Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-10-11
A TALE OF VALE CRUCIS.

During the summer of 1883, it was
the writer's pleasure to accompany the
Democratic gubernatorial candidate
of North Carolina on his canvass
through the wild, mountainous coun-
try in the western portion of that
state
At night, sitting around blazing
log fire. we were often entertained
by tales of mountain life told by the
mountaineers in their own inimitable
way. The following little history of
the life of one of these mountain peo-
pie, usually SO free from anything
like romance, told us at the little place
called Vale Crucis, in Mitchell
county, was especially interesting to
our party.
"Jedge,' said an old mountaineer,
apparently so years of age, addressing
the gubernatorial candidate, "thar's ar
leetle grave up Their mounting side
which I'll take yer ter arter risin' time
ter-morrer. 1t hev been ar mighty
long time ergo since it war made; but
even now when sets down an thinks
bout Their life of Their one that lies in
that lonesome place. whar Their wolves
howl an Their wind blows so cold. |
can't keep back Their tears; no, Jedge,
can't. An ther amt none of this
here stuff what yer read bout in
books in this what III tell yer nuther;
Their whole thing is true sho as the
Lord made ME, ev'ry word an ez
nigh cz | can I'll tell it ter YOU.
when | was ar boy long. long
time ergo, ole Squire Smith he lived at
Pig Pen Gap, bout ten miles down
Their creek lie had ar leetle gal name
Mary. She had them great big black
eyes what nd shine like ar bucks on
ar dark night an them long curls that
'ud fly in Their win. She wuz ar mighty
spry creeter. She could run an
elm ar tree wus'n ar squirrel with
ar dog arter him. An cause she could
do all SIGH, we uns allus called her
Kildee.
'Ole Squire Pearson lived up Their
branch not so mighty fur. He'd come
thar ar good many years afore, but
nobody didn't seem to know nothin'
much bout him. He had ar chap
named Bill Me an Bill was pard-
ners, but, ledge, we warn't no more
like than ar pig an ar punkin. Bill
he war Their best Teller you ever seed.
1lC WOultiu lluTI uOlulIl Ii we
start out huntin' an fin some game,
Bill wouldn't want ter shoot it. An
then he didn't take no intrust in things
like me. When we'd go ter get chest
nuts an SIGH, he'd forgit all bout what
he come arter an go set down on ar
log; he wouldn't say nary a word, but
look right at Their ground. Pear'd
like he war thinkin bout somethin'
way off. An Their he'd set till I'd
chuck him with ar burr an say,
Wake up I'd allus be askin him
what allied him, an he'd say, 'Nothin'.'
But thought, an l knowed thar was /;
an SO one day when we were out fish
in an Bill was settin' on ther bank,
dun forgot bout fish an was lookin' in
Their water, | went an set down right
close ter him an SEE: Bill, we uns
have been tighten good chums nearly
ever since we wuz whimperin, but
yer hain't never toll me what in ther
worl' tbs you air always studyin
bout. Now, come, ole Teller, an tell
me what It's Pullin' hisself tergether,
turnin' round an lookin' me spang in
the eye, he sed: Ike, dad has allus
tole me this yer is a great big worr,
an he ulster, way long time ago, live
III one of them big things what yer
call cities, whar thar's mo- folks lives
tergether than thar be in the Mitchell
county two times big. An Their folks
what live thar have got larnin'.
amt got no min as to what tier thing
be, but dad SEE it am mighty good. It's
gittin' gumption in yer head. Now I'd
Jes like to go to one of them places
and git ar peep-but you is the first
creeter l ever tole, an Say, fellers,
hev found a new cave ter make ar
house in. Come right on! Lookin
up we seed Kildee. When Bill seed
her his eye begun to shine (mine too
+! speks, jedge, said the old man, laugh
ing). Me an Bill both liked Kildee
like she We're our sister; it were ther
only thing me an him was like in
ledge, yer bet we three had ther big
gest time round this yer ole settlement
you ever hearn of. We'd play like
we wuz growed up an 'ud keep house
an all SIGH things. Course Kildee nd
be ther ole oman an keep house.
Me an Bill did the huntin and shed
do the skinnin' an cookin, 'ceptin'
oncet in ar while when we didn't kill
enough to suit her, she'd grab the ole
flint rifle, go in ther woods, an when
it banged somethin' allus drapped
WAL, yer bet she could shoot.
Things went on this way for ar
long, long time; playin' like, yer
know. But 'twant SO many years
afore we begun to think bout sure
'nough. That same kin of somethin'
what tells leetle bars they amt cubs
no longer begun to tell us, yer got ter
stop yer playin' like
"One mawnin' fer the first time, we
got ter talkin' about the matter. Bill
wuz allus ready to talk bout Kildee,
SO we set an talked ar long time bout
which of us should have Kildee for
his ole oman. Wouldn't have been
Bill if he hadn't wanted ter give her
to me, cause he were jes that good
hearted; but, yer know, ledge.
couldn't, l wouldn' let him do that
But we couldn't agree on nuthin'; so
we said we leave the whole thing ter
Kildee fer ter fix, an we'd do jes' like
oh Il