The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-09


Dad road. but one need not be afraid if one
was well armed-no woman ought 10 travel
Sucn road without a good. double acsio n,
namneriess revolver. He quite agreed
with me, and said ne never went along it
without pair of navies. We rode for some
time, each trying apparently to Guido
the other In bis description of the
pennies be was. The steer on my
size Kept ooltlng into the woods, and
nao hard work to bring him out, so | sud
denly turned Phebe acr IS behind the man,
saying: You had better ride here on the
LETT and attend to this OK. my skirt is al
ready as muddy as it can be, so never mind
1t This put him on my left and my right
was hidden from him, though, of course. ]
never thought OF IL till after ward. He
rode along few minutes in silence, then
suddenly wheeled his cattle out under big
tree on the left, saying. with queer shake
IN his voice: II guess I'll rest my stock a
little; that lead steers about Civ OUT
AN right,n seid cheerfully; good by )"
and rode of jsuntily without ever turn
| ing around.
When had got about 100 feet ahead, he
called after me IN shaky, apologetic
voice:
81 may overtake you this evening" and
it flashed over me that the fellow was afraid
of me-
l had builded better than l knew! The
only weapon had was poor little debili-
tated riding whip with broken back, and
my poor little bluff had scared out a six
| footer with hickory club five feet long!
was so tickled at my overwhelming sue
cess as an amateur bandit that l forgot to
be scared all the rest of the way TO Cleve-
| land
From there to Chattanooga is an ordinary
prosaic trip. so at Cleveland my mountain
| journey really ended.
Throughout it all L never had a rude or
| impertinent word spoken to me, or received
an uncivi, or even cool reply. Upon tue
contrary, was always answered with the
utmost respect and courtesy. | found.
everywhere l went, friends, sympathy and
help on my way. It is chivalry, the simon
pure article, a woman meets among these
mountain people of North Carolina and East
tennessee. The men were always ready to
| DO for me, at sight, almost anything within
their ability to assist or befriend me; and |
do not know that it would be fair 10 put the
women at all behind them.
| was the recipient of kindness-layisb
Eindnsss-wherever | stopped or even
passed.
Shades of the prison house" how close
| they press upon those lonely shut-in lives
how great becomes any small diversion
how faint the reverberation which reaches
them from the worlds throbbiDg clamor,
where |, even l. am coosidered a Travelled
persona distinguished "fui rlner"
Amid all the prodigal grandeur of nature,
this majestic effulgence and wealth of
beauty, how coiorless and starved are the
human existences so environed.
some dav even these great natural bar
riers will be pierced, and the tide of en-
| Ugh eminent and progress will flow in, bear
ing away this primitive people, expunglng
the type, and leaving in its place some. hing
betterS Worse! Perhaps neither, but
something that lives full life, not the
dreamy, half-existence of the present dwell
ers there
go TO other interests and broader fields
i have left it all behind me. The stage,
to my mind, remains set with its stately
drop and scenery, and this great sky for
curtain over all. changing as they will with
the passing days and seasons Though do
not see it. the sun will rise, a Young god,
over the bald top of old Cowee, piercing
with arrowy javelins the .serried ranks
of fog, till the air is full of
golden spears; the young moon swim,
silver boat, amid the ''blue inlets
and their crested creeks" of Nantehaleh, or
the white disk Of the full moon look down
with solemn reproof upon the purple aud
crimson and golden glories of the sinking
sun, his tattered banners, fading splendors.
the wreck and ruin of his gaudy carousals; ;
she purple dusks will drop down over the
slopes of the Tuesqutta, and the Oconaluf-
tee run with silver feet between its plumy
banks, rejecting the dusky faces of the little
band of .'early Americans" gathered on its
banks.
l can guess how the NAPLES are red, the
ches,nuts turned to pale gold, the sourwood
lifting flags of deepest rose d scarlet, and
how the nuts are ali fallen on those slopes
that l snall see no more.
That shall sea no more with waking
eyes; but many time in my dreams Phebe
will carry Insup those winding roads, be-
side those clear streams and | shall see
again those kindly faces to whom, when |
turned from them with light good-by, I
probably bade final farewell.
ALICE MACGoWAN.