Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-09-03


The people who live in the thinIy set
tied parts Of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Of Western North Carolina and East
Tennessee are perhaps as primitive as
any in the Union, though possessed of
remarkable pluck, courage and withnl a
constituencies. Many of them can neither
read nor write, dozens have never seen a
ruilroad, and scores have lived and died
without setting foot outside the limits Of
their native counties. But they can all
shoot rifc-that is, the men-and their
wives can card, spin and weave wool.
The race is a strong, hardy one, and the
adventure of two young Southerners
which follows will show the kind of pu-
pills which school has, when once il
may be started in one Of these decidedly
rural districts.
The two boys were returning from a
camping trip of two weeks in the noun
tains 10 their homes in upper South Car
olina when the experience was encout-
cred. They were travelling in one
horse wagon of the ordinary farm va
riety and carried two guns-one a
Remington rifle Of small calibre and the
other single-barrel, breech-loading
shotgun. 1t was in August, which to the
farmers of that mountainous country is
'he dullest part of the year, and il is in
this month that the schools, when there
are any, are in full blast.
The young men were driving slowly
along, smoking and enjoying the ride,
when they passed n school house setting
back from the road in a grove of young
oak and chestnut trees. They knew
from its appearance that il was school,
though the building was constructed much
like a rude church, being made of un-
planed pine planks.
1t must be said here that there is a
saying in certain parts of the South which,
though unintelligibl. and seemingly nom
sensical, will always put school-boy on
his mettle TO uphold the honor of his
teacher and himself 1t is "School
butter" and when one shout out the two
mystic words in PASSING school he must
prepare to make himself scarce. Natur-
ally in the mountains, where the people
are rough, the punishment to the offender
when caught is not confined to dump
ing or "'paddling,' as in town, but he is
apt to be severely neutrality-suspicious.
even MANNED for life.
The boys knew something of this, but
thoughtlessly gave the shout of defiance.
The answer was not long in coming, and
n cold chill ran down the backs of the
boys as they saw the crowd which almost
at once began to pour from the building
To whip up the lazy mule was out of the
question and half dozen wild schemes
were presented TO their minds for escape.
But they were futile, for the half hun
dred men and boys who were coming for
the wagon on run meant business. The
leader was the teacher himself in an ex-
ceedingly simple garb, consisting of a
blue pair of jean trousers and white
shirt made of heavy sheeting. He was n
six-footer, every inch of it, and was
minus coat, hat and shoes. His pupils
ranged down from men of about thirty
five to boys of twelve, and as they came
like the charge of the Light Brigade they
gathered stones and sticks for the COM
ing fray.
When within 100 feet of the wagon it
suddenly stopped, and the two occupants
picked up their guns and faced the
crowd. The pursuers stopped and glared
sullenly ut the weapons.
"What do you want?" said one of the
boys in the wagon.
Ibid you uns holler school butter ut
us?" was the reply from the leader.
The conversation, which was long and
evidently cautious on both sides, need
not be detailed, as the boys made kind
of apology which the mountainous we're
forced to accept OH account of the guns.
they turned slowly back and soon filed
into school with many angry glances.
"That was close call" said one of
the boys, as he pulled the iron cleaning
rod from the muzzle of the rifle, where il
had been all the time.
Eyes" said the other, as he opened
his shotgun at the breech and looked
through the barrel. The cartridges were
soon rescued from bag in the back part
of the wagon beneath the baggage.
Had the mountaineers known the guns
were unloadcd they would doubtless have
beaten the owners into insensibility.-
New York World.