The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1872-05-09
IDAHO WORLD.
rHE HERMIT OF THE CLIFF.
frrom the Mobile Register.l

In the state OF hcntucky, at pOlnt
not far from where the romantic little
Trade-water throws itself into the arms
of the Ohio, may be seen standing upon
the very verge. of lofty cliff, a small
and somewhatstrangely-fa shioned stone
hut. No person seems to know any,
thing about it. An old man lives there,
and he might have lived there since
the creation of the world for aught
any one can tell to the contrary. All
have seen him; some have endeavored
to get into conversation with him, but
none have been able to arrive at his
history, for he is provokingly uncom-
municative.
Business took me to that region
some months ago, and while there |
made it convenient to visit the "hut on
the cliff The old man, an eccentric
looking character, truly, received me
kindly, but, as / had been forwarned
would be the case, showed no DISPOSE
ton to converse. | did not try to press
an interchange upon him, but stated
that I was stranger in the piece,
merely rambling about, and had been
attracted to his locality by the magnif-
icent view it afforded of the Ohio river.
One word brought on another until
finally we got into an easy conversation,
and it was not long until | discovered a
disposition upon his part to give me a
scrap of his history. | took seat up
on the brink of the cliff, and he station
cd himself not far away, and at last,
after | had humored him in every man.
ner possible, to the evident securing of
his good opinion, he said:
81 am now seventy-four years old.
Fifty years ago started with my little
family-a wife and one child-from
Pittsburg to New Orleans. 1t was be-
fore the age of steam had been inaugu-
rated, so we took passage aboard a
keel-boat Right ont there pointing
with his hand) our boat stuck fast on a
sandbar, and necessitated waiting till n
rise in the river should let us Off
1t was a dull place at which TO tarry,
and consequently life soon waxed mon
otonous to the fullest extreme; and,
with view to a change, one day took
my wife and child and came ashore to
walk in the woods. We strolled to the
top of this cliff, and seated ourselves
upon the very Offset which you are now
occupying, to enjoy the scene which
you have just been praising. 1t was
somewhat different then from now An
unbroken wilderness reached out in cv-
cry direction, as far as the eye could
see. Man had not yet interfered with
the primitive features of the forest.
"After looking upon the scene in ST.
lence for some time, my wife said:
"Ah, George, did you ever see any
thing so enchanting beforc?"
81 told her it was really sublime"
at almost makes me feel that am
bird" she continued, table to sail off
these lofty cliffs and go just where |
like. If / were to become a bird,
George, and fly away over yonder, out
of sight, would you wait here till re-
turnedY
81 laughed at the idea, and promised
that would wait"
NOW, George" she continued, Il
might get to be bird! Promise me in
good faith, that, should | take notion
to fly, you'll never leave this place till
l come back to you"
81 promise good" said l, laughing
again, yet feeling some establishment at
her continuance of the subject The
words had hardly passed my lips ere
she arose to her feet, seized our child in
her arms, and before could move hand
or foot, leaped from the cliff A rust
ling Of clothes in the air, wild scream
from the child, dull, heavy sound from
far below, and all was silent"
81 made my way to the foot Of the
clif-Iscarcely know how-but bleed
ing and almost shapeless mass was all
/ found there. The spirits had also
hownW
"See that fiat rock there beside my
hut; that is their tomb! At my request
the boatmen bore their remains to the
top of the cliff, and there they are buri-
ed. And they then assisted me toerect
this hut. l promised her to remain
right here till she returned to me; |
shall keep my promise"