, we passed the source of the
Monongahela, the chief branch of what afterwards becomes the Ohio. It is
here a tiny little clear stream, winding through the glades we have
spoken of.

On Thursday morning, though it was past one before we went to bed, I was
up at six, as soon as it was light, to make a sketch from our bed-room
window, which will give you hereafter some notion of the scene, though
neither description nor drawing can convey any real idea of it. After
breakfast, papa and I and Thrower went up a tolerably steep hill to the
cottage of three old ladies, whose characters I had an opportunity of
studying while papa went on with the guide to the Great National or
State Turnpike Road, or "Pike Road" as they called it, which used to be
the connecting link between Washington and Southern Virginia. Though
much disused it is still well kept up. After going along it for some
distance, papa struck up to the top of a high hill, from whence he had a
magnificent view of the valleys on both sides of the ridge he was on,
and he was surprised to find what large tracts of cultivated ground were
visible, while to those below there seemed nothing but forest-covered
mountains, but between these he could see extensive glades, where every
patch was turned to account. This we afterwards saw from other parts of
the road.

While papa was taking his hasty walk, Thrower and I sat down in the
log-hut where these three old spinster sisters had lived all their
lives. They were quite characters, and cultivated their land entirely
with their own hands; though, when we asked their ages, two of them said
they were "in fifty," and one "in sixty;" they were most intelligent and
agreeable, and two looked very healthy; but the third had just had a
severe illness, and looked very ill. One was scraping the Indian corn
grains off the cob, using another cob to assist her in the work; we
watched the beautifully-productive plant, and admired its growth. Their
cottage or hut looked quite comfortable, and there were substantial log
stables and farm-buildings adjoining. When the weather permitted, they
got down the hill to Grafton to the Methodist meeting. There is no
Episcopal church there yet, excepting a Roman Catholic one, to which
they will not go, though they speak with thankfulness of the kindness
they have received from the priest.

They said their father used to tell them to read their Bible, do their
duty, and learn their way to heaven, and thi