Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-19

don't know how many of you have
read Samantha Allen. She always wrote
of her pleasure exertions." and, there
have been times when l thought that
the so-caIled excursions could nave
been more properly termed "eXertions."
But the one that Mrs. Mallicoat so
interestingly writes about was not an
eXertion. l wish that more of US could
arrange our affairs so as to go TO the
mountains or seashore for at least ten
days every year. If everybody could
be trusted to do unto others as they
should there might be more exchanging
homes for a month every year. But
think Of the risk if we should lend our
homes to members Of the Graball fam
lily and should return, after taking the
best of care of their home in the city.
to find the stock abused, the fruit trees
injured and my Rhode Island Reds
ragged and droopy, with perhaps my
choicest ones eaten. 1 have known some
exchanges that were satisfactory, but
the people knew each other. If coun-
try people could be put in town a month
occasionally and city people coOped in
the country about January and Febru-
airy. both sides would soon get clearer
idea Of how the other half lives.
There are families in the country as
well as in towns who can shut up
shop" and spend a week or more away
from home with no inconvenience, be-
cause they have nothing to tempt them.
And have seen stopping places" one
could not call them homes, where the
entire family would go away and leave
a cow and chickens to do the best they
could for a week or more, and then
complain about their bad luck with
chickens and say that they we're cheat
ed in their COW. Several years ago l
spent a month with some friends in the
country. We had to pass a renters
home on our way to Sunday school.
And 1 noticed the diapidated appear
ance of things. Yes" said my friend,
I'VE gave that couple a good start. lent
them a COW and gave them a hen and
ten young chickens. But they could not
stay at home; every Saturday night
| they went to his or her old home. The
| hawks got the chickens and when they
turned the COW and calf together, father
put them in the pasture" They never
have accumulated anything and never
will until they learn to stay by the
stuff.
Mrs Mallicoat has beautiful turkeys
and she slept easier knowing that her
guide mon" was looking after them.
! His vacation comes about this time OF
the year. 1 hope that she may be able
| to make an annual trip to the noun
| tains.
shall never forget the happy days
spent at Camp Tranquility" my broth
ers home ten miles from Madison, Fla.
We put some one in our house and
| thoroughly enjoyed the country. There
were, it seemed TO me, innumeraole
| darkeys at work. The cotton field was
| about a hundred acres and long staple
/ commences early and lasts until the
end of the year There were some orig
inal characters among the hands. Old
Lon gave me some infallible 'conjur
| charms" and some of the others pre-
| scribed all sorts of queer medicines.
There was a haunted cabin on the place
| and thrilling ghost was said to walk
abroad on damp nights when his rheu-
/ matism got too painful.
A thirty-acre scuppernong vineyard
was not far away. 1t had been planted
! lust before the war by non-residents
/ and when the crash came there was no
| body to look after it, people got land
poor i'm those days and this vineyard
went wild. There were bears in that
| part OF the country twenty years ago,
and to go TO the vineyard was danger
/ Gus unless a man and a gun was along.
The negroes called these bears "Hag-
ers Children" and when dusk fell upon
/ the land the women and children were
/ cautioned to stay at home.
! These bears were accused of being
more savage than the usual bears, this
sort had a gray face and the usual
/ bear dogs" would not attack them.
/ These bears would go, or did go, into
| the negroes yards and take off small
! shoats, and one night the mother and
/ two cubs took the hearts out of wagon
+ load of melons for my brother. We set
a trap and killed one that Weighed about
/ 500 hounds Bear meat is getting very
| ycarCe and few people know how nice
| if is The fat is like that of a we'll
! fed COW, and the lean is juicy yet moro
| like fresh ham in texture. OF course
/ it has the fine flavor that one gets
only from creatures that roam the wilds
and live on fruits and tender vegetation
See what a host of memories Mrs
Mallicoats' letter has stirred up. AS the
wears pass her children will look back
on these outings with more pleasure
than they do even now. Get a neighbor,
or draw straws as to who must stay
by the home, or manage some way so
that there may be a vacation this sum-
mer Or if you cannot go away Tor
week. try the plan we had last year, and
go for a long day. The farmer is already
planning to go to the mountains next
summer and he hopes to climb a certain
blackgum tree and eat all the grapes
he wants. The vine has been there fifty
years and has furnished him all he want
ed many and many n time.
Can't some of you give us letter
about your outing? Let us all do our
very best to encourage the stay-at-
homes to get acquainted with another
; sort of life.
Faithfully yours
LIZZIE o. THOMAS.
Tuscumb ia, Ala.
THE GRAND OH MOUNTAIN.
The new wear is with us again. Nine