Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1884-11-20
A VENERABLE TROGLODYTE.

n
While party of men were waiting,
at u lonely station, for night train,
Captain jed Moscley was induced to
tell n story. The station agent, after
placing signal lantern on the end of
a cross-tio, had gone home. He had
locked up the squalid little shanty that
served as depot house, and the men
who were waiting for the "down
freight" had built fire in the woods
near the track, and were sitting around
it with as much patience as men could
well exercise on such an occasion. The
captain did not yield in ready response,
for he was not in the best of spirits,
but after urgent solicitation, he Scgan,
without knocking the ashes from his
pipe, or re filling it, as the story-tellcr
known in literature nearly alway does,
but simply tossing an old briar-root
pipe to the man from whom he had
borrowed it, he related, so far us the
writer's recollection is uncrring, the
following:
Some time ago, while | was in the
internal revenue service, my health
gave way to such an extent that | was
advised by u physician to relnquish
all labor and seek a prolonged rest
in the country. had numerous invi-
tations from friends living near the
city, but | accepted none, having de-
cided to visit some place far removed
from the active scenes of man. One
day, after bidding the boys II hasty
farewell, | mounted horse and set
out for the sylvan shades and rugged
Sleeps of the Boston mountains, in Ar
kansaw. The weather was charming.
The October sun shonc with the mcr-
est sugge ton of summer warmth; the
air was refreshing, the horizon purple
with soft haze, and the woodland
streams, covered with leaves of all
hues, sparklGd in Kaleidoscope splcn-
dor. made no inquiries; asked not
whittier road would lead me, but
pursued my incidental and unchoscn
way. The mountains | found to be
grand, as mountains generally are, but
these, it seemed, had peculiar topo-
graphical physiognomy-.rearing their
great rocks into the forms of odd faces,
leaning and looking down into the val
ley below. Some of the faces were
almost perfect, as though some great
sculptor had revealed them with his
chisel. Houses became scarce, and
sometimes / was compelled to pass the
night under rock. had brought
with me reserve supply OF food, and
as the little valleys afforded abundant
grass, neither myself nor my horse
suffered.
One afternoon, after traverSing a
narrow path that wound around
among the mountains and suddenly
became so steep that to pursue it far
ther seemed impossible, | stopped;
and, allowing my horse to Craze, | lay
down on an ancient boulder that had
evidently fallen from some great
height, and sank to sleep. l was
awakened by music-a flute. "Can it
be possible, unused, that anyone away
up here, is acquainted with the use Of
such mollow-toncd Instrument
Yes, it is evidently Il flute. willlook
for the musician" "
Leaving my horse, | climbed down,
stepping from rock to rock, holding to
saplings and swinging by vines, until
l reached little valley. The sounds
of the flute, after | descended, were
not quite so distinct as before, for /
could now hear the noise of swiftly
running water not n lush, not roar,
but quiet glide of water, if may use
such phrase. Turning sharp ledge
of rock, | saw the musician sitting on
stone. Just below him n small river
swept along, and back of him, soon
discovered, was a cave. AS | ncared
him, he ceased playing but did not
arise. He was very old man, with
long, white whiskers and long, snowy
hair that fell on his shoulders.
"How are you, sirP" said I, though
with bad grace, for could not help
but stare at him.
"As well as one of my'age could ex-
pect to be, he replied.
."Do you live in this neighborhoodp"
~ live in there" pointing toward
the cave.
"Do you live alone?"
Eyes, and seek no company"
81 do not mean to intrude upon you.
l am seeking health
"And / am seeking quiet"
81 should not have known that you
were here, sir, if you had kept quiet. !"
"And if you had kept away flom
this place you would never have
known but that was quiet"
Here he took up his flute and began to
blow a dismal tune, which took to be
q melancholy signal that the conversa=
tion, so far as it concerned the venera-
bic troglodyte, was closed. / ventured
to make another remark; but the
mournful tones OF his long yellow flute
were the only reply / received. Re-
turning to my horse after discoving a
way by which could lead him down
to the valley, / continued my wayward
course. The sounds of the flute fol-
lowed me, and even after had crossed
the river, which my faithful horse
swan like duck, l could hear the
melancholy wall of the old mans lugu-
brious overture. had not proceeded
very far, after crossing the river, until
came to large log house, built close
against tho side of mountain. 1t was
the first house / had seen for some
time, and as l was not likely to see
another one very soon, / dismounted,
tied my horse to a sapling, and opened
the rude gate with the intention of
knocking at the door, when an enor-
nous dog that looked more like lion
bounded from behind an ash-hopper,
and came atime with roar. Isprang
on to the fence and climbed up grape
| vine depending from tree, just in
! time, too, for when ! ventured to look