Gilpin observer., 1907-04-25
where PEOPLE
BEL LEvE IN 0MEMS


that vanished with witch burning. Yet
within two hours ride of the capitol
are communities that despite public
schools and church choir factions and
problems and things, are as deeply
saturated with superstition as the
| scholarly bats that fitted through the
Intellectual twilight of the middle
ages.
In the upper reaches of the Virginia
counties that flank the Blue Ridge on
| the east and climb the mountain
shoulders until they look down over
the summit into the Shenandoah val
ley. the daily life of the hill dweller
is hedgcd in with countless signs and
or ons, all rortents of evil. Through
them he walks gingerly, fearful lest II
rrcpitiating one genius of disaster he
offend against another.
A religious and church going folk
are these-on Sunday. The rest Of the
week they devote to keeping out of
the clutches Of bad luck" the modern
form of that disagreeable and uIcoT-
Portable old god of the Zidonians, Baal.
who visited them with dire and orig
i1al punishments when he didn't get
his regular allowance of broiled baby.
They don't broil babies, these latter
day worshipers, but they keep them
selves in perpetual hot water.
"Hance," said a sturdy old farmer
of Big Cobbler mountain to his son,
as the boy started out on June mora
ing to hoe the weed choked corn, tho
meen's in the secon' quarter, an ef
yer chop 'em down, them weeds II
grow worse'r ever. Better wait II
mex week.
"'Sides, l want yer ter go fer ther
doctor. Yer mas ailin' this mawa.I'
an 'er burned whippo'will set on ther
horse block an hollered las night tel
clodded him off. Yer know what
that means!"
Whipporwills, that the ignorant Il. -
know as much as Hance, mean early
and sudden death. For years they had
made that block n rendezvous for the.-
nightly chorals, while the family re-
mainod healthy as hcstlers. But it
shook not the old mans belief 4 tie
faith of his fathers. The doctor was
hurriedly fetched, only to find ma re-
covered as peart as cricket"
Don't yer put that sassafras Voc!
in ther kitchen fire." cried the Cd
lady to her helping hand one day, a
12-year-old girl, as yet unlearned in
the lore of the hills. Every siaSle
COW on ther place Il so dry eff yer do.
Go an put it in pas fire.
y listening city man wondered at
this fine distinction.
Law, chile" sagely explained the
old lady, its jes' putin sassafras in
ther kitchen fire what makes cows go
dry; it don make no diffunce in no
other fire. Why, when l wuz er gal
over'n Rappahannock-" and wise
saws and ancient instances were copi
ously cited to sustain the theory of
interrelation of sassafras, kitchen fire.
and COW.
} Sometimes they hit it. One day the
city man bent on little exercise in
wood chopping, strolled through the
house with an ak a-shoulder.
cit outer hyah 'ith that" roared
the old man in pallid terror Don't
yer know it's ther wors' luck in ther
worl' ter tote er ak thro er house?
What yer thinkin' bout, anyhow"
An hour later, as the city man ap-
proached the dwelling. his ears were
flooded with torrent of high treble
denominations mingled with a deep
flow of apologies. They gushed from
the door and window. The city MAJ
betook himself back to the placid for
est, where he abode until the gusty
! Nip had cnhcihaI ho
the old man met him.
II knowcd yer'd make trouble ith
tlet air AK" he said accusingly. "Yer
hadn't got fer ez ther barn TO ther
old oman foun er jug er moonshine
hid under ther bed an I'd done swore
off las Cris'mas fer er year. Let this
be er lesson ter yer, m son, an don
never tote er ak thro er house no mo-"
The city man began to believe there
was something in 1t.
'Peacocks won't stay 18th u.s." ex-
planned the old lady when the city man
suggested them as an ornament to the
vclvety blue grass lawn. They wop T.
stay 18th po' folks.
we used ter have er beautiful paj-
Of 'cm. They stayed here fere years
til we los that law suit 18th the
Quarters an got po'. Ther very nex
night them peacocks went down ther
mcunt'n, pas Dorse Helms place ar
ole man Cooser's, who's both po folk,
an didn't stop tel they got plum ter
Colonel Waller's, thet owns bout ha;f
O. Warren county.
They've been thar ever since, an
they'll stay thar tel ther Walters gifts
po', and then they'll move on. NJ,
'taint no use ter git peacocks hyah."
One sign the sexes split on. Tbs
mon hold 1t is worse to drink whskey
! ni, the XaYing the wnmen on tho WIN.