A Thousand-Mile Walk 



news he had just heard. "Three kingdoms, 

 England, Ireland, and Russia, have declared 

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

 terrible," said he. "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." 



"But are you sure the news is true?" I in- 

 quired. "Oh, yes, quite sure," he replied, "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." 



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 



[ 20] 



