates "ha-ther'
pronounced like ''father'O, in a subdued
tone TO stop his team he yellS ''Wo-
back loud enough to stop a train, and
the team usually halts within space of
ten rods. The familiar "gee," ''haw,'
tho" or whoa" of our Ohio boyhood
days are not heard in this country, and
the use of single line on the leader of a
team is unknown.
No odds how wicked the natives may
be in this part of the moral vineyard,
none is so abandoned as to use the word
hello" They consider it shocking pro-
family, worse, indeed, than downright
cussin'. "Heigh-ho'' is the word they
enjoy instead. A telephone exchange is
to be opened in Snow Hill in a few days,
and it will be interesting to see the ex-
change girl have Mysteries when she
hears someone say ''hello'' to her.
1t is estimated that there are in Gu
ba $4,000 destitute children, orphans of
deceased recOncentradOs.