The North-Carolina standard., 1843-04-12
THE BLACKSMITH'S "EXPERIENCE"
IN THE AoUNTAIN PASS.
CHAPTER I.


the early settlement of that country by the Amer
lean race, and drove thrifty trade in the way of
facing axes and pointing ploughs for the settlers,
shoeing horses for wayfaring people i'll their
transit through the country to examine gold
mines and land.
AS he was no ordinary parsonage i'll the at-
fairs of his neighborhood, and will make a con-
spicucus figure in this narrative, account of
his peculiarities will not be unnteresting. Hav-
ing acted through life on homely maxim ofhis
own-'pay up as you go up,'-he had acquired
some money and was out of debt and conse-
quently enjoyed the glorious privilege ofbeing
independent in degree that is unknown to ma
ny who occupy a larger portion of this worlds
attention than himself. He was burly, a well
looking man of thirty-fre just young enough to
feel that all his faculties, mental and physical
had reached their greatest Development, and
just old enough to have an1assed sufficient cxpe-
rience Of men and things, to make the past serve
as finger post through life. With shrewd,
open, bold and honest look, there was a gleeful
expression in the corners Of his eyes, that spoke
OF fun. The Laughing devil in his eye was
not malicious spirit however. His physical
conformation was that which combined great
strength and agility, and if he had been fatcd to
have been contemporary of his great prototype,
Vulcan, there can be no doubt but tie Iemnian
blacksmith would have allotted to him front
forge in his establishment, to act as a sort of pat
tern card, and to divert the public gaze from his
own game leg to the fair proportions of his fore
man.
Now, although Ned For@cron, for such was
the name he had Inherited from some Gallo an
cestor, was 4 good matured man, yet the posses
sion of great muscular strength and courage and
the admiration which a successful exercise OF
= i =
what spoiled him. Without meaning to iaiure
any mortal, he had managed nevertheless, to try
his proves sun;ry peighbor=. and from the
success which always crowned his own efforts
in that way, had unccnscouSIy ac luircd tlle cha
ractcr of 6Ul{U.
with very few carly advantages Of elelcn-
tary education, lie had nevertheless at different
periods collected mass of heterogeneous infor-
nation, which he was very fond of displaying on
all occasions. He sort ofpoliticai ANTIGUA
ry, and could tell the opinion of Mr.. Jefferson
or Madison, on any subject, and was referred to
on all disputed points of the theorY and history
Of the Government, that arose among tie can
ddates for the legislature and country politicians
This he studied on account OF the conse5 5ueIce
1t invested him with. But why he had trca-
sured up an old and well thunbetl copy ofPaine's
Age Of Reason and affected scepticism as to The
veracity Of the story Of Jonah and the whale
end Balaam and his ass. would be hard account
ing for, unless it proceeded from the desire Of
character for singularity and crudilion When
vanity once gets the mastery of mans reason.
there is no telling the absurdites it will lead him
into. He was fond of speaking of Volney. and
being found with copy Of Tayior's D:egesis'
in his hand, although few OF his neigibors had
heard Of the author of the Ruins or knew what
Diegesis meant.
Tins peculiarly, together with he pcrtinacity
OF the missionaries, Worcester and Butler, which
carried them to the Penitentiary, NAV account
for the great aversion of Mr.. Edward Forgert II
to all preachers of the Gospel. His dislike for
them was so excessive, that he could not speak
OF the 'hypocrical scoundres' as he called them.
without flying into passion and using indeco- +
rous language.
Eut circumstance occurred which gave his {
zeaia distinct and sectarian direction. 4 metho
dist preacher over in Tennessee, who was fond
CT sFlcing ms dlscourses with anecdotes once
Indde tie blacksmith the principal character in a I
Iong sermon. His Peculiarities dilated Oh,
and hercsies dealt with, in becoming severitv.-,
He was ridcu1ed by the preacher Al this came
to the ears of Forgeron, with such additions and
embellishments as story usually receives in E
passing TO third person. 1t would be as use @
less to attempt to describe mountain storm, as 3
70 picture the wrath of this nountaineer. Buff =
We canao' portray the storm, the consequences
may be easily told. The blacksmith swore in ,
his wrath that he would whip every Methodist
preacher that passed the gap, in revenge for this
insult. 8
Forgeron was man of his word, as the bruis il
ed features of many Of John Wesley's disciples u
ccuid testify. His character soon went abroad.
ind the good old matrons of the SURROUNDING h
countieson each side Of the mountains trenbled s
at his name. In short the mountain pass, which
was really as romantic a place as landscape e
painter would seek for picture, and was Just the
place to remind youth fresh from his classic
studies Of the place where Leonidas and his three
hundred SparLans fell, in attempting to defend
Greece against the army Of Xerxes in despite l.
of the grandeur Of its beetIing cliffs, and the
beauty Of its verdure, was associated in the o
nlnds OF many pious persons with the broad gate o
nat leads to destruction. And Ned Forge a
he handsome blacksmith, was invested with the V
attributes ofhis Satanic majesty, by many noun
ain girl, who would doubtless have fallen in dove
It iLrSt sight with him. under any other name.
The preacher whose circuit lay Oh either side of
he mountain, at the time Neds direfilI edict was