Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-02-03

'HO HpOA lllllc Ln0
hunter, as be laid down his rifle, and forth
with proceeded to divest the animal Of his
skin.
Sweetly toothsome did 1t taste that night,
for the boy was sore and weary /; boy they
called him, for of that party he alone stood
less than six feet in height
great glowing fire was soon sending
its smoke far upward, while the valley be-
low and the hills above echoed and re-
echoed the popping and cracking of the
burning logs. A bed that king might
envy was made from the tender boughs of
the balsam, with blankets spread over
them Supper was served, and then came
pipes and stories.
"You say, Bob, that this is the head of
Reems' Creek, 3" asked the boy.
Yes, this is the handspring of Reems'
Creek. 1t empties into the French Broad
just above Alexander. You know the old
Reems' Greek Mill, on the right of the
road as you go down the river. Well,
that old mill is nigh about the oldest build
| ing this side the mountain. Old Reems
built 1t there as a sort of fort, something
of q store and little of mill. The old
| ford of the French Broad is just at the
mouth of the creek. There wasn't many
Indians this side the French Broad and
Swannanoa, and the trail from the settle
ments east to Tennessee passed by the old
MILL just about where the road does now /;
I
Daniel Boone first learned to shoot In
dians and bear at that ford and on this
creek. My father and Toms (the old man
was an honest hunter, and never would
have killed even q squirrel this time of the
year, nor In such place as this, even for
a sick boy)"-- Tom was ready with q re-
ply, but the story went on. AS I started
to say, Toms father and mine were the
first settlers who left the river and built
cabins up any OF the creeks. No one
would believe, from the looks of the rocky
stream where the old mill stands, that
few miles up the stream are some of the
prettiest valleys in the world. l showed
you the old place to-day, and you never
saw better land in your life. L know L
never did, and tramped all over Mexico
with Taylor and Scott.
"Then the mountain sides are rich, too.
There's old CraggN, where the other fork
, rises she don deserve that name, for
there's some extra land up there. When
old Professor Somebody came to our house
for guide, with letter from Zeb, took
! him up q spur that Brigham had q corn
field on, just about thirty-f hundred
feet higher than the sea. 1t was No. !,
, and would run fifty bushels shelled to the
, acre close. He looked little wild at it,
then out with his instruments and made
k some calculations. 1 tell you he opened
his ewes wider than q runaway steer. He
|
tiIity for mountain-land. / didn't say
4 much, for I knew he'd been used to the
\ barren White Mountains, and if he'd seen
the Rockys they wernt any better, for I'd
4 tried them. AS we came back to Asheville
% 1 took him down through Nicks grass
;e plantation on top of Elk Mountain He
!. stared at the tall timothy hard and long
enough, but didn't say word
4 "Good land isn't all Reems' Creek has
- to boast of either. She's some on the
:, mn line There's old Governor Swain.
+. General joe Len", OF reg n add z b
n VaDce, member o. CUneiCss, Governor, OF
what he is ; he's 'Zeb III Bupcombe, and
a always will bo. They were all born and
is brought up with not much more than q
= tow shirt to their backs, right down there
n in that valley you'll see the first thing in
"a the morning. Come, turn in now."
"Not ye:," said several. which way
in the morning ?"
"Straight up and on the ridge till we
1r strike the road on the main Black, about
!, half mile from Otey's cabin"
te Cali woods ?"
g "No, wen strike bear-trail about three
miles from here and just there saw q
l, bear do the cutcst thing. He couldn't
IL have done better if he'd been reg'lar
e educated Yankee"
"Give it to us! !" exclaimed two OF
10 three.
g "Make it short" drawled fat Dicker
Il "TeIl tho truth, BIaakstock," graveIy
said Grand Master Robert.
CT knew aomebody'd doubt my word
II but I'll tell you The Bear Story"
n "I had lost lot of pigs at O mountain.
IS bed, where I kept an old SOW or two, anC
[ made up my mind I'd have revenge ou
II of some bear, 40 took my stand on the
y mountain near the bear trail we'll pass to-
morrow. 1t forked not far of. Now, 6
bear, when he's travelling in summer,
every now and then stops, rears up side OF
O balsam, and makes Il scratch-b1s mark
This is especially done at a fork of theil
trails. Another bear comes along, ano
can't make his mark as high he knows
the other bear is the largest, 80 he turnt
back or takes the other fork. Well, the
day was up there had waited full four
IN hours, and felt particular wolhsh, wher
ne there came a despIsable little bear, Du
OF with an awful knowing look about him.
is had o great mind TO kill him Just for spite
ca bat thought I'd wait till be go to the fork
1t. He stopped and looked carefully Ut all the
Of trees down one trail. Then the lit le cus
ne just turned and rolled big rock up to tn
as tree that had the most marks, got on &c
ne reared up, and made his mark far aoov'
& the rest of them. He got down, rollet
ed the rock back to its place, and went On al
,s. road From the way he shook all over,
he Just knew he was laughing hard to kll
n, himself"
Up, "Apd you didn't shoot him ?"
y, "Shoot that bear I'd about as sool
Vn shoot my father. Now, sick boy, It's tim
a to go to sleep"
gin "Stop minute. Is there any DANCE
st from snakes 2"
on Nonsense, child nobody ever hear
,ge Of snake on these mountains where th
rs balsam is the natural growth. Goto sleeI
At. rest easy, and dream. of Alexanders prett
u, daughters at the other end Of the ereek
ng I'll throw maple leaf into she Brancf
nd with your love; it may get there som 10
'e- day. It's about as likely to as J GU aIe
7as get one Of them"
ust Then, with the soft, rich odor of th
,e- baIgam coursing through our lungs. ia
"a, rippling music of the little rill, and th
tn. siehing of the trees above singing in or
Ley ears, we slipped away to sleep.
,v. Ell. Z. COTTON.