Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-19
AN EPISODE.
Life in the Great smoky Mountains.

slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains,
and still the towering treeless domes
were covered with snow and the
vagrant winds were abroad, rioting
among the clifty heights where they
held their tryst, or raiding down into
the sheltered depths of the Cove,
whittier they seldom intruded Never
theless, on this turbulent rush was
borne in the fair spring of the year.
The fragrance of the budding wild
cherry was to be discerned amidst the
keen slanting javelins of the rain. A
}ognitiOn of the renewal and the ex-
banding of the forces of natu.a per-
vaded the senses as distinctly as if one
might hear the grass growing, or feel
along the chill currents of the air the
vernal pulses thrill. Night after
night in the riffs of the break
ing clouds close to the horizon
was glimpsed the stately sideral Virgo,
prefiguring and promising the harvest,
holding in her hand cleaning ear of
eorn. But it was not the constellation
which the tumultuous torrent at the
mountains base reflected in a starry
glitter. From the hillside above a
light cast its broken image amongst
the ripples, as it shone for an instant
through the bosky laurel, white,
stellular, splendid-only a tallow dip
suddenly placed in the window of a
log cabin, and as suddenly with
drawn.
For a gruff voice within growled out
remOnstrance: ''What We dom
that fur, Steve? Hev that thar candle
got emmy call ter bide in that thar
winder?"
The interior, contrary to the Gus
tomary aspect of the humble homes of
| the section, was in great disarray.
Cooking utensils stood uncleaned
about the hearth; dishes and bowls of
earthen-ware were assembled upon the
table in such numbers as to suggest
that several meals had been eaten with
out the ceremony of laying the cloth
anew, and in default of washing the
crockery it had been REINFORCED from
the shelf so far as the limited store
| might admit. Saddles and spinning
wheels, an oX-yoke and trace-chains,
reels and wash-tubs, were incongru-
ously pushed together in the corner.
Only one of the three men in the room
made any effort to reduce the con-
fusion to order This was 4 square
faced, black-beardcd thick-set young
fellow who took the candle from the
window. and now advanced with it
toward the hearth, holding it at an angle
that caused the flame to swiftly melt
the tallow, which dripped generously
upon the floor.
81 hev seen Eveliny do it," he said
eXcitedly, justifying himself 81
noticed her sot the candle in the
winder jes las night arter supper"
He glanced about uncertainty, and his
patience seemed to give way suddenly.
dad burn the old candle! I dun
know whar ter set it, he cried desper-
ately, as he flung it from him, and il
fell upon the floor close to the wall.
The dogs lifted their heads to look,
and one soft-stepping' old hound got
up with the nimbieness of expectation,
and, with president gratitude astir
in his tail, went and snufed at it. His
aspect dropped suddenly. and he
looked around in reproach at Stephen
Quinbey, as if suspecting practical
joke. But there was no merriment in
the young mountaineer's face. He
threw himself into his chair with a
heavy sigh, and desisted for a time
from the unaccustomed duty of clear
ing away the dishes after supper.
can amt ye got the gumptioE ter
sense what Eveliny sot that candle in
the Winder fur?" his brother limo thy
demanded, abruptly-.tez sign ter
that thar burned Abs'Iom Kittredge."
The other two men lifted their heads
and looked at the speaker with a
poignant intensity of interest. Il
lowed ez much when I seed that light
ez l war a-kemin' home las night" he
continued: sit shined spang down the
slope acrost the ruver an through all
the laurel; ii looked plumb like a star
that he'd fell ter yearth in that pitch
black night. I dun know how l
s'picioned it, but ez [ stood thar an
gazed Iknowed'somebody war a-stand.
ing an gain too on the foot bredge a
mite ahead O. me. / couldn't see him,
an he couldn't turn back an pass me,
the bredge bein' too narrer. He war
ies obligated ter 60 on. [ hearn him
breathe quick; then-pit-pat, pit-pat,
ez he walked straight toward that
light. An he be 'bleeged ter hev
L
Nuthin'. Jes whisper O wind, an
jes swishin' from the ruyer. Iknowed
then he he'd turned off inter the laurel.
An | went on, a-Whistlin' ter make him
low ez | never s'picioned nuthin'.
An | KEN inter the house an tot dad
ez he'd better be a-lookin' arter
Eveliny, fur | b'lieved she war asset
tin her head ter run away an merry
Abs'lom Kittredge."
WAL, [ amt right up an down
i sati'fed we oughter done what we
done" exclaimed Stephen, fretfully.
ut don't pear edzacly right fur three
men ter fire on one"
Old Joel Quimbey. in his armchair
| in the chimney-corner, suddenly lifted
his head-a thin head with fine white
hair, short and sparse. upon it. His
thin. lined face was clear-cut, with a
pointed chm and an aquiline nose. He
maintained an air of indignant and re-
bellious grief and had hitherto sat silent
a gnarled and knotted hand on either
arm of his chair. His eyes CLEANED