Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-05-05
MISCELLANEOUS.
LIE ruaI~. uSDEn D,rr,cunrIrs
that 'B"ILy HOrse"-C sreyN lille
Jacksboro'. Etc.

Jacksboro'. Etc.
To the Editors ofthe Chronicle.
All innocent of the time the train
reached CIreyvillr. | started up the
road. When near Coal Creek, where
/ designed stopping, the conductor
kindly Informed me that the train
would not reach Careyville in time for
me tn reach Jacksboro' and lecture
the next night. Visions of long walks
aud blistered feet arose before my
tired anticipation. Reached Coal
Crpek-which was more than my ape
pointment tad lone. Near the hour
of II o'clock the next day might have
been seen temperance pilgrim, on
foot, with a heavy valise, through the
handles of which was thrust an UNI
bTella, said umbrella resting on the
right shoulder, with a roll in the left
hand, similar no doubt to the one
Bunyan's Pilgrim carried. Through
the lonely defiles between the Cum
berland Mountains On tls left and
Waldren's Ridge on the right he passes
in silence on. The forest twilight grows
deeper, as human habitations grow
scarcer, until the last house is reached,
where +" four-footed beasts are kept.
Here the much sweating pilgrim stops
to negotiate with lank mountaineer
for mule ride over Waldren's Ridge.
1t was now noon. The mule must
eat. Pilgrim would be glad to. In
the other department of the cabin a
mingled sound Of kitchen activities
arose upon the din of many feet and
voices OF the rather numerous house
hold, consisting of ten children and
two dogs. We (that is to say, the pill
GRIM being invited out to dinner, did
ample justice to the frugal fare, at the
conclusion OF which the rather young
and buxom wife brought out her
white headed twins to regale the pill
grim's eyes with their budding beauty
She proudly informed him that this
was the second pair out of her ten
children. Could but think that if the
future is as the past the "olive branch
es around that table will be as nu-
merous as willows by the water
brooks"
Scene II in the grand charade-Pll-
grim mounted on mule back with va
lise in front, umbrella in the right
hand, and the mule boy walking be-
hind. Slowly up the deep gorges, over
the rocky "spurs," and through de-
vious windings, first the summit, and
then the other side of the ridge, is
reached. Then we come to place
where the road crept under the fence.
The mule not being able to do likewise,
pilgrim dismounts, and discharges
mule, and mule.bOy, and wends his
way to the tunnel hard by. He dis
appears in the shadows-then dark ness
swallows him up, as the mud threat
ems to do. Trickling waters, lurking
shadows, and startled echoes, sem to
come about him. The distance to the
arched opening at the other end is
surprisingly prolonged, but is finally
reached, as is the resolution, never to
repeat that pilgrimage on foot, and
alone. Reach Careyville, and are
kindly "sent for, " with horse and bug
gy from JacksbOro'. To say it rained,
and was dark, is an exceeding tame way
of putting it. Yet we had large audi
eDce, and our temperance lecture was
well received The lodge at that
| place will receive new lease of life,
as we hope. Met Col. Gibson, of the
! General Assembly, who is a temper.
ance man, and spent the night at Mr..
| VIM. Aliens, where he and his good
lady eXerted themselves to make Us
comfortable, and succeeded.
Next morning early (fJr the creek
was rapidly rising, We set out in a
buggy, drawn by a horse somewhat
eccentric in his notions of movement,
for he often stopped and then began to
"back.n The second effort in back
ward travel, not being careful how he
| pushed the buggy or where, resulted
in our going over high embankment,
and just didn't upset. For which
hope we were duly thankful, though
our thanks did sound little like EN-
phasized abuse of the "balky" horse
Driver Landed out in the mud, took
| the horse by the "bit, and led him
| into the road, aud while he was lung
ing furiously forward, driver climbed
| in behind; for after the horse got to
/ going, we had to keep him going, for as
sure as we let him stop he reversed the
engine and started backward. OBI.
On reaching the creek, we found 1t
many rods wide, apprehensively deep,
and startlingly swift. We began tC
feel awful sorry it had rained so much.
| Concluded to venture. Water threat
] tuNh US NhNlt " e SdA III Allt buHE1
/ But all of this was rs nothing, com
/ pared with what followed. Reader
did you ever have anything to do with
a "balkyn horse? And was your
peace as "a river. your temper placid as
a dreaming sea? For a horse to balk
at a hill is bad enough-'O balk on the
| level road is worse; but to take an in
nocent Temperance lecturer far out into
deep water, where il is rods to where
you can even reach mud knee deep,
and then with "malice aforethought'
to stop, refusing TO go another step
and even threaten TO "back - into
water deep enough to drown the tall,
est man living, is about as villainous q
thing as a malicious horse could do
This did our horse. Talk of the ago
nies.Of Promethius on Mt. Caucasus
What are the soft twinges of
having your liver torn by Vultures
compared with the momentary eXpec-
fancy of being submerged on cold
morning, in the muddy waters Of an
angry creek
Then our temperance head p" swan
The buggy occasionally few sidewise
up the creek, at a two-fOrty rate and
we came to ourself, clinging 10 the