A Thousand-Mile Walk 



news he had just heard. &quot;Three kingdoms, 

 England, Ireland, and Russia, have declared 

 war agin the United States. Oh, it s terrible, 

 terrible,&quot; said he. &quot;This big war comin so 

 quick after our own big fight. Well, it can t be 

 helped, and all I have to say is, Amerricay for 

 ever, but I d a heap rather they did n t fight.&quot; 



&quot;But are you sure the news is true?&quot; I in 

 quired. &quot;Oh, yes, quite sure,&quot; he replied, &quot;for 

 me and some of my neighbors were down at the 

 store last night, and Jim Smith can read, and 

 he found out all about it in a newspaper.&quot; 



Passed the poor, rickety, thrice-dead village 

 of Jamestown, an incredibly dreary place. 

 Toward the top of the Cumberland grade, about 

 two hours before sundown I came to a log house, 

 and as I had been warned that all the broad 

 plateau of the range for forty or fifty miles was 

 desolate, I began thus early to seek a lodging 

 for the night. Knocking at the door, a motherly 

 old lady replied to my request for supper and 

 bed and breakfast, that I was welcome to the 

 best she had, provided that I had the necessary 

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