Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-09-30

down upon us in the widest of the
wilds. With this mountain to our
right and Stone mountain immediate
ly on our left, our course now lay
parallel with the latter and around
the former, for four or five miles
while all around us and above us a
perfect chaos of spruce pines and rho
dodendrOns darkened the way, a beau
tiful mountain stream running near
us almost the entire distance.
Through the laurels and the beeches,
Bright its silver current shines;
Sleeping now in granite basins,
Oyerhung by trailing vines;
And anon eareering onward,
In the maddest, frsic mood;
Waking with its sealike voices,
Fairy echoes in the wood"
At intervals a peep through the
dense overhangng foliage disclosed
the corrugated sides of the long ridge
like mountains on our left, and the
inaccessible brier-clad nights on our
right.
During the day we met number Of
wagons on their way to the railroad
with immense black walnut logs, sew
eral Of them being three feet, and two
Of them being at least four feet in dia-
meter. They had been purchased near
the foot Of Roam mountain by the
agent Of Cincinnati lumber firm, and
we're for shipment to Belgium, to be
used in making furniture. They, in
some measure, prepared us for the
'monarchs of the forest which we
afterward saw, and which we had
never in our widest dreams expected
to see this side of the Yosemite valley.
We were informed by a reliable gen.
tleman residing in Mitchell county,
N. c., that one walnut tree alone in
that county had realized for its owner
the neat little sum of one hundred
dollars. So little did the natives
know of their value few months ago
that one Of them sold tree as large
as the one referred to for the triAing
sum of two dollars. OF course the
purchaser was from the land of wooden
nutmegs, and had he not been born
too late would doubtless have gotter
a fee simple to that fair hunting
ground from the poor Indian in con.
sideration Of a soap gourd or glass
necklace.
Oh the romance, the novelty of
mountain inn. We had dreamed
about them all our lives, and we wer,
now about to realize it all. We wer,
to stop at the Mosley Inn, at the foo
Of Iron mountain, for dinner. Al
1870 pm. we came in sight of tn,
mountain, not, however, until we were
almost upon it. Some one suggested
that something was lacking, aud W,
all felt the truth of it keenly, bur
couldn't divine what it was. Sud
denly it occurred to us, and we raised
a perfect chorus" Blow your horn
blow your horn p But, alas the
driver had left it behind. Our disap.
pointment was very great, but we al
became reconciled in view of the inn
except one gentleman who stoutly
contended that he had paid for stage
ride, and that it was no stage ride
without a horn. With bounding
hearts, we bounded out of the stage
and into the inn. Pretty soon we
were seated around a large, square
pine table, and being assured that
things sat handy" we applied our
selves to the matter in hand with a
vim that would have overcome greater
obstacles than those tough biscuits
even forgetting in the ardor of the
onslaught, the important fact that we
were in an inn. Gradually as appe.
tites became appeasod, sentiment
commenced to well up again. Final
ly, the most Quixotic of our party
remarked to one of the female table
attendants that he believed that was
an inn. IF you mean that this is q
tavern" said she, it amt no such
thing; it's our house and we feed
folks for accommodation" We think
some of that little party almost re.
garded this as an affront. 1t was, in.
deed, the heaviest blow of all. Ii
was a sad deprivation to have lost the
horn, but to have bad the inn demol.
ished at one fell swoop was too bad
We don't mean to say that that din.
ner was a failure, for it was very
good dinner considering the amount
it cost us (twenty-fye cents pei
head), but somehow or other we fell
disappointed and sad. The aforesaid
questioner remarked with sickly
smile as he got in the stage The
Roam mountain people say it's an inn
and believe it is, toe"
Our jaded horses were here ex.
changed for fresh ones, and we com.
menced the ascent of Iron noun.
tain" doubling everything-doubtine
whether the vehicle in which We
rode was sure enough" stage
(Which doubt, by the way, was moi
/ MI bovt g. ~ M ,