Newspaper Page Text
A MILI) CASE OF
“ROUGHING IT”
BY DAVID B FREEMAN
Penetrating seven counties and
two states with a buckboard and a
cross-eyed mule. Woul'nt that
bump \on? It wasn't that bad, or
we might go utiexcused for getting
away from that which, like that
other quantity, love, mounts up in
volume in summer —insanity. The
performance of some little side
missions, it would seem, ought to
he sufficient excuse for the adop
tion of such a semi-primitive mode
of traveling a long distance in this
day of railroads with quick sched
uiei as with a fairly good horse
ai <! i buggy with a tur.i-back top
to tf, we're it not for an entirely
justifiable incentive, that of seeing
the country to the best advantage
A journey of this kind affords
an opportunity for viewiyg objects
and places, as compared with a
view from the of a dusty
car, like a leisurely view through
a telescope to get a sight of the
heavens compared with the process
of attaching yourself to a sky
rocket; or, like examining a fly
y aving i pinn and .’own under a
microscope instead of taking it on
the wing.
To escape the strenuous, ex
change the electric fan for the “hill
kissing zephyrs,” or the ‘‘sea
breeze from Matties’ mill pond,"
as a waggish friend puts it; to take
a kinetic view of nature’s great
play house; to study flora with a
discerning eye and fauna with a
double-barrel shotgun; to turn
one’s back for the nonce on that
world of "solemn trifles;” to get
where “the sun's amorous kiss
brings blessings” and freckles, and
“the caressing of the summer wind j
is benediction,” if it is of the dust
proof variety; where the shitepoke’s !
saucy squawk adds hilarity to the I
s .ene and gives a bracing tinge to *
the ever-playsouie echoes —away
from
Where "deni drays, dey rattle and rai.as ich a
dna'.
And, humpin' dw stou a. mek a acan'lous fuss;”
Where it s "Haws bauan? two for fi ? lea,
'y de dnaaea I niaka de price lei<a;”-
ere ‘‘Hoch! der Kaiser!” i an ideal shout,
, he fluid is laer and the diet saur kraut;
Ww.l u .... , , .
Zee douce, eet eez zo isrettee and zo
r yet:
lit* t>r)t
„ ■ eezee, too, w eii zee ateo you
Ftei eey ijuiw
onre-*ct:’ .. ...
~. the mason, with iitvver a
Where O Cirady, ,
„ * art *’ unh with a touch that
Handles trows! aa 1 p,
.... Irt his molar turned
here aol>er sam Lee, with
squirt, your 3uuday
l'uts the Kloaa-Kinutf starcJi on
IH-at shirt; ir „ou KS
wht r<* grouchy old maids their cl
repeat >n *
bachelor* grunt flaunt their sombre
<*eit. *
Where '.Hollo! Hellol" in a Kttady old thiug,
Anciyoiiaiftke *.tierce grimace when you hear
hbe b4'd-ci£K
,b* *.v><trh • troii) th roir'ap. the whirr and th*
, ~t come an a whole in the realm of town life
Is not exemption from these
enough to allure? And when you
are “het up” by a resolution risiug
spontaneous, to gcr, the next thing
to do is to "coolly” suit the action
to the word.
As we fairly counted the half
loose palings on the fences in the
suburbs of Cartersville, a young
pharmacist of Altanta and the j
writer, on the outing we thought
we had craved, a journey overland
to the state line on the north—our
thoughts ran in alternate grooves
of doubt and elation; doubt as to
whether we hadn’t really made a
mistake in not staying at home,
whether we had forgotten any
thing; elation over the possible
chunk of ruggedly pleasing ex
perience ahead —when the black
berries grinning from the roadside
beckoned us to a feast, set our
minds at rest ard tested the need
ful quality of our steed to stand
unhitched. This pastime was fre
quently indulged in until an un
toward, unlooked-for and unwel
come incident brought forward
that necessary force, caution. A
faint rustling beneath the vines
carried our eyes on a voyage of in
vestigation, and we caught sight of
a dark-bodied reptile making its
way covertly beneath the briars
We concluded for awhile we hadn't
really lost any berries.
The first real inviting place for
our midday lunch proved to be a
spring gushing from beneatti a
-giant oak, and a gourd hanging tu
a stick above it. The gourd on a
stick had ever after on our journey
a magnetizing effect, water being
an interest-compelling quantity in
July with the weather Julyish.
Here our young pharmacist’s
mind went out on its first circuit
of survey and discovery. As the
farmer with whom we had ex
changed a dime for some horse
feed put down the little bunch of
hay the fact was imparted that
“New Mown Hay” was the name
of one of the richest, choicest per
fumes. Whether the an trial's lit
tle whinny was one of joy at the
prospect of so tony a morsel or
from impatience over the corn
-shucking proceedings going on
is only conjecture, but the farmer,
iii possible rec gni.ion of the per
funiatic fact disclosed, fastened his
molars down on the end of a twist
of “pigtail" and wore an informed
look
Alter an hour's rest we moved
on, and soon heard ahead of us a
noise like the coughing of steam,
and a> the giant proportions of one
of those ttrrors of the road, a trac
tion-propelled steam thresher,loom -
ed up before us we at once thought
of Don (Quixote and his windmill.
Instead of charging this caravan
of the harvest, however, we looked
for a suitable place for the purpose,
and proceeded to get around it, a
proceeding greatly accelerated by
the acrobatic plunges of our ai~
mal, with its fore feet in the air;
and fortune favored us at last by
an escape without any mashed flesh
or broken bones.
We pass the post-office at Sala
coa, and soon the creek of that
name, and as we cross the bridge a
bluff above u*, bestrewn with
pretty mountain growth and well
lined with rock, gives us our first
real mountain view, if we except
old Pine Log mountain, which has
all our journey been seemingly
moving around out of our way.
Next we pass Frirmount, a little
village nestled in the hills, at the
corner of three counties, with sev
eral stores and a coliege its I e
longings, on which it would ask
attention of the wide, wide world
On our way to Ludville we try
our hands at mountain climbing,
and after tiresome reaches and rest
ful blows for our steed we are in
time brought to the summit of a
picturesque spur, with smaller hills
' ar by. To the east the great
orb c * day is descendin g. and our
* intuitively drawn to the
eye* at*
. a, “ ne - As in silence we
gOrgfcbbS
. . ~ 'tore, we at once
behold the jhs
t’r ink of * en ” an S f Ur ° ra
Borealis scene, * ong or lb
powers of description. Ke. stln £ 111
the clear horizon, with aci.u
tomed day brilliancy, its floods of
light penetrating the hills, cctveK
and valleys, as it slowly settles, J
alternating gleams shoot forth, and
then little flushes, and. like the
coruscations from some giant
search light, seem thrown on the
mountain top; and one by o le, like
the fronds broken from some plant,
disappear as the tree tops glide
into the picture, until at last a
brief but steady glimmer, and then
the half circled body appears a soft
red, sans facula, sans man and
brush pile, a thing of splendor,awe
inviting. awe-compelling-
The gathering twilight admon
ished, and the smootn red road,
running in a serpentine slooe
ahead, beckoned us on, and we
were soon seeking lodging in the
village of Ludville. This place
got its name, some years ago,
through Col. H. J. Mills, who
thought to honor an interesting
personage abiding there, Lud Lang
ford. It is said a negro is not
allowed to live or remain in Lud
ville longer than he can “move his
freight.” A Carolina blacksmith
is the originator of this decree,
saying he moved from a commu
nity overrun with blacks, and he
wants no more of it. An old col-
THE AVD COTRANT, CARTKR>VILLR, GEORGIA, JULY 21, IW4
ored preacher who, through a sort
of indifferent courtesy,was allowed
one of the pulpits of. the white
churches, went to the blacksmith,
and, as he was wont to do, asked
for the key.
“You don’t get it,” was the stiff
rejoinder.
‘The church has allowed me to
preach here for years, and white
folks come to hear me,” said the
good old colored brother, with a
great air of assurance.
“Well, I'm the church now, and
no nigger can get our pulpit,” was
t!ie final irrevocable notification.
A short morning drive brought
us to Talking Rock creek, a pretty
stream penetrating like a silver
thread Nature’s green and gray
fabr c. There are several stories
of how this stream got its name.
One is that a rock was found on
its banks with “Turn Me Over” on
it. Some one, supposing a great
treasure was there, turned it over
to find on the other side this rude
inscription; “Turn Me Back
Again.” Another story goes that
the vivid echoes possible in a rocky
gorge lining the stream caused the
name. Like the minstrel who,
heating in the Hamlet soliloquy
the passage, “I could a tale un
fold,” etc., said “Don’t unfold it
here'I—as 1 —as the rocks bore a threat
ening mien, to dodge a possible
dismal narrative, we moved briskly
on.
Among the smaller knobs or
foothills of the Blue Ridge there
was one little sawed off peak, ever
in sight to the east, in its self-evi
dent prominence seeming to say:
“You can t lose me.” We learned
this was Sbarptop mountain. Town
Creek valley is a succession of
smiling miniature farms. Passing
this attractive scope, that a Swiss
or German colony would go lengths
to possess, we encounter some
slight hills, and soon reach another
inviting open, and, with a sudden
ness that is like finding a natural
treasure by nearly stepping on it,
we come to the town of Ellijay.
It is the glorious fourth, but those
who court scenes where hilarity is
a contingent have gone by over
land and rail to Blue Ridge, where
a picnic is on. with martial trim
mings.
From the bluffs opposite Ellijay,
along which the road to White
Path Springs leads, is gained a
magnificent view of the tidy and
thristy looking town, and from the
Ellijay side the reversed picture is
almost equally refreshing.
White Path is a resort for which
nature has done its part in the
beautiful hills that surround it, be
tween which the breezes sweep
with refreshing freedom, and the
fine water. Since its purchase
from the Indian, White Path, the
property has been in the Dorn
family.
In our tarry here we took some
energizing foot excursions. These
included a visit to the gold mines
worked before the war, and of late
crudely; a fishing excursion with
iddih*rcnt results, and an explora
tion of tile rich field of nature,
While one of us, the young phar
macist, i# frying to find the podo
pbyllin in a green May apple,
had jerked all the real fillin’ out
of the thing, the other, in absorbed
enthusiasm, was scaling the adja
cent steeps, trying to find the blue
lumps of commerce on the wild
indigo plants, hunted the shoe to
which the ‘‘Devil’s Shoe String”
belonged, and, with a rope made of
bear grass, was longing to lasso
the horse that browsed on the plen
teous horsemint.
In the various “towns” laying in
our projected itinerary, it was hard
to decide which to touch (this
ter word not intended in its latest
accepted sense). Wisdom would
ALWAYS KEEP ON HAND *
TtoinKiUevi
M no kind of pain*
or ache, in*ernal or exter-*
nal, that Pain-Kiiier will I
not relievo. (
LOOK OUT FOR IMp-'TiCNS AND SUB
STITUTES THE GENUINE BO'r-'iF*
REARS THE NAME (
PERRY DAVIC A SON. !
We Show Over 3,000 Feet Floor Space
Over 150 Styles of Rociers and Chairs ant Mare Than 150 Pattern') of Btdrcont Suits.
69 cents.
63 cents.
McDONALD-BROWN FURNITURE CO.
ROME, GEORGIA, U- S. A.
have said, go to Owltown; a yearn
vegetarian would have directed us
to Turniptown; but, as the name
’Boardtown” had an inviting
sound, it had the call in our minds
>
and our peaceable proclivities
thereafter enabling us to pass safely
Fightingtown, we proceeded in a
naturally appropriate route, up the
bed of a creek, to Ducktown, and
that without a ducking.
This is a thrifty place, but cop
per is king, and the king has been
cruel to nature, as the denuded for
ests, for ten miles square, attest
the power of copper smoke. Three
smelters melt the copper into ingots
that are shipped away after being
loaded on the cars at Ducktown,
modern facilities thus contrasting
with those of the long ago, when
the ingots were carried by wagons
So miles to-the town t f Carters
ville, the bells jangling on the
gears of the eight-mule teams being
well remembered by- many now
living.
A chance scene that instantly
arrested our attention was a bunch
of pickaninnies picking berries.
We got a camera snap shot on them
as they ranged themselves accord
ing to directions in a row across
the road. We asked their names,
which were given as Ike, Bill, Rose
and Beckie ‘‘Now,. Ike,” we said
to the oldest, “we want to send
you a picture; where do you get
your mail?”
“At de pos’ office,” came the
startlingly quaint answer.
“What do you ask for your ber
ries?”
“Whatebber we kin git.”
‘‘How many can you pick in a
day?”
“All ob us pick a whole heap.”
Leaving Jasper, where we were
hospitably quartet ed for the night,
o lr route lay by Jerusalem church.
Losing our way, we were informed
by a man indifferently mounted
that we we’e on our way to the
government still, “and I jest sup
posed you was revenoo men,” said
be. We concluded Jerusalem, as
well as Jordan, was “a hard road to
We manufacture furni
ture and sell direct to
housekeepers and pay
the freight on all bills
amounting to $5.00 ai.d
upwards
-9 ‘
$1.69.
Big stock of Carpets, Mat
ting, Hugs and Lace Cur
trins. Refrigerators, Ice
Chests, Lawn and Porch
Furniture.
travel and that New Hope would
be our utmost pull in that direc
tion. but finally Jerusalem oc
curred.
Over in the hills of Cherokee,
by a gushing spring, we enjoyed a
camp feast —coffee boiled in a
small tin bucket, thin side meat
broiled in a fagot blaze on the end
of a forked stick, corn bread baked
in a country fire-place—and the
aromtof the feast had lingering
qualities for the place, no doubt.
In a journey of a week, trav
ersing partially the counties of
Bjrtow, Gordon, Pickens, Gilmer,
Fannin and Cherokee in Georgia
and Polk in Tennessee, we had
casual glimpses of a region, though
beset with hills, that has many of
nature’s blessings, and that in
average qualities even up with
the best, and the up to-dateness
and evidences of progress, are
visible in many ways.
This region found its first settlers
in those moving from Virginia and
the Carolinas largely, and from
these families have gone out some
of the sturdiest citizens or Georgia
of the Joe Brown and Logan Bleck
ley type that have gained promi
nence in many walks of life.
Uncontaminatea, pure, sincere,
frank and true, here are found now
some of Georgia’s most exemplary.
Because, forsooth, there is a rough
er element (even communities
boasting loudly of their enlighten
ment and culture have this), he
that by this would by word belit
tle the citizenry as a whole would
belie his race and tamper with
God’s own. Favored in all re
spects, north Georgia greatness is
growingly apparent.
The pill that will, will till the bill
Without a gripe.
To deanse the liver,without aquiver,
Take one at night.
PeWitt's Little Early Risers are
small, ea-y to take, easy and gentle
in efiect, yet they are so certain in
results that no one who uses them is
disappointed. For quick relief from
biliousness, sics headache, torpid
liver, jaundice, dizziness and all
troubles arising from an inactive,
siuggish liver Early Risers are un
equal ed. Sold by Young Bros.
July.
99 cents.
89 cents.
CHICHESTER'S ENGLISH
PENNYROYAL PILLS
o >* y "<
Always -pliable. Ladin. auk Druggist fo
hi h:bti:h Mt.i un in kh and
brnl metallic boxes, sealed with bb’s ribbon.
Takr a* llwr. Hefkw daavrrnaa latatl
lutienvßad imitation*. Buy of your Druggist,
or send ie. in stamps for f*arliralar. Tail
■■•ai-ia and "Belief for Ladin." in letter,
by redara Bail. lti.iMNi Testimonials. Sold by
all Druggists.
CHICHESTER CHEMICAL CO.
•100 .VaditM a*a*re, ■'HIU.. F4.
■ uUui tfclft MM
Arkansas
Texas
Louisiana
An ideal country tor cheap .
homes. Land at $5, $lO, sls
per acre; grows corn, cotton,
wheat, oats, grasses, fruits
and vegetables.
Stock ranges 10 months in
the year.
Southeast Missouri, Arkan
sas. Louisiana and Texas are
full of opportunities the
climate is mild, the soil is
rich, the lan js are cheap.
Low Home-seekers’ rates —
about half fare—via the Cot
ton Belt twice a month—first
and third Tuesdays.
For descriptive literature,
maps and excursion rates,
write to
H. H. SUTTON, u. R. A.,
Cotton Belt, Chattanooga, Teun.