Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-05-03
The Leper Of the CumDerlandS.
BIZ WILL ALLEN DRoMaoonE.

grandeur, towers the weird old sum
nit of the Milksick Mountain. Too
distinct to claim close kinship with the
Cumberlands, too remote to be named
among the brotherhood of the Great
Smokes, it stands alone; a monarch
without subjects, a banished king of a
proud old range trending off to the
eastward, even away from its accursed
compsnionship. 1t presents an ave.
some front, even In its afiliction refus-
ing baser fellowship than the clouds
which sometimes drop kindly veil
across its rugged brow. The very
fence surrounding it has a pitiful sig
nifcance, as if it said, "Set apartl"
''StrickenP
The verdure, true, is always green
Ehere, summer or winter, making a
tHntalizing temptation for the cattle
constantly grouped without the bars,
watching with longing eyes the hardy
luxuriance which crowns the MilksIck
Mountain But woe to the cattle VEN
turing beyond the prohibitory barsl
woe to the cattle, and woe to the bps
that drink of their milkl
1t had brought woe enough, indeed,
% the humble dwellers of the valley
round about, had this "mountain of
olson" as they called it; and one by
one. as the deadly milkslck had left its
mark npon them, the afflicted families
had moved farther on, and away from
the dangerous locality, until only
Grnpdad Corbin's little cabin remained
in the shadow of the "Stricken Mon
arch." This is the name scientists
have given it; for the Milksick Noun
tain has baffled science, 10, these
years.
10 the people in Bear Cove it is
inown as the "Leper of the Cumber-
lands;" and what to do with it, how to
protect themselves from its uncompre-
h.nded curse, was n question finally
settled by the erection of a great fence
entirely surrounding 1t, and made
doubly secure by placing n fine of one
hundred dollars upon the hand lifted
to lower the bars for any cause whatso-
ever.
The fence might be scaled at will, but
the bars were not TO be removed, lest
by a slip of mans memory the cattle
should find an opening into the deadly
pasture. True, the bars might have
been dispensed with altogether, only
that the mountaineer neCer dispenses
with them. and the fine was found to
be an ample protection.
Secure in this safeguard Grandad
Corbi and his wife, Granny, had dwelt
for more than fifty years under the
shadow of the mountain, guarding the
eastern pnss to Hickory Valley.
Poor grandad spent much wonder
upon the nature of the poison which
affected the bright, tender growth; but
to granny it was neither a matter OF
worry nor conjecture.
al air not guestionin' o the Lords
uoin's," she would declare. "He made
the milksick ez it air, so | reckin it air
al right, bein' ez 1 amt never heeard
tx He ware given ter maxim mistakes,
reckiu it air all right.
Al right! That is just what the
people of Hickory Valley. and more
especially that part of it belonging to
Bear Cove, would have expected
Granny Corbin to say.
Indeed, Ben Sykes. surly Ben Sykes,
declared: Granny air nightly noted
for that word. Everything air AL
right ter her. That AIR the chorus tel
her song, an she air tolerble steddy
ter sing it. All right 1t air alters al
right All troubles an ailments that
comes ter folks air 'all right, an just
what ought to be, eff body listens ter
Granny Corbin. But I'm a waitin' tel
see ef thIngs'll be SO mighty right.
when the trouble lays at her own door
Granny's had a precious little ter fire.
over, an its mighty easy ter say trou
bles an Affections air all right, wheI
they air sent ter other folks, Granny
got her name up fer that: I'm a wait
in ter see how she bears her own trou
bles."
So she he ,, as Ben said, "got he
lame up" Is comforter among he
humble neighbora Where trouble
went they had learned to look 70
Granny Corbln, and it was seldom
indeed, that they looked in vain.
She had such a gentle way of carly
ing hope TO afflicted hearts, such ma
tursl way of making trouble seem les
hard than it was, she was very WEI
come visitor among the suffering, wa
dear old Granny Corbin.
None knew this better than Bel
Sykes; for despite his brsggadocio an,
scepticism, Ben had very sad and ten
der recOllections of the day his onl
girl died, and all sunlight and warmtI
seemed to have left the world togethe
With the little form they we're layin
away under the dogwOod trees on tn
side of tho mountain beyond Los
Creek; and when they bad left he
there alone, under the blooming dog
wood, he had crept back, when tn
rest were gone, to weep by the httl
grave that held his heart. For Ben
life at home was not a sunny one; III
wife was quarrelsome, and hard
please; and now that the child We
goue, he dreaded what it might beth
place he called hOme-fOr himself an
MS son Ruben. Ruben, he knew
would not stand it very long, for b
YVES full grown at eighteen, and Onl
the week before had threatened
leave ''if the etarnal fuss went on
1t was the child that held the diyiG
ed house together-the little girl sleel
IaS under the dogwood trees. Th
little heart would grieve no more fC
She harsh words spoken; the little liz
would no more kiss away the furrov
OF care and frowns of impatience. BE
sighed for his future peace as he creI
back for a last moment on the lit
red mound that covered his child.
had seemed so bare and desolate, in
as her little life had been. If the gra
would only hurry and cover it, |
thought it would not be so bard
leave her there. He longed for, an
yet dreaded to see 1.-THE little barre
mound. ErIt when he saw it, his hea
give great bound, and the tea
started to his eyes, and ran down Ii
Iough checks.
"Granny Corbin," he said, at wal
certainly granny ez done it.
The little grave was literally covere
with the delicate dogwOod blossom
First the petals, creamy and pink an
pure white, telling how the trees hG
been violently shaken, until the graz
beneath them was well-nigh covore,
Then there were sprigs of the pret
blossoms, armfuls, grouped about Il
little mound until it was. seemingl
only a mound of bright blossoms.
1t vas very simple thing to do,
very little thing may be, but it helpt
him in his sorrow. He never thoug
of his child again as lying alone in Il