The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-10-17


semblance to man? That is the hermit
and it is this solitary pillar that CAV,
name to the mountain"
The English tourist suddenly showed
indications of interest. He edged lttle
nearer, and remarked:
beg pardon, did hear you say some
thing about hermit"
The commercial traveller gave his com
rade dig in the ribs. why, yes" b.
said to the tourist; didn't you ever heal
the remarkable facts about the hermit
here"
mo" said the tourist.
DRUMMER's STORY.
"Well, I'll tell you the story" said the
drummer. "It's a remarkable one, and
every traveller ought to know it. YoL
see, about the time of the gold excite
ment in the Frazer river country way
back in 1856 q man came here to MAXI
his fortune One of the miners had
brought into this wild region his littl.
family, and among them was his daugh-
ter, very pretty girl, with whom this
other fellow fell madly in love. He had
hated rival, of course, and in few,
months this rival carried off the prize
and life became hollow mockery to the
disappointed lover. He became not only
woman hater, but hater of his kind.
and he made up his mind he would spend
the rest of his life as hermit.
$50 he came to this mountain, and
he clambered up that brush that you set
alongside, and he built him a hut Of
stones and branches, and there he began
his new life. He had gun and lived on
what he could shoot, little flour he got
from the settlement and the berries and
roots he gathered. He lived that way a
good many years, bringing down from
the mountain an occasional fur or bear
skin, which he sold for provisions. Fol-
years now he has been old and unable tt
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 t.
tell me-" he said. GLOW on earth doe.
he live now?"
"Well, once week the people wht
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 man with the supplies
leaves the basket at the door, and tn.
next fellow who comes up with provis
ions leaves another basket and takes
back the empty one.
THE TOURIST BELIEVED IT.
'The hermit never speaks to anybody.
Early in the winter, before there is dan.
ger of big fall of snow, 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 a
sick day. He is old, but he's well. 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 himF"
The Englishman looked, but could see
nothing. He borrowed 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 be
didn't look bigger'n a speck, any way"
Remarkable" said the Englishman,
as he lapsed into a seat. He rolled it all /
over in his mind for couple of hours. |.
the story of the Englishman's
interest in the hermit had been told TO a 1
number of choice spirits, and there had /
been much hilarity. One of the men /
who shared the fun was standing near
the Toronto drummer, when the English
tourist sided ur to him again.
"Now, look a-here, he said, "honest, is |
that really all true about the hermit"
Certainly. it's true" said the COM
mercial traveller. Most all tourists
know it. and any one who lives in this
country can 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
viii probably prepare an account of the
wonderful hermit for the British press.
New York Sun.