Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-05-15
NALHALLA.

stopped for a day or two at Louisville,
having found an old friond there. |
HE urged this gentleman to go with him !
Into the mountainous region of Tennessee and |
North Carolina.
s"The foliase,'' he said, "will be worth study
ln September; and besides, I have an errand
In London, and when he was in the Alps last
summer; he VISA told thet aw awood-carver, whose
work he saw in Berne, and fancied, had emil
grated to AmericA two or three years ago,
0ny in these mountains. / am to find this col
Ony II can, and IL there is any workman OF
real skill in it, to offer him regular work and
good. wages In London. My brother is in Inn
mediate need Of panel-carver.n
He could have imported a dozen from
Berne.''
!" Certainly, y said Reid, with shrug $ "but
Tom has his whims. He fancied that he de-
an undiscovered BeSick, in fact. Where do
you suppose the fellow IN hidden. Pomeroya
Do you know of any such colonyr
mo, and hardly can believe that there are
any thrifty Germans among those tmpregna-
BILE mountains. Why, access to many OF the
counties is only to be had on mules, and at the
fisk OF your neck. Your Germans must have
q market for his work; he would find none
They were talking in the breakfast room of
The hotel A man at the same table looked up
and nodded.
Beg pardon, but couldn't help overhear-
ing. Think the place you want is in South
Carolina. Name of Walhalla. Village. Queer
little corner. 0conee County,
%, thAnksl', said Reid, eyeing him specu-
American. e Any Swiss there, do you knowa''
rThat can't tell you, sir, said the stran-
Ger, expanding suddenly into the geniality OF
"a old acquaintance. They're Germans, l
aims a. completely as Il the place was a. hall
Of tho dead, a. they call 1t. There 1t Is, with
German heuses and German customs, dropped
aosrn right into tho midst of Carolina snuff
village ave years ago, while was buying up
ekins I'm the mountains. I'm fur dealer:
Cincinnati One of my cards, gent..smena,.
To walhalla, therefore, Mr.. Reid and his
friend went. They tried to strike bee-line to
it, through 8 wilderness of mountain ranges,
BY trails only known 20 the trsppers; taking
them ss their guides, and sleeping In their huts
at night. Alter two weeks of climbing among
the clouds, of solitary communion with Nature,
Of unmftigated dirt, fried pork and neas, they
came in sight of Walhalla.
They had reached Macon County, North
Carolina, where the Appalachian range, which
stretches like a vast bulwark along the eastern
coast of the continent. closes abruptly in walls
of rock, jutting like mightysprOmontOries into
the plains Of Georgia and South Carolina.
Reid and Ponieroy stopped one morning on
one of these heights to water their mules at q
eprfng, from which two streams bubbled
through the grass and separated, one to flow
lnt0 L71G AGl4Hsle, INC Quiet luBO Tue uuII Ol
Mexico, SO narrow and steep was the ridge on
which they stood The wind blew thin and
cold in their faces; the sun shone brightly
about them; but below, great masses of cumu-
lus clouds we're driven, ebbing like waves, out
ztcHafd the horizon. Far. down In the valley q
krsinstorm was raging. 1t occupied but small
bp4ce aud looked 1ike motionless cataract OF
gray fog, torn at times by yellow, Jagged
lightning.
Is Not faF from the sprins brown mare wa.
tethercd, and near it q stout young man IN
blue homespun was lying, stretched lazily out
on the dry, ash-colored moss, his chin in hi.
palms, Watching the storm In the valley. Ar
empty sack had served ae = saddle for the mare
siung about the mans waist was q whisky hasf
and horn. He WAS evidently a farmer, who
had come up into the mountains to salt hi
Wild cattle.
Reid took note of the clean jacket, the STEADY
blue eyes, the red rose In his cap.
Swiss" +" he said to Pomeroy. "Where II
Walhalla, my friendi''
- The man touched his cap, and pointed to
swspof smoke at the base of the mountain. A
they rode on, his dog snuffed curiously at thei
korsee' heels, but Hans did not raise his hcat
to look after them. ~
"That Is the first man have seen In Ameri
ca" said Reid, i" who took time to look at tn
world he lived inn
j ] When they.were gone, Hans lay watching
the cloud below soften from . metallic blacl
films across the green hills. On the neare
plain below, he could now see the white-bolle.
cotton-feids, wet and shining after the shower
threads of mist full of rainbow lights trace
came up tosthe height frena the soaked forests
After long while he rose leisurely, his eye
filed with satisfactlon, as one who has had
good visit In the home OF 3 friend. He mounte
shone ruddily on the peaks above him, bu
there was . damp, shiverfng twilight in tn
gorges. Both seemed holiday weather to tn
young fellow; his mare wihinnied when b
L. - H.
jumping upon him; it was q conversation tina
had been going ON for years among old friendi
Mr.. Reia reached Walhalla just before sur
down, As his mule went slowly. down tn
vide street, he looked from side to side wit
pleased surprise.
-" It Is street out OF some German village,
he said: have not seen such thrift or home
.ly comfort in this country"
90 Il 70 only the sudden contrast to the grand
eur and dirt behind u.s. said Pomeroy. 81
you miss the repose and exs1tation of the loft
heights which you talked of, you will I'm
scrubbed floors and fealess beds a solid col
solation.''
The sleepy hamlet consisted of but on
broad street, lined by quaint wooden houses
their stoops covered with srape-vines or rose
Back of these houses stretched trim gardcn
gay with dahlias and yellow wallnowers; bac
Of these. again, we're the farms. Along II
middle OF the street, at Intervals were shade
wells, public scales, platform for town mee
tngs The people we're gathered about one {
x8C zFGA1b9e IN tuc1T 0lQ uCFAda 1aSuiOu, I'll
men with their pipes, the women with the
knitting.
q Reid remained In Walhalla for two or thre
days. He found that there were several Swil
families and that many OF the men had bee
wood-carvers at home. He hit upon pla
to accomplish his purpose. He gave a subjc.
for a-paneEthe Flight into Egypt-and al
nounced that any one who chose might III
dertake the work, that he would return In
month Che had found there was access to G.
lumbia by railway through the valley, an
weuid then buy the best panel offered at q ia
price, and, IL the skill shown in the work sa
isfed him, would send the carver to Londu
free ofexpense, and insure him high and steai
The day he left all the village collected abo,
the well to talk the matter over. Here was
strange gust from the outer world BLOWN
into their dead claim! Most of them had 70
gotten that there was world outside of Wa
halla. They titled their farms and bartert
With the mountaineers. Twice = year Schol
vent to Charlotte for goods to I'LL bis drow
shop. Londona Riches. Fame. The bla
of strange trumpet, truly. The blood
gan to quicken. Such of thema as had bes
wood-carvers felt their fingers itch for Il
knife.
mo Doubt it Is George Heller who win "
tfon to conquer the world. Did you see he
he followed the Englishmen about He cou
talk to them In their own fashion. George
no ordinary mani''
eff Hans had but his wit now!, said on
nodding as Hans on his mare came down T.
street. &c Hans is good fellow. But he W
never make stir In the world. Now George
fingers used to be as nimble as his tongue"
Heller,s tongue, meanwhile, was waggil
nimhly enough, at the other side of the we
He wss little, wiry, red-haired, spectacled Fl
low, with . perpetual movement and spark
about him. as e his thoughts were fam
"That's the right sort of talk. Fame
profit! Why should we always drag behi
the world here at Walhalla. Plow and zdi
plow and dig! The richest man in New Yo
left Germany butchers son, with his wall
strapped on his back; and what is New Yo
to Londons Just give me foothold in Lo
don and I'll show you what bakers son C
do, let Hans Becht laugh as he choosesr' F
Hans, who had come down to the well, W
listening with q quizzical twinkle in his ey
He filed his pipe, laughed, sat down and sa
nothing. Everybody knew Hans to be t
most silent man in Walhalla-
The pretty girls gathered khyly closer
Heller; and the boys thrust their hands In th'
pockets and stared adrnidngly up at him. Ha
was their especial friend, but what sto,
commonplace creature he was beside Il
brilliant fellowi g.is
'.,s a A man only needs foothold in this world
George said, adjusting his spectacles and loc