338 SPORT INDEED 



to me, "Aren't these West Virginia mountaineers 

 quaint people ? " I readily answered that they were, 

 for I have never seen their quaintness and a few of 

 their other peculiarities equaled. Old-fashioned fel- 

 lows, homely, frugal, careless of dress and the pro- 

 prieties of life generally, eternal chewers of tobacco, 

 iron-clad swearers, and always hard up. The current 

 incidents of time have no claims on their attention, 

 unless such incidents relate to the triumph of De- 

 mocracy or the success of the season at the " White " ; 

 the latter more particularly, for on it is based their 

 sole hope of seeing some ready cash during the year. 

 This famous resort furnishes employment to about 

 ^ve hundred " help " in the summer, and maybe fifty 

 or more the rest of the year ; and thus it becomes the 

 distributing source of a goodly number of thousands 

 of dollars annually. It would be hard to compute 

 the amount that liverymen, florists, photographers, 

 doctors, musicians and the seductive gentlemen who 

 preside over the fortunes of the " green table " rake in 

 from the army of guests who patronize the " Saratoga 

 of the South." Speaking of liverymen, one of them, 

 an abominable swearer, promised me he -would 

 abandon the habit which I told him I abhorred. It 

 seems, however, he forgot his promise. Here is his 

 letter to me verbatim, which will tell how. 



Pleas find enclosed fifteen dolers to pay youre bill, 

 the reason of delay was, hard times, bad weather, sick- 



