American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-04-16
THROUGH THE "CHINKING."

= THROUGH THE CHINKING.o
Not far from an abrupt precipice on
one of the Cumberland Mountain spurs
there stands in the midst of the red and
yellow autumn woods a little log
meet'n'- house." The nuts rattle
noisily down on its roof; sometimes dur
ing !" evenin' preaching (which takes
place in the Afternoons flying squirrel
frisks near the window. The hymns
echo softly. softly from the hazy sunlit
heights across the valley.
THAT air the doxorgy," said Tom
Brent, pausing to listen among the
wagons and horses hitched outside. He
was about to follow home his fathers
mare that had broken loose and gal
Hoped off through the woods. but as he
glanced back at the church q sudden
thought struck him. He caught sight
of the end of little Jim Coggin's COM
forter haunting out through the "chink-
ing''--as the mountaineers call the
series of short Stats which. are set dag
onaiiy in the spaces between the logs.
and on which the clay is thickly daubed.
This work had been badly done, and In
many places the daubing had fallen
away. Thus it was that as Jim Coggin
sat within the church, the end OF his
comforter had -sipped through the
thinking and was waving in the wind
outside II f-i8ifltt)I 80
Now Jim had found the weather still
too warm for his heavy jeans jacket, but
he was too cool without it, and he had
ingeniously compromised the difficulty
by, wearing his comforter in a unique
nauner-laying il on his shoulders,
crossing it over the chest, passing it
under the arms, and tying it in a knot
between sha shoulder-biaics-r Tom re-
membered this with a grin as he slyiy
crept up to the house. and it was only
the work of q moment to draw that knot
through the chinking and secure it firm
" to q sumach-bush that grew near at
hand.
1t never occurred to him that the re-
sounding doxology could fail to rouse
that small. tow-headed, freckled-faced
boy. or that the congregation might
slowly disperse without noticing him as
he sat motionless and asleep in the dark
shadow.
The sun slipped down into the, red
west; the blue mountains turned pur-
pie; heavy clouds gathered, and within
three miles there was no other human
creature when Jim suddenly woke to
the darkness and the storm and the
terrible loneliness
Where was he? He tried to rise-he
could not move. Bewildered. he strug-
Rled and tugged 1t his ''harness'-all
In vain. AS he realized the situation he
burst into tears
Them home=folks o. mine won't
KEN hyar ter s'arch fur me-" he cried,
desperately. "kase tole my mother
ez how I war goin' ter dust down the
mounting ter Aunt Jerushy's house ez
soon ez meet'n' war out an stay all
night along o her boys"
Still he tried to comfort himself by
rejecting that it was not 30 bad as II
might have been. There was no danger
that he would have to starve and pine
here till nextSunday, for q '.protracted
meeting was in progress, service was
held every day, and the congregation
would return tomorrow, which was
Thursday.
His philosophy. however, was short
lived. for the sudden lightning rent the
clouds. and terrific peal Of thunder
echoed among the cliffs.
1.-The storm air a-comin' up the
mountingr' he exclaimed, in vivacious
protest. AN eft this brief wind wal
ter whurl the old meet n'-house Off +
the bluff an down inter the valley
Observation-Disclosures"
ALI at once the porch cracked beneath
. heavy tread A clumsy hand wa.
fumb1ing at the door. :. Strike light, y
said gruf voice without.
When b lantern was thrust in, jim
was about to speak. but the words froz,
upon his lips for fear when a man strod,
heavily over the threshold and h,
caught the expression of his face.
1T was an evil face--red and, bloatet
and british. He had small, malicious
twinkling eyes, and a shock of sand,
hair. A suit OF fcopper-colored jean
hung loosely on his tau, lank frame, an.
when he placed the lantern on "a bencl
and stretched ont both arms as If h
were tired, he shovedthat his left han,
was maimed-the thumb had been Gu
oil ut the first joint. ,;s.
n thick-eet short, fswaggering ma
trzmped in after him GF-fa
.Wasl, Amos Brierwood, y he. said
.'it's safes fur us ter part .We-odghte
be furenongh from hyar BY Cdaybr
Divide that thar travellers money
heyp" - -, =,
tiers. Parted the door, and sat down o
the.s1Aotrners' beuch''-neither hayin
noticed the small boys at the other en-
of the room
Poor Jim, his arms akimbo and hall
covered by his comforter. stuck to tn
wall like plaid bat-if such a natura
curiosity is conceivable feverishl
hoping that the men might go withou
seeing him ut all.
For surely no human creature coul
be more abhorrent, more incredible
odious of aspect than Amos Brierwoo
as he sat there, his red british fac
redder still with a malign pleasure. hi
malicious eyes gIoating over the rolls {
money which he drew from pockei
book stolen from some waylaid traveller
swapping his fingers in exultation whe
the amount Of the bills exceeded his e.
pectation-
The leaves without were ftlully astii
and once the porch creaked suddenly