New-York tribune., 1900-12-23
SOME WAYS OF THE WORLD.
HOSPITALITY IN SOUTHERN HOME
FAME OF AUNT DINAH.'

IN the shores of what are called rapids in many
of our streams one often the scurryins
and hurryirg waters that carry everything aiioa'
swiftly onward quiet. placid pools, where the wa'
/ develops by of its surrounding ia"u'
into quite different character. mirroring
in its smooth surface the gnats and MES
that hover about it, and affording quiet
haven for the fat trout that ghde ianiS
about under the shadow of the Veseea'io'i
on the banks. So in places "far from the madulhs
crowd there are, in this eager busy country
of ours where every one is striving and pushlns
in the race for success quiet communities "he'e
oldtime customs still prevail and where the lhhao-
itants are quite content with the simple pleasures
and occupations of their forbears particularly is
this the case i'm the rural districts of the South,
where in their impoverished old manor houses. ana
surrounded by their broad acres the descendants OF
the heroes of the Lost Cause stn keep up the SEM
blance Of their existence, Indifferent to the
rush and turmoil of the outside world And al
though their crops are gathered in by "hired mig
gers very different from the faithful serfs or yore
their stud of horses reduced to few ungroomed
nags, and money is more than scarce COMMODITY
they stin dispense their hospitality with the same
generous spirit and Enthusiastically what they
pride themselves on being-worthy representatives
of the gentlemen of the olden school both in man
and appearance.
''It seemed very strange" remarked a Wall Street
man recently who had just returned from bust
ness trip 10 the interior Of Mississippi Ito so
straight from the routine of brokers' life at the
Stock Exchange in New-York into community
of Southern gentlemen farmers, descendants of the
old planters. and I kept longing for the pen of a
modern realistic author to introduce some of the
interesting characters 1 met with into the great
American novel. They ought to be perpetuated
before the great business boom, which is beginning
10 pervade the South and which must ere long
inevitably destroy these old fashioned characters
tics, becomes universal. 1t great pity that
the selishness and greed of business competition
or iate
tainly they fine old fellows! I went there
complete stranger. stayed a week, and now feel
that there are half dozen houses in the neigh
guest Immediately on our arrival at NJ our
party was invited to luncheon or rather he t to & take
ushered into spacious hall, through
door. Step right in gentlemen; VIII be with you
in minute, and in the mean while you'll ma
meaning h1lsi7 thereby table literally spread with
liquors and appetizers of various description. from
which the assembled guests helped themselves
without ceremony, and where Dur host Joined us a
AS for the luncheon / never saw such bounty
such delicious cooking. Her master proposed we
should make visit to Aunt Dinah, in the kitchen;
who he told u.s. adored compliments and was a
character worth seeing as she was the r nnest COOK
near to superintend the various functions. We all
and adjourned in a body to the kitchen, where
Aunt Dinah received us with the greatest dgnlty ny
"one Of the men I met there-a splendidly pre-
served specimen of vigorous old age-promised me
some fine quail shooting the next day; ana drove
mare to a designated point. where a couple Of
horses waiting for us. each ridden by small
coored boy with older man to take our trap;
It's easier riding than walking explained General
b and we get down when want to shoot.
Coffee and Sambo will go with us to take care
of the nags' and to my surprise the two little
our coats to keep themselves from falling off The
horses were steady old beasts. accustomed to the
work and certainly it was an easy way of getting
a days sport. A splendid brace of pointers helped
MS 10 bag of fifty quail. so that the whole
was well content with the Southern fashion of
shooting.1 So it went on. Every day was marked
bv some hospit able kindness, and 1 came away
wishing my week could have been heightened into
q month";