Back in May I commented on the traditional island phrase, "they don't set horses," which refers to people who don't get along. It seems this saying is also used elsewhere in eastern North Carolina. Just a few days ago, as I was reading the novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens, I came across this sentence: "I am Josiah Bounderby, and I had my bringing-up; she's the daughter of Tom Gradgrind, and she had her bringing-up; and the two horses wouldn't pull together."
Dickens (1812-1870), of course, didn't use the expression "they don't set horses," but his comment that "the two horses wouldn't pull together" means essentially the same thing. Just one more indicator that Ocracoke's first settlers hailed from the British Isles.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of the Hurricane House and the Hurricane Boards. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news072112.htm.
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