The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-02-01

rad, and which took the form OF wan
dering about, picking weed and wild
flowers Big Ugly lived just below
them In a rickety cabin with his two
daughters, girls Of II and Is. the latter
rs handsome creature az | ever So Y
in my life. Tall and as active a. Il
panther. she was grandly formed, and
her big, black eyes were full of fire and
spirit.
Her sister was great contrast to
her, being a little, fair-hhired, quiet.
spoken girl, with a delic4te face, re-
fined and gentle With these two girls
| often found it convenient to stop aud
speak as | came down the mountain,
and the elder, Lie, as she was called,
soon began to take an interest in my
specimens aud to &sk ma questions
about them. Luckily, as | was some
what of Il botanist, l could answer in.
telligently, and over these wild flowers
and herbs NO became friends. Every
now aud then / would venture to
make some inquiry concerning her
father, but. though Lie never betrayed
that she found these inquiries suspl-
cious, she contrived tC give me little
or no information. So, abandoning
this hope, though still was sufficient
ly fascinated by the girls beauty to
often linger about the place, resolved
to lay trap for Big Ugly
Chow to go to work was what was
pnzzling me when | met with q young
fellow named Jube Cornwall THIS
fellow had long, solemn face and Sc
rious eyes, and | soon found that l
had sized him up correctly, for he in
dulged in hymns of the gloomiest na
ture and edited me by preaching long
sermons on the sins of the mourning,
as he called it. | had hired him as my
assistant in gathering the herbs after
the first few days of our acquaintance
and leraned that his pet hobby was
against the moonshiners of the dis
trict He would hold forth by the hour
against these, alleging that the whisky
was to blame for all the killing and
mischief in the section, and expressed
desire to wipe the stain off even by
blood.
III thought l was safe to entrust him
with the task of tracking big Ugly,
and did so. One day he came to me
in great excitement.
II have found 1.-THE Clayton he'll
brewing pot" he said.
clayton was Big Ugly's' surname
"If you'll come with me tonight iii
show it to you"
II agreed, and entrusted Jube with
a note to the sheriff down at Hen
Roost, instructing him to wait for mt
at designated spot with a posse o
men whom l would lead to the still.
expected res istance from Big Ugly
and the men who helped him in the
work, but l meant to have that still i
possible. In order, though, not to ere
ate any suspicious of what l had in my
mind, | fingered late that Afternoon
talking to Lie Clayton as she mi ket
her fathers lean COW. Little jamie
the other girl, lowered near with ,
look in her blue eyes that | remem
bered long after, so wlstful and tende
was it.
81 had little time for her when he
handsome sister was by, and leaning
on the bars watching Lizzie's strong
shapely hands as they worked, / va
half in love with the girl, or woul'
have been had | not have been trai
| ing her father down like a wild beasr
She was something of a coquette, toe
and answered my compliments with
readiness of repartee which had somt
thing of wit in it. She was more thai
usually gracious this evening, and lie
me see what my vanity suggested a
once was q good deal of weakness
for me, and when at last tore mysel
away from her | reflected with ser
sation of alarm that a little more an
| l would have actually told the noun
tain queen that l loved her. / waite
for Jube until nearly midnight, wher
growing impatient for him to com
and inform me that the still was i
operation, / left my room and wake
, down the path leading toward 'Bi
Ugly's' cabin.
"Tnat act saved my life and thos
OF others, though how many I cannC
tell. There had fallen light shove
an hour before, and my feet made n
} noiss as | strolled therefore, / Wa
: nearly on a couple who stood besld
, the path before | knew it. I heard
, woman's voice say softly
"You-uns are sho', Jube, he don
} scent nuthin'?' and mans answer, s
softly:
d "Naw, he-uns is plum fooled, Liz
i dun preached to he-uns bout viii
/ ky an its cuss on mankind twell
' mos he'd to laf in the critters fac
Nav, heuns dun count on t., \ in y
pap tonight fur sho', an we-unsll &,
a him and the sheriff and his posse toe