The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-02-28
MASTER OF MOUNTAIN TOP.
Written Specially for The SENTINEL
- BY


"Well, this does look like old times, y
said Mr.. Strong, striding into his own
cozy sitting room "Here is an invita-
ton from Pillan to an old fashioned
supper at Mountain Top tomorrow
night"
"Are you going to accept, William?'
inquired his gentle wife.
"Accept? Well, 1 should think I
was going to accept. 1t has been ten
years since there was dinner at the
old place. 1t is not every day you
have an opportunity to get dinner
like Pillan gives and the man who
refused to accept when asked must be
a good deal bigger fool than 1 am.
l will call by Miss Mary's on the way
to the office, and ask her to come up
in the afternoon and spend the even
ing with you, while myself and Conte
can drive over to Mountain Top.
Cente 1 promise you an introduction
to some of the incest people in the Old
North State, and dinner such as I'll
bet my head you have not sat down
to for ten years. Besides, the occasion
will possess an especial interest for
you, who are fond of collecting the
legends and traditions which hang
round our old Southern homesteads.
Pillan has history as remarkable as
any told in your own stories; if | am
feeling as jolly to morrow as l am
now, l will tell it to you"
The above conversation took place
~, lo 0O,l ,f 100 Tbo
speaker was a well-known lawyer in
Chapel Hill, and the place, as l have
said, his cozy sitting room. He had
been an old friend of my fathers, so
that when 1 met him down at More
head City the previous summer, and
he invited me to spend few days
with him during the holidays, l
seized the opportunity of cultivating
friendship which was sure to crafty
my father.
l had been enjoying the good old
North Carolina hospitality for a day
or SO, when the incident recorded
above took place. a
On the following day Mr.. Strong
was as good as his word. At about
four clock in the afternoon little Miss
Mary Stone put in her dainty, mild
eyed appearance, accompanied by that
little work-basket full of fancy work
of hers which is SO we'll known to the
citizens of Chapel Hill; while a short
time afterwards Mr.. Strong, bluff,
hearty and jolly drove up to the front
door. He himself was ready for the
road, he said, and, though it was full
two hours before the time appointed
by the invitation, apd the distance to
Mountain Top was but three miles,
nothing would do him but that we
should start at once.
"Look here myyoung friend" he said
when / suggested that Mr.Pillan would
not expect US 50 early, "we don't want
any of your Yankee punctiliousness.
You are in North Carolina now, and a
North Carolinian is glad to see his
friends at all times of the day or nil ght.
The earlier they come and the later
they stay the better he is pleased.
There is only one thing he will not
pardon, and that is that they should
not come at all So let us have no
more of your conventional formality;
but jump in here, or confound you, l
will leave you behind"
No other threat or second invitation
was needed. Mr.. Strong himself could
not havedesired greater elacrity than I
showed in taking the vacant seat by
his side. He had been promising to
show me some of the scenery about
Chapel Hill, so took a round about
road to Mountain Top. In few min-
utes we were outside Of the town,
bowling along through cotton and to-
bacco field, while every drop of blood
in our veins was set tingling by the
crisp December air. AS Mr.. Strong
had said on the previous night, 1 have
always taken great interest in the
folk lore, ghost-stories and traditions
OF various kinds which are SO prevalent
among all classes in the South, collect
in1 and recording them whenever an
opportunity offered. ?erceiving that
Mr.. Strong was in one Of his anec-
dotical, story telling humors, I re-
minded him of his promises to give
me biographical sketch of the
master of Mountain Top. When in
good spirits there was nothing Mr..
Strong enjoyed more than telling a
story. have more than a suspicion
that he rather plumed himself on his
proficiency in the art of narration. So
a very little perusading obtained thin
consent to comply with my request.
Giving the reins to me he lit cigar,
and began the following tale. Unfor-
tunately ] am unable to give it in the
graphic words used by him, but AZ
nearly as / can remember it was sub.
stantially as given below: ss
Grafton Pillan," he; began, "was
the only child of his parents, who
we're q rather peculiar old couple, very
wealthy, belonging to one Of our best
families, and living at their old family
place called Mountain Top. OF hi
early youth / know very little; for al
you know / am native Of a distant
county, and only moved to Chape
Hill few years prior to the war
He has told me himself that his child
hood was passed in hunting, fishing
and domineering over his father ans
mother and the negroes on the plauta
tion. He has often said that this early
training Of hie cost him many pang