Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1890-01-11
A TALE OF VALE CRUCES.

Democratic guDernatOrlal 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 ther 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 ther one that lies in
that lonesome place, whar Their wolves
howl an Their wind blows SO cold, I
can't keep back Their tears; no, ledge,
I can't. An Their amt none of this
here stuff what yer read bout in
books in this what I'll tell yer nuther;
ther whole thing is true sho as the
Lord made me, ev'ry word, an ez
nigh ez can I'll tell it ter you.
"When I was ar boy long, long
time ergo, ole Squire Smith he lived at
Pig Pen Gap, bout ten miles down
Their creek. He had an leetle gal name
Mary. She had them great big black
eyes what 'ud 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
CHM 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 KIN ow 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 ther best Teller you ever seed.
He wouldn't hurt nothin'. If we'd
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 am sich he'd forgit all bout what
he come arter an go set down on ar
log; he wouldn't say nary 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 knowed thar was !;
an so one day when we were out fish
in an Bill was settin' on Their bank,
dun forgot bout fish an was lool1in' in
Their water, | went an set down right
close ter him an seq: Bill, we uns
have been tighten good chums nearly
ever since we wuz whimperin', but
yer hain't never tol me what in Their
WorP It's you air always studyin'
bout. Now, come, ole Teller, an tell
me what it's Pullin' hisself tergether,
turnin' round an lool1in' me spang in
the eye, he sed: Ike, dad has allus
tole me this yer is a great big worP,
an he ulster, way long time ago, live
in one of them big things what yer
call cities, whar thar's mo- folks lives
torgether than thar be in the Mitchell
county two times big. An Their folks
what live thar have got larnin'. l
amt got no min as to what ther 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 | ever tole, an Say, fellers,
l hev found a new cave ter make ar
hC,,ca in, (tO,Non mic o.N1y.,1i
up we seed Kildee. When Bill seed
her his eye begun to shine tnine too,
I speks, jedge, said the old man, laugh
ing). Ne an Bill both liked Kildee
like she were our sister; it were Their
only thing me an him was like in.
ledge, yer bet we three had Their 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 'ud
be Their ole oman an keep house.
Me an Bill did the huntin' and she'd
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.
Waal, yer bet she could shoot.
''Things went on this way for ar
long, long time; playin' like, yer
know. But 'twan't SO many years
afore we begun to think bout sure
'nough.' That same kim of somethin'
what tells leetle bars they amt cubs
no longer begun to tell us, yer got ter
stop yer playin' like
Zone 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. 'Twouldn't have been
Bill if he hadn't wanted ter give her
to me, cause he We're jes that good
hearted; but, yer know, Jedge, l
couldn't, I wouldn' let him do that
But we couldn't agree on nuthin'; so
Kildee fer ter fix, an we'd do jes' like
she sed, didn't make no difference
what it were. So mex day when all
three of we uns were in Big Bar cave
ups an SEE:
"'Kildee, me an Bill air in trouble.
An when we tell yer what It's we air
afraid you will Just holler, an will
make all sorts of fun outen us, but
we amt a-carin'. Its jes this: we uns
hev been cubs long enough, an now
it's time we be gittin' growed up. An
we amt perticuler smart, but we got
gumption 'nough to know two fellers
can't hev the same gal fer his ole
'oman. You haint never showed no
differuns in yer hkin of us, Kildee,
but you must fix some kinder way fer
one of us ter git yer. Now the one
work on Squire Carriers gal Course,
Kildee, don't nuther one of us want
ter hev ter leave yer land, ledge,
when sed that my eyes begun to get
watery), but it's better fer one ter git
left than both. Now, whatever you
say We'll do without ar word; say yer
say, Kildee'
Everything war so still you could
hear deer tread We know'd she