Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-04-09
A RESEMBLANCE.

stans-e where for a short time. such q reseln
blanse seemed To baifle the tnquisitive eyes Of
Old aa7iuaintances
IL natp<sned not long ago to . friend OF
mine. a civil engineer in the employment Of .
great railway company. 10 be most awk'
warlly mistaken for a fugitive from the
prinliiiv. Justice Of u mountain district In
Arkansas His adventure exciting and
full OF danger. and seems worth relsting.
Conrad Hurting, though young man, 10
ore 81 the most efficient engineers In the en-
| rloy u: tue " r. and r Railway company
| II belongs to the locating corps, and bis
work Is in preliminary and locating
SURVEYS last winter he was sent alone
ulsin an important mission which required .
| Quincy through the state Of Arkansas,
journey not toy rail 10 Pullman sleeper, but
| IN horshark over three hundred miles OF
niut.ntalnous and swampy country much Of ii
| little better than a wilderness
| Thu ). is-ouri. Rio Grande and Pacific direc-
| tors, jealous Of a competing line which was
| building an extension pointing In that direc-
| ton determined to forestall IL In occupying
| Arkansas territory. and Hurting was sent out
to look over the ground in advance Of a pre-
| hminary survey In fact, he was to make q
sort Of '.prelimlnary" by the aid Of his eyes.
bis powers Of gathering information from in
habitants, a sectional map of the state and
certain charts which he carried upon which
to trace the route and all prominent land
| marks and water courses
1t was about the list of December that he
| set out from the mountain village Of Ozo
where he had purchased a horse and saddle
| for the journey He had attired himself in a
| rough corduroy suit. broad brimtned white
hat and pair of high top hunting boots. He
carried a revolver in pocket Of his saddle
bags, when also contained his maps and
| papers, with room for a noon lunch
The first days travel led him into q wild
| and picturesque region.of the Ozarks. rough
country of rocky peaks and ridges OF deep
| ravines and yawning gulches, the home OF
not few suspicious moonshiners, and if re-
| port were trustworthy. of some other char
acters still more unpleasant to meet
However. the young engineer was well on
| his guard, he knew the characteristics Of the
inhabitants generally, and was usually pos
sessed of the lucky faculty of making him
sell IA, + ~ wth everybody in other
wor Is. ing the strangers confidence
The fine. and for several days
| the ira, and his leisurely journey pleas
ant anu l:l.i -. interest The few inhabitants
with whom he met and conversed on the road
or al ,+',,l,lni.ai CABINS where he put up for
the NJ Tor stopped for meal, seemed well
disposed and generally gave him such infor-
nation as they had about the route he pro
| posed to take.
Some of the more intelligent Of them were
very hospitable upon learning his errand, and
evinced much enthusiasm at the prospect Of a
shore 'uough railroad" and "cyars' running
| past their very doors
i knowed Id see engine a-humpin up
this valley some % these we're days" said one
| shrewd oil. farmer an that's jes' the reason
why tucs Il sut myself Ell my family down
on TIL, yelt -.ge I'm wat got pa'chelly
fenced, eli hAn alvin on hit ever sence the
wah lit air boun' ter he valleyable piece
o propty, hit mir "
Conrad passed an enjoyable evening at the
| old mans cahln, where a large family Of
oversrown youths of bath sexes sat with
tnem a!nut the FIREPLACE consersins, after the
| first shYness had worn of. in their uncouth
Roundabout dialecL
| For several days he pursued the route
marscd out for him through the valleys Of
! deep watercouIses. through mountain passes
AMI over piateaus. ''tieuou lands, anu
wIth"at adventure of unpleasant sort.
| Occasionally he met with surly or suspicious
| moun ai,iters, who eyed him askaut, and
| spoke to him Euardedly or not at ali.
But on the sixth morning. at q creek
'cro'ss,' he met uf'on the bank of the
stream a link, leather tacel man, in coon
skin cap and leather esglnss, bearing long
rifle upon his shoulder with a half dozen or
more squirrels strung upon the barrel, and
| the lean huntcr stood as ne rode up gaping
| at HIN III untls's.iseu a1ta4e 'tent
Somewhat surprised at tine hunters broad
stare, in which there SEEMED such extraordi
nary interest liurlin5 drew rein and saluted
the gazer
"How d We dof Ii, said pleasantly
"Tol'ble," erred the hunter with an
unpleasant grin How air you-unsf and
+, Conrad noted ooi Of cunning upon the
leathery face
"Vell,n said the e ,giueer. I'm getting on
all right, but III b, much obliged to you II
you'll put me on he right trail on the other
side of the creek there see the road forks,
and want to 70 through Horrigan's gap"
The hunters grin became enormous as Con
finished
WAL, Dave" said be, drawingly, II
Aays knowed We were right peart in ye
makin's up. but 20 CANT projeck ole Jake
outen the yotlst Nv 'lsefcs | reckon We done
knowed which road ar the best Ter ye ter
take afore Ye coined nigh hyaF'
80 you take me Tor somebody who's been
mere before. ehf said Hurting. wen, my
good man. you re- OIL Ia the matter OF eyeslght
Tor once IN your lie i've never oeen here
before and am very certain l never saw
! your face
| The Old man grunted half angrny; Don't
e be lettln on ter DO plumb TOOL. Dave!
fe nacheliy cam postum noways with me
done knowed We comm away up the rise
| yander
This was rather exasperattng, but the strar-
ger bore II with outward patience, at least,
and again denying his identity with that OF
| Dave. whoever the individual might be,
he dls'roani't. opened his saddle bags, took
out his mats and explained the purpose OF
his errai tafn'lsh the country
The old man looked and listened. still in
credulouq.
'Ye donv talk exactly like Dave, en- ye he's
riz a haard was the only admission the IN
gineer could get out Of him, He refused, in
fart, TO talk, believing that Dave was try
Ing to play II trick on him, and after point
ing out-ratner reiu' tantly-the road to Hor-
rigans Gap, tho old hunter started of, shak-
ing tbs head
Hurlili. was not little disturbed by this
] incident for be did NO, krow ,vb., rrnI...