Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1875-03-18
THE LITTLE MOUNTAIN
GUIDE.

Way up In New Hampshire, among
the great big mountains, there stands 6
little rough implanted cottage, that is
built right out on the edge of high
ledge of rocks. When the wind blows
1t seems as if the little house would rock
over, and go tJmbling down, down into
the gully below.
But if You were to tell that to Susan
Gordon, who lives there with her mother
she would laugh at you. For Susan was
born and bred In that wild, lonesome
place, and she loves the rough rocks,
covered with hchens, and the s,raggy
pines, that grow almost horizontally from
the cracks and crevices, and hang down
over the gully.
Yes, Sllsan Gordon loved her birth
place, and all its surroundings. There
was not precipice but what she had
climbed, not a cascade, nor chasm, nor
mountain cave, but she could guide
you to.
Susan was delicate-looking child,
and that is all that could be said about
her, except that she had long locks of
light hair, that, not being kept very well
brushed, were almost always in her eyes,
and that she imped slightly when she
walked.
In the summer when the mountains
swarmed with sight-seers, Susan was in
the greatest demand. She could hire
herself out at almost any price for a
guide. The way she skipped along, from
rock to rock, and swung herself down.
and helped herself up, by means of her
little mountain staff, made out of ash,
with spike in the bottom, always as
tonished those who saw her for the first
time.
'Who is shel How does she dare
And see, she is lame, too !" strangers
would say, watching her in wonder.
Then, almost always, there would be
some one who would answer
"Go to Uncle Ben, if you want to
know about her. It's a story worth hear
ing, too, l can tell you"
And Uncle Ben, who was never known
TO be guilty of wearing coat, nor of
being found without pipe in his mouth,
was always ready to go over this story of
Susan Gordon.
"Wal," he would say, "Pll begin at
the beginnin'. When that ERE chit was
only knec-high to toad, she could
scramble with the best of 'em. She
could climb like a cat, and her head was
steady as house-top. Afraid? She
wasn't afraid of notiin', and she got to
be great pet amongst all hands, and
famous for knowing every stick and
stone anywhere round the mountains.
"Wal, it's nigh ON to five years since the
thing happened. l had been threshing
pretty lively all that day, and was clean
beat ont by night, when Miss Gordon
that was Susan's mother, she came run
ming into the house like mad"
'Says she, sAint Susan herel"
Essays /, She amt. For the Lords
sake for thepoo woman's knees began
tomock together, and she looked gaostly
In the face for the Lords sake,' says
I, whats TO pay!''
"sUncle Ben Styles says Miss Cor
don, nobody In the village has seen
Susan to-day. / do not know what has
become of her she was never away so
late before
"'Cheer up says I she'll be back
soon, all right. There's no such thing
as her losing her way
al know that says she. 1t amt
that I'm afraid of it's the-bears.'
"The last word came out with a
scream, and she put her hand to her
mouth as if she had the jumping tooth
ache. / pitied her from the bottom of
my heart, and / didn't dare to laugh at
her fears, for fresh bear tracks had been
found upon the mountain, not long
way back.
as tell You what, says lend did
it more TO quiet her, for she was taking
ON orfu,, and it was like hunting for a
needle in haystack anyway tell you
what, Miss Gordon-weu take hunt
for her well bring her back alive Or
dead I was just going to say (; but I
stopped myself in time, and got out Of
the house.
"Wal, il didn't tax long to rouse them,