Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-04-15
THROUGH THE "CHINKING.Y


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 little log
"meet'n'- house" The nuts rattle
noisily down on its roof; sometimes dur
ing evenin' preaching (which takes
place in the afternoon "a fying-squirrel
efrisks near the window. The hymns
echo softly. softly from the hazy sunlit
heights across the valley.
"That air the doxolgy," 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
l0ped of through the woods, but as he
glanced back at the church a 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
sseries of short Stats which are set dag
ionally 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
isat within the church, the end of his
comforter had slipped through the
schinking and was waving in the wind
Outside.
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 q unique
manner-laying it on his shoulders,
oh al
under the arms, and tying it in knot
between the shoulder-blades. Tom re-
membered this with a grin as he slyly
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
ly to sumach-bush that grew near ut
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 rs
he sat motionless and asleep in the dark
shadow. ~a
The sun slipped down into the red
west; the blue mountains turned pur-
Pile; 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-
gled and tpgged at his ''harness all
in yain.- 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 war goin' ter dust down the
mounting ter Aunt Jerushy's house e2
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 so bad as II
might have been. There was no danger
that he would have to starve and pine
here till next Sunday, for a "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 viyacioul
protest. AN ef this brief wind wal
ter whurl the old meet'n' house Off
the bluff an down inter the valley
-would--I-be?"
- All at once the porch cracked beneatl
x heavy tread. A clumsy hand wa
fumbling at the door. /" Strike light,
said gruff voice without. .r
bnf When a 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;
IN 1t was an evil faoe--red and bloatet
and british. He had small, malicious
twinkling eyes and shock of sand.
hair. A suit OF copper-colored jean
hung loosely on his tall, lank frame, an,
when he placed the lantern on bencl
and stretched out both arms as II h
were tired, he showed that his left han,
was maimed-the thumb had been Gu
of at the first joint.
NJ A thick-set short, staggering ma
tramped in after him.
"Waal, Amos Brierwood," he said
cts safes fur us ter part. We oughte
be fur enough from hyar by day break
Divide that thar travellers money
heyp'. 'xIo.. -. .sa..ni
n.They carefully closed the rude shut
iers. barred the door, and sat down o
the y mourners' 'benchn--neither hayin
noticed the small boy at the other en-
of the room.
Poor Jim, his arLls akimbo and hal
covered by his comforter, stuck to tn
wall like plaid bat--if 5 sch a natur,
curiosity Is conceivable feverlshl
hoping that the men might go withou
seeing him at all.
For surely no human creature coul
be more abhorrent, more incrodibl
odious of aspect. than Amos Brierwoo
as he sat there. his red british fac
redder still with malign pleasure. h
malicious eyes gloating over tho rolls {
money which he drew from pocke
book stolen from some waylaid travele
Swapping his fingers in exultation whe
the amount of the bills exceeded his 81
pectation.
The leaves without were fitfully asst
Al. A,