Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1907-02-14
WHERE PEOPLE
BELIEVE In 0MENS

superstition as form of devil worship
that vanished with witch burning. Yet
within two hours ride of the capito'
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 hedged in with countless signs and
omens, all portents of evil. Through
them he walks gingerly, fearful lest In
propitiating 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 uncom-
Portable old god of the Zidonians, Baal,
who visited them with dire and orig
inal 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 sturdy old farmer
of Big Cobbler mountain to his son,
as the boy started out on June morn
| ing to hoe the weed choked corn, 'ther
mems in the secon' quarter, an Ell
yer chop 'em down, them weeds III
grow worse'r ever. Better wait III
mex week.
"'Sides, want yer ter go fer Their
doctor. Yer mas ailin' this mawnin',
an 'er burned whippo'will set on Their
horse block an hollered las night tel
I clodded him off. Yer know what
that means!"
Whipporwills, that the ignorant may
know as much as Hance, mean early
and sudden death. For years they had
made that block a rendezvous for their
nightly chorals, while the family re-
NAMED healthy as hostlers. But it
shook not the old mans belief in the
faith of his fathers. The doctor was
hurriedly fetched, only to find ma re-
covered "as peart as a cricket"
Don't yer put that sassafras wood
in Their kitchen fire!" cried the old
lady to her helping hand one day, a
12year-old girl, as yet unlearned in
the lore of the hills. Every single
COW on Their place ii go dry eff yer do.
Go an put it in pas fire."
listening city man wondered at
this fine distinction.
Law, chile" sagely explained the
old lady, 'it's jes' putin sassafras in
Their kitchen fire what makes cows go
dry; it don make no diffunce in no
other fire. Why, when 1 wuz er gal
over'n Rappahannock-" and wise
saws and ancient instances were copi-
ously cited to sustain the theory of
INTERPOLATION 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
"Git outer hyah 18th that" roared
the old man in pallid terror. Don't
yer know it's Their 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
preached 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 man
betook himself back to the placid for
est, where he abode until the gusty
Niagara had subsidized. AS he emerged
the old man met him.
II knowed yer'd make trouble It'll
tibet air AK" he said accusingly. "Yel
hadn't got fer ez Their barn TO thel
old oman foun' er jug er moonshint
hid under Their 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 houseNno mo-.
The city man began to believe there
was something in it.
"Peacocks won't stay 18th u.s." ex
planned the old lady when the city mar
|, suggested them as an ornament to the
,, velvety blue grass lawn. They won
stay 18th po' folks.
1--WE used ter have er beautiful pai
of 'em. They stayed here fere years
It'll we los that law suit 18th the
CHARTERS an got po'. Their very mex
, night them peacocks went down the
: mount'n, pas Dorse Helms place an
ole man Cooser's, who's both pc folks
|, an didn't stop tel they got plum te
Colonel Walters, tibet owns bout hal
O. Warren county.
|, They've been thar ever since, an
, they'll stay thar tel Their Walters git
: po', and then they'll move on. Nc
faint no use ter git peacocks hyah"
One sign the sexes split on. TIL
. men hold it is worse to drink whiske,
IN tho waving fha woman ~, fbo x,,o