The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-12-29
said the tourist.
4 DRUMMER'S STORY.

NO" said the tourist.
a DRUMMER'S STORY.
"Well, III tell you the story" said the
drummer. Its a remarkable one, and
every Traveller ought to know it. You
see, about the time of the gold excite
ment in the Frazer river country way
back in 1856 a man came here to make
his fortune. One of the miners had
brought into this wild region his little
family, and among them was his daugh-
ter, Il very pretty girl, with whom this
other fellow fell madly in love. He had
a hated rival, Of course, and in a few
months this rival carried off the prize,
and life became a hollow mockery to the
disappointed lover. He became not only
u Wolna hater, but a hater Of his kind,
and he made up his mind he would spend
the rest Of his life as a hermit.
so he came to this mountain, and
he clambered up that brush that you see
alongside, and he built him a hat of
stones and branches, and there he began
his new life. He had a gun and lived on
what he could shoot, a little -four he got
from the settlement and the berries and
roots he gathered. He lived that wa a
good many years, bringing down from
the mountain an occasional fur or bear
skin, which he sold for provisions. For
years now he has been Old and unable to
hunt well, but nothing has ever induced
him to give up his queer life"
By this time the English tourist WAS
all eyes and ears. "YOu don't mean to
tell me-" he said. How on earth does
he live now:'
"Well, once a week the people who
live in this little hamlet you see here fill
a basket with provisions and one of them
takes it up to the top Of the mountain.
When the hermit hears anybody coming
he leaves his hut and retreats into the
woods. The MAJ with the supplies
leaves the basket at the door, and the
next fellow who comes up with provis-
ions leaves another basket and takes
back the empty one.
TIE TOURIST BELIEVED IT.
"'Tne hermit never speaks to anybody.
Early in the winter, before there is dan
ger Of a big fall Of snow, a lot Of pro-
visions is taken up to him, for fear that
a heavy snowfall will prevent any one
from reaching the top"
"Why, doesn't he get sick and need a
doctor sometimes" asked the tourist.
"NobOdy knows that he ever had q
sick day. He is old, but he's we'll. You
see the air up there is magnificent, and
there's no reason he should be sick.
There he is now" continued the drum
mer, in a state Of wild excitement.
There he is: near the edge Of that rock.
Don't you see him?"
The Enylishman looked, bat could see
nothing. He borrowed a field glass and
was adjusting the focus when the man
exclaimed:
There, he's gone. | just caught a
glimpse Of him. He's up SO high he
didn't look bigger'n a speck, any way"
"Romarkable," said the Englishman,
as he lapsed into a seat. He rolled it all
over in his mind for a couple Of hours.
Meanwhile the story Of the Englishman's
interest IL the hermit had been told to a
number of choice spirits, and there had
been much hilarity. One OF the men
who shared the fun was standing neal
the Toronto drummer, when the English
tourist sidled up 10 him again.
"Now, look a-here." he said, ''houest. is
Jhat really all true about the hermit"
"Ccrtainly. it's true" said the com
mcrcial traveller. Most all tourists
know it, and any Il who lives in this
country car tell you all about it. ASK
this man here"
The Englishman turned to the other
man, who told the story Of the hermit
over again, with some graphic and cir
cumstantial additions. The Englishman
Will probably prepare an account Of the
wonderful hermit for the British press.
New York sun.