Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-07-27
THE LONE TREE OF GOFF'S
HOLLOW

You are stranger to our great Ameri-
can forests, see. and it's no wonder
you ask me so many questions about the
trees and wild creatures, for they all
have sort of romance about them,
though in a rough way.
As we passed along, | noticed you
looking at some tall stumps of trees, that
were cut down at height of twelve or
fourteen feet from the ground. guess
your mind was puzzled at out them.
I've known folks who were unused to
the woods ask ifthere were giants around
when tn ese trees were cut down, because
the arms of no common mortal could
reach them so high up with an axe
Others have guessed that the lumber
men who cut them must have got up
ladders and they were puzzled to know
why.
Listen to what have to tell, and you
will know that if there be strange things
that hal pen in your big cities, so it is
with us here in these old woods of ours.
Many years ago there came to settle
in these parts a family, whose name
was believed to be Gott, though there
! were other stories about that They
were three in number. The man Gotf
seemed to be about forty years of age,
though he mi ght have been less, for his
face was haggard, and there was Il
strange, wild light in his deep-set eyes.
His hands were soft and delicate
when he first came among us, showing
that he had not then been used to rough
work.
His wife was a small creature, of some
seven or eight-and-twenty and Of all
the sad faces ] ever saw, hers was the
saddest. One mi ght say that there Was
sorrowful story written upon her poor,
wistful face, in the lines by which it
was marked.
They had with them bright boy Of
four, who, after q while, used to come
around among the wood. choppers, and
was the only one Of the strange family
with whom the neighbors had often IL
chance to talk.
Gotf used to be much out in the woods
with his rifle, and as these forests were
then alive with game. he could keep u
pretty good larder in the log house occu-
pied by him, which he fitted up with all
sorts of txings, that we folks of the
hard-iisted sort never should have
troubled ourselves with. lie had lots
of books with HIM and as some of these
wert in stldnge languages, we, of course,
knew him for a scholar. and this set
queer stories afoot as to his having been
IL minister, or lawyer, or II doctor, or
something of the kind, who had got into
trouble with the world, and had come
here to bury himself in the woods, and
escape having fingers pointed at him.
Anyhow, he not been here long when
his poor, heartbroken wife sickencd
and died. 1t was a sad November day,
with sprinkling of snow on the
ground, when we carried her on a hand.
sled through the solemn woods to the
little log church, four miles away, and
in the church, yard OF that she was
buried.
After his wife's death, a deeper gloom
seemed to settle upon Gofi, and he be.
came more unsociable and morose than
ever. His only consolation now was his
boy, who seemed precious to him as the
apple of his eye. lie used to make
bows and arrows for him, and taught
him how to use them and whenever II
tribe of rowing Indians came along that
way, Goff's boy would be very thick
with the small red skins of hi, aye, from
whom he learned much about the woods
and waters
The only man in our neighborhood
with whom Golf cottoned was II wild,
shftless fellow, named Morgan, who
never did II steady days work in his
life, but went about a good deal with
Indians, hunting and fishing, and drink
ing whisky, when he could get it, as they
did. Gotf took a liking to this man,
and used to let him loaf around the
place, and go and come as he pleased
Often they would go out hunting deer
together, and on these occasions Morgan's
mother, who lived in shanty not far
away, would take charge of young Goff,
for they loved the boy, who was espc.
cially attached to Morgan, as boys often
are to rowing characters of the kind.
sometimes Golf and Morgan used to
have words with each other, but nothing
serious ever came of these little spats,
and they seemed in general to be on
friendly terms.
There was a camp of strange Indians
mere one time, who came along through
some far-otf lakes and rivers in their
canoes, and remained hereabout for a
few days only. From the day when
these Indians left, Morgan was missing,
and so was Gotf's boy. OF course. the
suspicion was that Morgan might have
had quarrel with Golf, and out of re.
venge have gone OFF with the Indians,
taking the boy with him.
Gof was frantic at the loss of his boy
to the extent that at first he seemed