The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-12


ever knew 70 stop with tEose pc )ple was
robbed. more or less. Three times / heard
them up. providing around last night: and
every time they came within hearing
would cough or flop over noisily In the bed
and mutter.
FINALLY, about 4 o'clock, l must have
fallen into a doze; for | was suddenly
awakened by some one sneaking into my
room. Must be about morning, amt it,
| called out in a brisk cheerful tone, as
ttough l was entirely accustomed 10 re-
ceive calls at that hour.
There was a pause. and then the old
woman's voice replied, L reckon hits a get
tin to'ds mornin'.' SO it was she and not
the old man that had been going to attend
to the little job If searching my clothes.
She went up to a chest that stood near the
bed and pretended to tumble awhile in 1t,
mumbling something about some pain
killer, and then shambled out
That was the last Leard of any of them,
for it began to grow light in an hour or So
how do Won like it as far as you've got"
| didn't like it at all, but | would have
persisted in a great variety of painful ways
rather than say so, and as | felt slightly de-
pressed and couldn't think of any cheerful
| or witty remark to make, | said nothing.
| Well, we continued down the Caney river,
passed Big Bald on the left, or west. turned,
! first west, then south, aud came back on the
other side of it,
| The scenery here is as wild and beautiful
as any have met in my journeyngs up
and down in this land Of wild and beautiful
scenery. There can be no more lovely
stream than Caney river, SO crystal clear
that when the water is up to your horses
body you can see every pebble on the bot
tom; following between its banks of thick
laurel and ivy that when in bloom, in Juue
and July, must make the scene a dream of
kaa,, - rkt.n II cho A,r.5 s.i.
did poplars, sycamores, wild cucumbers,
beecbes and birches, and fed by limpid,
dancing mountain brooks filed with
speckled trout. The tobacco buying bust
ness proceeded satisfactorily all day aud we
met with nothing Of particular interest till
we rode up to a little store in a settlement
about o'clock, and saw there, standing on
the porch, my present hero. though then. of
course, knew it not. by Georgel there's
little johnny Higgins" exclaimed Mr. Ber-
nard; and he explained TO me hastily that
little Johnny WAS sort of liking bes' of
that whole region, the ringleader in all
deviltry, hunting expeditions, and wild
frolics, or as he himself phrased it, "head
devil in these parts"
He was a really magnificent looking man,
about feet 2 inches tall, straignter las are
all thee hunters and fishers up here in
Egypt than one out of a thousand of the
ordinary mountaineers, with handsome,
broad shoulders, hands and feet small and
well formed, aud rather classic unintel-
lectual head, well set and well carried, COW
cred with close curling black hair, his face
lit up by a pair of bright dark eyes, rather
close together He was barefooted and
cad in the ordinary jeans trousers and
checked shirt, but fine cartridge belt was
round his waist, and fine rifle leaned be-
side him.
Nh,ia NJ ruhA hof hot
enthusiastically by the crowd, talked to-
bacco with couple of men, listened to
religious discussion that was going on, in
which Littly Johnny maintained, with
vehement and picturesque profanity, that a
man never did any thing-not the smallest
thiug-of his own viii and volition, but
only as the creature of providence; that not
only our ultimate destiny, but every step
toward it. and every deed, good or bad.
committed by the way, is controlled and
guided by the direct hand of God His OPP
ponents we're Free VIII Babtiss, - but they
made small sheadway against Little John
ny's intense earnestness and overwhelming
personality.
l was so struck with the mans passion
ate vehemence in defense of his position,
that told Mr.. B. about it as we rode away
few rods to where we were going to stay
for the night.
ne SeSUieu T0Ck on
johnny thinks he bears about strong evil
dence of the truth of that doctrine in his
own person. You noticed he had lost his
right arms Well, he and Jim Broddy were
on very bad terms about ten years ago, and
Johnny got dynamite cartridge, such as
is used in blasting for mining and exca-
waiting, aud went one dark night, accom-
panied by his hopeful son Zeb, to blow Jim
and his family up as they slept, thus prob
gk, Va he
of Egypt.
HE lit the fuse, and was just in the act
of throwing the cartridge, or bomb, under
Jim's cabin, when it burst prematurely.
shattering his arm clear to the shoulder, and
putting out Zeb's eyes.
ale was, naturally, very much impressed
by the accident, accepted it as an intima-
ton from the Almighty that he was to let
Jim Broddy alone, and has been peculiar
and pronounced in his religious views ever
siuce."
Tbs people-the Egyptans-differ from
their neighbors very materially in one re-
spect: they have strong sense of humor,
and are inveterite perpetrators and retail
ers of jokes. This sense OF humor is rather
savage and archaic, more ROBUST than fine
q city club man might not see the point of
their jokes, aud few bloody noses, black
eyes and broken heads are not rare con-
comitauts.
Little Johnny, as before stated, is the
hero of several exploits | heard related, and
| of which | shall have space but for one
1t was Christmas frolic. Bitter cold II
often is up in these mountains at Christmas,
the Thermometer lingering, in depressed
frame of mind, among the small numbers
below zero.
Little Johnny was not an illicit distiiler
| but was always dealer in the moonshine.
With him at Ills house were John Garland
and Huts Fletcher. After telling big yarns
awhile, Little Johnny offered to bet tnat
neither OF the men would follow where he
would lead. They both declared they would
and IL was agre d that either one that failed
to do 50 should pay five gallons of whisky
Johnny to pay the same to each if he sue.
| ceeded.
| Out SAILED Johnny through the deep snow
to the river, running about thirty yards it
front OF the house, and now covered with
ice about an inch thick, and into it ht
plunged, closely followed by John and Huts
| Down ST. can he walked and walked, crash
ing through the thin ice at every step, anl
| wading the narrow congealing water otter
up To his thighs Still the men followed
though taeir teeth ratified.
This cheerful sport was kept up for two
miles-no one being willing to turn tail
| whel the pond above the mill dam wa
reached. Here, from there being very
little current. the ice was thick enough t.
bear, and Johnny stalked across it TOWARD