Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-10-10
A WILD BERRY.

When the man whom we had elect
cd sheriff came in and officially in
formed us that we need not get out
another number of our newspaper,
we sadly shook hands with ono an
other, grabbed at our individual be-
longings and babe farewell to the
dingy old room wherein many q
bright and oXtravagant hope had
been hung to gather dust amid the
cobwobs. And soon wo were scat.
tered over advorsity's landscape, no
two of US having the courage to pur-
sue the same direction. I cared not
whittier | went; it was my aim to
be aimleSS. And so strolled. One
afternoon, in the western part of
Tennessee, / came upon log bridge
that appeared to have been careless
~ tumblCd across a small stream.
The road was grass grown; the
bridge was covered with morning
glory vines. Tho scene was too TO-
mantle to be pastoral There WAS
not house, not field, not q mead
ow within sight. But down the
stream where the wire grass was
thick and where the water oaks cast
a broad shade was gypsy camp.
Hunger, the keenest of suggestors,
advised me to visit the camp. 1 did
so, and as / drew near l saw several
men and women standing about a
large box, which served as table,
and bending over in a position Of
agonizing anxiety was a man striv-
ing to write on piece of paper bag.
They did not see me until I was
close to them-they had paid no at
tention to the whimsical yelping of
a dog. But when they saw me there
was scattering about, and the wri-
ter grabbed his paper and stood look
ing at mo almost fiercely.
How far is it to Boliyar?" I
asked, to apologize for my intrusion.
II don't know" the writer an
swered
How far is it to the Hatchie riv.
err"
Don't know"
How far is it to the railroadP"
He shook his head.
"How far is it to any placer"
He looked at me sharply, and an
swered, Its only short distance
to any place away from here"
But was not to be bluffed. I had
been hardened. What are you try.
ing to do?" asked.
"Trying to write a letter to friends
in England
And can't you write it?"
I'm afraid that it's little more
THAN I can do. The only one Of us
that could write died not long ago."
Let me write for you?"
Again he looked at me sharply,
not resentfully, however. but with
an anxious questioning. Can you
writer" he asked.
Yes, for unfortunately I have
tried to make writing my business. "
Then you will charge US too
much for writing letter.
Il will not charge you anything.
1t will be a pleasure.
took from my pocket large
notebook and pencil. They made
way for mo, and l sat down at the
box. asked not another question,
but began to describe the scene of
their camp. As wildly as could I
pictured the lazy stream, the vine
covered bridge, the rugged bluff not
far away. | read this to them and
then asked what they wanted to say
to their friends. The writing was
unquestionably rude, but they saw
the picture, and gleefully they
olapped their hands. How generous
an audience! How charming a liter
airy circlc--hungry imagination,
throbbing fancy!
Read 1t again, they cried, and
when ! had done so they told me
what to say to their friends. When
the letter was completed, they
mounted a boy on their fleetest
horse and sent him to the postoffice.
suggested that it might be we'll for
me to go with him, that it would set
me quite n distance on my way, but
hereupon spoke up the man who
had striven to write. mo, you STAY
with US till tomorrow. We will want
you to write another letter then
exactly like the other one.'
The man with whom had trans.
acted my literary business was
Ham fish, the ruler of the tribe.
he was powerful old fellow, and
1t occurred to me that he might be
q pretty tough customer in rough
and tumble fight
Sitting just across the fire from
me was girl. Out of the darkness,
she had come like an illuminate
shadow. Her black hair was tangled
and her face, warm and rich, wa
like wild berry. She laughed, ant
sat there with an ear of corn grow
Ing cold in my hand. She wa
stronger than conference.-the hat
taken my appetite. She looked a
me shyly, and wondered if she hat
beard the reading of the letter. Han
fish spoke to her. called her Lees
and she called him father.
1 don't think that slept very
much that night. lay on blanke
under bush, looking at the stars
her eyes. Once during the night
thought that l heard her laugh, but
1t must have been the ripping o.
the creek.
Early at morning / saw her %
down to the stream to battle he,