St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-10-18
AMONG THE MoUNrAINEERs.
A Travellers Experience that Surpas
ed TIL cir Lima ginafian.

L.
A Travellers Experience that Surpass-
ed Their Imagination.
One afternoon in September, as l was
toiling over a rocky trail in the Smoky
Mountains, which range of the Blue
Ridge separates Tennessee and North
Carolina for many miles, girl about
thirteen years Ofage, bareheaded, bare
footed, and having on a single garment
made of cheap stuff, suddenly jumped
into the road few feet ahead of me,
fell down, rolled over, lost her hold on
bundle of roots and banks, and was
up and off like a shot. She passed me
without seeming to see me, and the
next minute bear came rolling out OF
the bushes upon the spot she had COW
cred. | had a big revolver handy
and Bruin was dead before he could
suspect how my hair stood on end and
my legs wobbled. He wasn't fifteen
feet away, and he looked as big as 6
yearling calf, and even if did shoot
| with my eyes shut he would have been
ashamed of me if l had failed to kill
him with six bullets. He was kicking
his last when the girl came back, re-
garded him moment with bulging
eyes, and then said:
"Lordy but L thought was gon.
erl Who be you 'un ~
ooh, 1 happened along here. Why
didn't you scream 7"
Couldn't. Hadn't wind huff"
CHOW far did he chase you p
ga right smart mile"
"Well, who are you z"
"Susan. Come up to the house."
She picked up the lost bundle and
started on ahead, and quarter of q
mile above we came to a cove and the
inevitable mOuntaineer's cabin. The
cove was the same, cabin the same,
surroundings the same as a score OF
others. Aye! The gaunt, miserably
dressed woman stood in the door, two
children rolled on the ground, and a
big dog slOuched ont of the cabin and
growled fiercely at the approach of the
stranger. Susan led me straight to the
door, and as we halted at the threshold
she explained:
"B'ar was chasin' me. He 'un killed
it with his pepper"
AS soon as the matter was under
stood the three of US went back and
made a litter, and after hard tug got
the bear to the cabin. We had just
arrived when the husband came home,
having been off on hunt, and the girl
braced up, got a rest for her back
against the house and told the story as
follows:
"Got my roots tied up. Bar cum fur
never run tall. Heard him shoot
dead Told he 'un to come back and
stranger" said the man, as he
'sput it thar! Reckon you saved the
gals life, for suah. Nam, Civ him yer
paw"
Else thankful, shore am" she said
as we shook hands.
wanted to go five miles farther up
the trail to Uncle Joe Billings place,
but there was a general protest on the
instant, and the mountaineer exclaim-
ed:
"Stranger, do you 'un think we 'uns
are heathens? Yves pore an forlorn
an shuckless, but we's got feelin's.
You's got to stop right yere till to-
morrow"
"Deed he has," added the wife.
"Nobody who saves our Suse from a
bar is gwine to walk off like that"
81 thought | was done gone when l
heard him go pop! pop!" said Susan,
Gan the bar fell down in a heap"
Then there came q, period of silence,
with every one looking full at me. /
knew what was coming. 1t had come
dozen times in fortnight. The man
was uneasy, while the wife looked puz-
zled. By and by the husband hesitat-
ingly began
"Stranger, we'uns is thankful to you
'un, but-but-"
at don't make no difference, say ~
exclaimed Susan.
eyes her do" replied the father, as
he pulled piece of bark from the log.
Stranger, we'uns want to know if"
He couldn't get it out.
"You want to know what | am doing
here" suggested.
"That's it,"
"Well, Pm travelling for health and
to see how you people live"
"Whar from ?"
"Michigan."
"Then you 'un is a Yank 2"
eyes"
"And you fit into the war;"
eyes"
"And you walloped us 2"
eyes"
"And you hain't no spy7"
"Never !"
stranger, believe you! Put it
thar! Nobody who fit into the war
would be mean huff to come spyin'.
Jist feel right to home. All we've got
belongs to you"
In the evening three or four noun
taineers dropped in, one of whom was
accompanied by his wife. The women
used their snuff sticks, and the men
lighted their pipes, and as a starter
the host turned to me with
Stranger, war is that Michigan 2"
''North of Ohio"
"Many people up thar 2"
"Plenty."
"Twenty thousand 9'
"Detroit alone has ten times that