The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-07-21
A SUMMER VACATION.
How Tom Won a Mountain Lass
for His Wife.

would spend our summer vacaC1On, IOm
Sanderson and I. Tom first suggested
Cumberland, and, after I had offered sew
eral pertinent reasons why Cumberland
would not suit, he tentatively men
toned Asheville, N. c., as a 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.
1 positively refused to entertain the
suggestion. / pointed out to him how
mercilessly we were bored the year be-
fore. There was a sameness. q dull
ness, stiffness, a 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 We're 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-
conventionality that belonged to my
ideal summer resort. / told Tom all
this, and added:
81 have an idea! Well 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, 1t 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?"
| think the reference 70 flirting with
the pretty mountain girl won Tom.
That's his weak point-hirting. Any
ton, and said that he had always wa9t=
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 a very remote and wooded little
mountain station, and snorted off min
ute later, leaving them leaning against
their four trunks, gazing at their pew
environments
1t was Tom and !, and we were not
at all discouraged, although only one
store, two residences, a blacksmith shop,
a ginhouse, half dozen grazing, lazy=
looking cows, dozen roofing pigs and
half score of human beings were vis-
iblc. 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 ut 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 regaled us
BY the hour with the recital of her
"Reminiscences.
Two eyentful and rather discourage
ing days passed, during which Toms
enthusiasm oozed away distressinglF.
The first day we spent in decorating
our room, and the next In an eighteeR.
mile walk tq Crows Foot meunt.'-
from which exeursio" - ----I'
land ~-S we returned sore
! : s..u, but wiser men. Tom was
clearly disappointed.
ITS big fake-this mountain life, {"
he said, wearily; ''just to fancy, we've
been here two whole days and haven't
seen girl yet You prescribed noun
tam 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 prcpossessing Mr.. Hank Hester,
lanlky youth with more legs and arms
than he could manage consistent with
good grace and becoming dignity. The