Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-29

daylight FOR the summoning Of a doctor.
And perhaps ne is right
Thcre is one objection TO these country
telephones. There IS only one wire. As a
result everybody on the line can hear
what the man who IS using il says The
Rockhridge people already tell many
amusing stories concerning what they
hear on the 'phonc The wires give up
many neghoboI's secret-burst the
doors of his skeleton-closet, maybe.
"There was a time. and it is not many
years ago. when the wo-ld-be purchaser
OF a farm sought one close 20 the rail- I
road" said "a Virginia farmer 90 me The .
other day well that is very much F
changed now. They have found that it is /
AN advantage to have homes not too /
close Co the RAILWAY Lines.
"The reason? l can give il in one word
Tramrs Maybe you don't know that the
tramps stick 90 the railroads. ] do not
know why 81 is. unless they are al the
time on the lookout for a chance 20 peat
their way ON a freight. 10 is tine rartst
Circumstance that you find one ON
country road a mile from railway me
Consequently. farm-h0uscs situated a inhe
or two from the railroad are never Wis yea
bv these knights of leisure. You have no
idea what d blessing it is TO be- rid Of
them 1 lived ON "a farm on @ railway
line for several years. Irnmpe neaIiy
worried the life out of my Vile ana my
SELF We had them AN hours Of the uay
begging for something To- eat. ana we ntu
TO let them sleep ina the barn ana siaple
a. night We were afraid TO refuse
them ANYTHING they asked. You DO not
know how desperate many of them are.
They will openly threaten to burn YOU out
&c YOU say you won't give them anything
10 eat or won't furnish them sleeping
quarters. They'll do it, too. Many a
farmers dwelling or stable or barn mas
been burned by tramps 20 whom he had
refused food and shelter. And then they
steal so much from you. Chicken-foosts'
smoke-houses. and diaries are never safe
if you live close to a railroad.
"Since 1 have lived further away from
the railroad i have rarely seen tramp,
and / hear of them only through my
neighbors who live near the track Life
IS much happier. 1t is true We have 10
haul our produce much further 10 get it
2 to the railway station, but We have fairly
good roads May be We will have better
b. some day. Virginia. surely is not going
o TO have such bad roads forever
The farmer talked at length about bad
roads I'm Virginia. Here are the causes
which ne assigned for them. and which
y / mentally numbered as follows:
l. IlpTOper location
q Improper construction.
3. Improper maintenance.
g. Improper taxation.
- g. Narrow tires
In the course Of his conversation ]
gathered that he proposed the following
remedies, which i have numbered TO cor
= respond TO the numbers above:
~ /. Relocation where possible, avoiding
steep hills our fathers made roads
straight up hills and straight down.
g. Make the road higher in the centre
. by several inches than at the sides and
. keep open ample side drains.
, g. Work The roads in the spring, SO
3, that they Will be solid when the winter
- rains and SHOWS and freezes begin.
I. Abandon the old method of requiring
every citizen to work a day or TWO OF
the road every year, and instead, make
- him pay his tax and then employ a mal
% To put the road in order.
80 8. Tax every wagon wheel having a tir,
u under certain width, and thus compe
p people to use those which Will not cut az
i the roads into jelly.
'l do not profess % know much abou
" the subject. but the hard-headed farme
i 10 whom / was talking seemed 10 hav
" thought "a great deal on IL. And i q,
know that the appearance OF my Ovorcoat
face and shirt-front after q recent driv
" of several miles to a railway station i'm
" dictated that al least some Of our road
I'd stand in sad need Of improvement.
-e 1 heard a story the other day regard
Pr ing the late Hon. John Randolph Tucke
w that is interesting, as illustrating IN
20 character of one Of the truly great me
j. Virginia has produced.
- Mr.. Tucker at the time of his death
&. was recognized as being probably IN
p; foremost constitutional lawyer Of his time
'i While lying on his death-oed at his home
p in Lexington in February, 1884, one of IN
re family sought TO rouse him.
10 Nov. You must rally. father" she said
d. "and try TO get well. The doctor says h
le is very hopeful, as you have such stron
~ | constitution"
~ The great old man opened his eye
40 feebly. but I'm them was the twinkle tha
'a had made his friends to be numbered b
ei the thousand, while that smile of woman
AZ ly sweetness overspread his cOuntenanc,
10 you know l always was accounte
lo pretty strong on the Constitution u
," whispered, family.
sc Then he turned his face away 1t
said that this was the last-Or nearly tn
last-connected sentence ne ever uttered
A. 1 am often interested by the discover
.d Of real active belief ON the part OF nC
.i- groes in their ancient vOOdoo faith
nv fetish spell. and incarnation. / am Oite
OF + surprised, for l never get quite used 10 !
~ and then sometimes. I am not surprise
e . and that brings me 10 my story. A fe
lg days ago a lady discharged her cook. !
r. her stead she installed her house CIR
Of Queen, as the presiding genius Of Oh
~ kitchen. But before the discharged COO
left she was overheard to tell queen thl
~ she would trick" her SO that she coul
e. not cook Queen was scared by IL
IN 7 threat, but entered upon her new dut'
r at once. she found. TO her delight. In.
IT, all her former proficiency in the art cui
st. nary she stll possessed. Her Dime
r. was much letter than those the ol
of charged cook had been preparing. IL
in supper was fine. But She had not "
r. baked bread. After supper she mac
" up her bread for breakfast, and placir
the dough i'm a tin bucket, put the yess
ne on the back Of the range, expecting 1t
IN be light by morning. When she toe
'ly the lid off the next morning she was mo
nd tilted 10 End the dough had not bulge
We m move towards the top Of the bucke
he For three succeeding nights this was r
&c, heated. She could not mix dough TN
ny would become light Finally she 10
De her mistress that the woman she hi
Of succeeded as cook had tric1ed her wni'
IFS is "a ncero's way Of saying one has BEE
copiured OF course the lady was on
he amused. and the more so wren t!de'
&C. told her the next day that she hsd Dee
ng to see u man who said he woula rem"
ID, he spell. queen was perfectly con
at -, ebe mixed her dough al