Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-07-08
DOWN I'M SUNNI. CUBA. .
Men Live Without Work---Don't All
Start at Once. @

'ttunudtI company, railroad ScOntraC-
tors, writing to his father, Capt. S.
r. Dendy. OF Walhalla, under date
of June 16, gives some very interest
ing descriptions OF the country. we
make the following extracts from his
letter.
L. suppose that the rainy season Is
on now. 1t began raining Sunday,
and 1t has not stopped yet, and does
not look like 1t will soon. The river
by which we are camped looks like
young sea, and | am glad that we
are about one hundred feet above
1t. Our mules are having a hard
time-no shelter for them, and we
n cannot rent one. We are feeding on
y Caneda oats ana Indiana timothy.
Tie people do not raise any feed out
here, but have the finest grass you.
ever saw, and these folks have the
very finest Of cattle. Most any old
COW will weigh 500 pounds, and they
arc all a Dark yellow-about like our
Jerseys. They work them to every.
thing, and with a yoke lied to their
heads and horns. The animals all
have big thick necks and large and
strong horns, and they haul unusu-
ally large loads.
am on one of the most prominent
country roads, and | zee lots of big
carts of tobacco going by-geEerally
with six oxen, two abreast--and they
come back loaded with merchandise
for the farmers. This Is a fine farm
ing district; but these folks do not
know much about farming. They
can raise most anything they want
to, but. are too lazy to give it much
attention, for they can live here with
out work. You have heard of that
country. Well, have found It.
All the tropical fruits grow here,
and the finest known lemons are my
shade trees by the sides Of this
house. Oranges, cocoanuts and pine
apples grow all the time. A good
: pineapple is worth about five cents,
Spanish money-a little over four
cents, American. They have two fine
fruits here that never saw before
one, the mamay. This is about like
our apricot and grows on large trees;
has a rough skin, like q canteloupe,
and hard seed about the size Of
peach kernel, only 1t is smooth. The
other Is the mango. This is espe-
cially fine, ana Is just now getting
ripe. They don't have good sweet
potatoes. They are white and not
very sweet. They could raise good
ones If they would try the right kind.
They have here, however, the finest
suSai ever SAW. we ReI IL Deiore
it is refined and it is very sweet and
is very fine, and these folks drink it
from daylight to midnight. They do
not ever have any breallfast-just
drink that coffee-and it is the
strongest stuff In the world, and as
bitter as can be. Every time one
goes into house the man of the
house ;>sks him to have a seat, then
his wife comes in and takes a seat;
then, in a few minutes, one Of the
girls comes around with this strong
coffee, and that Is all you see of Miss
Girl, for she goes away some place
and hides. Then, If you have any
business, you transact it, ani just be-
fore YOU leave the girl will bring you
about quart of drinking water in
a great big glass.
am having some rich experiences
here with the workmen. The other
day | wanted to tell one Of the men
to lay hoe down and get shovel.
! could not talk to him, and / did
not want to get off my horse. but
had to go and take the hoe out Of
his hand and then get shovel and
show him how to work it. ] am
picking up bit of Spanish, how
ever, and | think If stay here for
year l VIII De dDle 10 Speak IL pretty
well. + can go into a store now and
, call for what l want and find out
nYhat 1t is worth without having to
ali DIX word of English, or can go
r anyN restaurant and order a meal, or
brinpfnd anybody l. want to see in
west Fl SO / guess l am learning some,
,ncy. bh most of the time / have to
at prt some one to talk for me. l can
r of Tt anything, and know the days
Coke ne week, months, ETC., and can
pasurA a great deal of a conversation
ople't used to sound like the noies of
ntt-Dunch Of guineas to me. t3
y | got The Courier last Sunday, and, /,
strange to say, out of this bunch of
Americans | am the only one who
gets a paper and they all want to
see the old Courier, for, though they
know nothing Of our section of the
State, and ar> not interested in the
local news, 1t is the only thing they
ever see and can read. They all sat
around me when I opened The Cou-
rier and said, Read her out loud
anything from the States sounds
good to us. | read the Richland'
news to them, and one fellow from
Connecticut up and says, Are there
any people in that country but the
Dendys?"
| think when go back to the
States will take the Ward Line to
New York city. The fare Is only $25
from Havana, and 1t Is $40 to Tampa
from Havana.