The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-10-10
EASTERN SHORE DIALECT.
Queer Expressions In Common Use
Among Natives of Maryland.


Among Natives of Maryland.
Here on the eastern shore, which
from its opportunities should be one of
the most enlightened instead of most
benighted regions Of the country,
teacher in the public schools or
any member 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.
l 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 Lin
coin 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
corncrib hereabout, but scornstalks"
buildings In which maize is stored at
gathering time) are found on every
farm. There are no barnyards or sta
BILE lots either. All such things are
given the name of pound"
The universal misuse Of the word
head" is ridiculous, if not ludicrous.
A man has five or six or ten "head' Of
children or visitors on q Sunday, but
he never applies the word head to his
stock. Our congressman, who operates
large mill here, if asked how many
hands he employs would tell you SO
many OF about so many "head." Re
Gently news item in one of the coun-
| ty 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 "d'' for
eth" in the words the, this, that, they
and them. The propositions 'in" and
Unto" are basely mistreated, the first
by neglect, the other by overworkine
it. Nobody has money invested '1n'
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 wha,
amount of money he has invested
'into" it. One never has a hole In his
trousers or dollar "in'' his pocket
but Into" them or it. 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, bu
carry it. A man carries his wife o.
family to church, his wood or crops t,
the railroad station or boat landing
his cattle to pasture or his chunks Il
the steam mill, never sawmill. What
ever he takes into his arms or on hi
shoulder to convey from one place Il
another, he totes, instead Of carries
There are no buggies or phaetons here
every vehicle used exclusively to rid
in being carriage, If it has more thai
two wheels. The land is of two kinds
hard and kind. Hard land is chief,
clay and kind land mostly sand. TIL
land is never broke when plowed, bu
flushed, never narrowed, but drug t
make the surface fine. Crops whel
titled with a cultivator are narrowed
and cultivator is known here only q
q harrow, while harrow Is called
drag.
Teams, except when attached to car
riages, are driven without reins o
lines. The driver, whether walking o
riding, directs his team by his word o
mouth, supplemented with long lash
ed whip. When he wants his team
horses, mules or oxen-to go or turn t
. the right, he halloos "gee-a." If he want
short turn to the left he yells petty
wo," but if only slight diversion Il
that direction he calculates "ha-ther
pronounced like ''father'O in a sui
, dued tone. To stop his team he yell
'wo-back," loud enough to stop
train. and the team usually halts with
in space of ten rods. The familia
'gee." shaw" "ho" or "whoa" of GU
Ohio boyhood days is not heard i
! this country. and the use Of a singl
, line on the leader of team is ur
known.
, No odds how wicked the natives ma
! be In this part Of the moral vineyard
. none is so abandoned as to use tn
word hello. They consider 1t shockin
, profanity. worse indeed than dowI
r right "cussin." Heigh-ho is the wor
p they enjoy instead.-John A. Geetin
r in Indiana School Journal.