The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1880-07-09


THE Journey occupied a day and a
half. They rode Indian fiie Alunv q
trail which only Jerry's eyes could iol-
low: II crossed heaps OF rocks. swAmps.
fallen trees; II led through an nnbro-
ken forest Of gigantic pines oaks birch-
ash and sugar naples; even the nun
trees AID black cherry had had time
here 10 reach the height a hundred
and fifty feet Erergreens and decid-
nous trees grew alike leadess and
branchless side by side. spreading palm
like at the top The Journey WAS in
fact. n passage through infe-minable
aisles of huge black pillars und-- finn.
leafy roof The sides 81 The .reeks
were banked with flaming color: Injured
and rhododendrons heaped up walls uf
dark green. scarlet. and creamy white.
in the sunshine late azaleas lifted wands
OF shell-like rose.
There was no sign that man had ever
passed this WAY before Hure trees
fallen century before. lay in gigantic
round burrows on the ground; burrows
Of deep moss. Of freffed aud 1uied
lichen. gray and golden. bronze and
purple, ard Of trailing nTriads Of pink
oxalis. Plumy fern nodded from the
sides, and thicket Of young hrrnlocks
pushed ambifiously up from the Top Of
The ridge: but when Jerry put his foot
on il. the whole furrow crumbled like
a puff ball into cloud Of red dust II
was dead body. which. nndisrurbed
in the slow passage Of uncounted years.
had made all this false show Il Life
Very few song-birds had made their
way into this solitude There WAS
none Of the multitudinons hum a life
Of woods near towns The absolute
stiffness was strange and oppressive III
MONDAY. Nature dwelf alone here.
and kept silence. and there was SOME
thing savage in her mood. nov that
they had come upon her unawares-
Monstrous fungous growths reared
themselves on every side n they bean
to descend 10 the Blackwater- The
fhickets grew more dense; red and
black spiders swung themselves inres-
sanity across their faces from tree 10
tree; they found traces 81 bears ON
newly barked trees. and more than once
the three-lobed. clawless track Of a pam
ther in the wet. black mold. The thick
cts of laurel and scrub oak on the
banks Of the rivers give 10 these beasts
and 10 wolves m imperFions shelter
they have the best chance there loo.
Of catching the deer as they come down
to water. Browning pe;nfed ouf dark
green shrub. which he said was .,elk
browse" and ..had been mnde by the
Good A1an to grow Just that high 10
reach the muzzles If the y0nn- elkS-
No elks had been seen In this reri0n for
fifty years. though some might YET be
hiding back in Canaan
The party camped the second might
on the bank of the Blackwarer. q
stream which empfies into the CheAl-
making huts Of birch bark and beds ot
hemlock boughs set ON end 10 give m
elastic spring. The doctor and MORLEY
set out with their best white flies reels
and lines 10 catch trout for supper in
the c0flee-c0lored. gloomy creek
Browning took few worms from = ROD
ten tree trunk in his pocket. and his
old rod; the Judge built UP the FIRE
and Mrs. Mulock and Sarah cooked
some fitch. and secured the tin pilates
in the stream. Things went the usual
wa, in such cases. The scientific flSh-
ermen came home dripping we1- and
swearing that there was not Tine fin of a
trout in the river. 10 find Jerry plAfsd-
~ frying forty IN apan- They ate fhear
supper by the light OF The roaring tire
a great horned owl hooting I'm the
thickef Every man had hunting sio-
nv to tell -K c5ocoa Harding DuraS- ~
Hapcr's Magazine