The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-03-09

DARING ana Oareneaueu nuHGer,
when, with but his gun and dogs,
he rested against its trunk after
some desperate hand-to-hand en-
counter with a bear, sought rest
under its shade from the heat of the
day or shelter from some heavy fall
of rain or snow. Perhaps, many
times when the chase was over and
the day done, under it's branches
he had examined his rifle, tried the
temper of his knife before building
his fire with which to frighten away
the beasts that waylaid his path,
he laid down on the ground, with
no other blanket, to sleep perhaps
to dream of his Young rustic wife,
who, with her babes, were resting
sweetly in his rude and doorless log
cabin far away IN the wilderness of
the forest. What more probable?
He had often spent one or two weeks
in this mountain without return
ing to his home, and what more
probable than when in the deep,
still hours of the night, beside the
fitful glare of his fire, sleeping or
awake, his thoughts should volun-
tarily steal to that little home, whose
inmates, though the rough winds
of winter may have PLAYED among
their tresses and the summer sun
burned its freckles upon their
cheeks were sweeter to him than
the odor of wild flowers.
Further on down this mountain,
in various little dimples and shall
low ravines, around which the road
would gracefully curve: could be
seen the little cabin homes of the
mountaineers. Probably their en-
closures embraced from two to ten
acres. The trees, save a few imme-
diately around the cabins, had been
deadened, in order to admit the
suns rays, and the ground cult
waited in grass or corn. There was
little inducement, however, for these
mountaineers, even if their circum-
stances admitted, to plant more
than a small patch of corn because
of the depredations of the coons
and squirrels. Their wants were
but few and small. What the for
est streams and their few acres did
not afford was secured by the wages
of the male portion who very gen.
orally worked out as farm hands, or
at the saw-mills, or in numbering
in the woods. There life was sim
ply one of toll and contentment.
They required no stimulant to
arouse an appetite, save that which
diligent labor gave, while the sleep
that came to their eyes ere the twl-
light faded away was not purchased
with drugs or opiates, nor was it
peopled by the spectres of con-
science.
On reaching the base of the
mountain, Mr.. Harne, for such was
the name of the gentleman who was
driving, as he was also the proprie-
tor of livery stable at Oakland,
facts | had learned since we started,
turned on road leading in an al
most southerly direction from the
course we had been coming. A
short distance after the turn and
while passing through piece of
land from which the timber had
been cut and taken to some neigh
boring saw-mill, | noticed little
way ahead of the horses an old man
engaged in picking up stone from a
road which came out of the cleared
land | have mentioned and crossed
the one on VIII ch we were travelling.
Mr.. III. informed me that he was
son of the old hunter, and was some
so years of age; that he was large
land proprietor, and, pointing to a
large farmhouse with many out
buildings some 800 yards distant
said that was his home.
This information at once awak-
ened desire to make his acquaint-
ance, and when Immediately in
front of where he was engaged / re-
quested Mr.. II. to halt.
Jumping out of the conveyance l
walked up to him and said: 81
have just been informed that your
name is Browning and that you are
son of Meshach Browning, the old
hunter"
Yes" he replied, "and who
may you be-"
l extended HIM my hand, which
he most cordially grasped, and gave
HIM my name and stated where |
was going. further added that
when a young man, and while read
ing law in Cumberland, now many
years since, made the acquaint-
ance of his father-went with him
to photographers in order to have
his photograph taken, from which
cut was to be made to be used as
the frontispiece in his book, the
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