The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-07-04
A SUMMER VACATION.

A SUMMER VACATION.
How Tom Won Mountain Lass
for His Wife.
We were trying to decide where we
would spend our summer vacation, Tom
Sanderson and l. Tom first suggested
Cum berland, and, after had offered sew
eral pertinent reasons why Cumberland
would not suit, he tentatively mem
toned Asheville, N. c., as good place
| told him about the crowds there, the
steep rates and host of other things,
and he gave up Asheville. After pro
posing every summer resort known to
the railroad agents and finding that not
one of them suited our ideas, Tom final
ly said he guessed the only solution Of
the question would be to go to the east
Tennessee resort where we had passed
the previous summer.
l positively refused to entertain the
suggestion. / pointed out to him how
mercilessly we were bored the year be-
fore There was sameness, a dull
ness, a stiffness, barrenness about the
place that was conducive to ennui.
Each day the same dull programme of
the day previous had to be gone through
with We were expected to say tender
things to the same uninteresting
females every day in the week, and to
contend with the ambitious mammas
Of these very conventional young ladies.
And we were required to be eternally
on dress parade and good behavior.
The place lacked the freedom and un-
eonventionality that belonged to my
ideal summer resort. / told Tom all
this, and added:
81 have an ideal Wen go to north
Georgia for six weeks. know an old
fellow way up in the mountains whom
| met in the United States court last
fall. He got pretty chummy with me
and asked me to come up and see him
some time and he would treat me like
a lord. That's the place for rest and
freedom. It has the charm of novelty
we both like novelty and originality,
and we can have all the fun we want
climbing up the mountains and fishing
In the mountain streams; and then,
Tom, you can make love to some buxom
mountain lass and come away just
when the climax Is ready to come in and
break her little heart. Amt that the
kind of summer fun you're after? Eh?''
l think the reference 10 flirting with
the pretty mountain girl won Tom.
That's his weak point-hirting. Any
way he was in ecstasies over my sugges-
ton, and said that he had always want
ed an opportunity to study the moon
sinners and the quantity romantic Sec
ton of the state which they inhabited.
Three weeks later a Richmond &
Danville northbound passenger train
put down two dusty young male trav-
elers at very remote and wooded little
mountain station, and snorted off a min
ute later, leaving them leaning against
their four trunks, gazing at their new
environments.
1t was Tom and l, and we were not
at all discouraged, although only one
store, two residences, blacksmith shop,
a ginhouse, half dozen grazing, lazy
looking COWS, a dozen roofing pigs and
a half score of human beings were Wis
ible. There was an abundance of land
scape, of the green variety, with the
most picturesque background of blue
mountain tops imaginable. Tom
couldn't repress an exclamation of de
light at the rugged beauty of the
scenery.
inquired for my friend, Mr.. Zacha-
riah Hester, and was told that he lived
two miles west OF the station. We
stayed that night with the storekeeper
and resumed our journey early the
next morning. Mr.. Hester received us
with unfeigned joy and ensconced us in
the very best room in his mountain
mansion of four rooms Mrs. Hester
we found to be the repository of many
wonderful stories, and she RECALLED us
by the hour with the recital Of her
"reminiscences.
Two eventful and rather discourag-
ing days passed, during which Toms
enthusiasm oozed away distressingly.
The first day we spent in decorating
our room, and the next in an eighteen
mile walk to Crows Foot mountain,
from which excursion we returned sore
and sad, but wiser men. Tom was
clearly disappointed.
''It's big fake-this mountain life,
he said, YEARLY; Just to fancy, we've
been here two whole days and haven't
seen girl yet You prescribed noun
tain and mountain maid for me. Can't
you fill your prescriptions"
But Tom had no idea of the'treat that
was in store for us. The first week OF
our stay rounded up with a mountain
dance at Haunt's Bend, to and from
which we were piloted by the cordial
but not prepossessing Mr.. Hank Hester
a lanlxy youth with more legs and arms
than he could manage consistent with
good grace and becoming dignity. The
dance, feel sure, ranks among the
pronounced social successes OF that sea-
SON. Warm as it was, they danced as
If dancing was religious duty Ihere
were eight or ten mountain bellies pres
emit all glorious in the splendors OF gay
frocks and bright ribbons, and three
times as many homely looking noun
tain youths. Mr.. Hester introduced us
to Miss Mary Jane Spivvens, robust
and muscular young woman, and then
left us to take his stand by the side OF
the fair Miss johnson. At first Miss
Spiyvens seemed to be suffering under
constraint, but under the influence OF
Toms easy manner and speech her
tongue limbered up, and she told us
many things of interest about the
mountain country. From her general
conversation we learned that some peo-
pie, not Miss Spivvens, however, be-
lieyed Miss Susie Ricketts, TO be the
belle 80 them parts" Her remarks
about Miss Susie aroused Toms inter
est and she led him across the room to
present him to the alleged belle.
Susie was a shy little creature, but
the one of all the others that would at
tract attention. She was simply and
befittingly clad In plain white frock,
that. although loosely made, revealed
the grace of her figure. Her gold
brown hair was caught at the back and
fastened by ribbon and then allowed
to fall in wavy mass upon her shout
ders. Her face was whittier than the
faces of the others, and two bright
crimson patches burned on either cheek.
Her words, her manner her general
appearance were those OF the noun
tain, but there was subtle charm
about her for all that
All this noticed from my post across
the room from her and ! noticed, too,
that Tom had grown quite animated
and was telling her story lust as he
would have done II she had been OF has
own circle. Tom danced with her, not
once. but many times. He missed two