The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-10-30
THE HOUSE OF HARL.

THE HOUSE OF HARL.
Twas pretending to kill trout IN the
stream flowing through 'sthe greenest
of our valleys'-Pleasant valley, on
the eastern Sierra slope-but my line
was in the tree and I was dreaming
of the days agone, when old Dan
Quick, first Of the settlers-oldest in
habitant-caNed me from the bank;
rallied mo on my careless angling
and told me to follow him down the
brook toward Steamboat creek, where
the trout were biggerand more plen-
tiful. As we went we came out upon
the oldstage road, and before long
my guide was telling me the story of
the honor Of the house Of Harl.
As we stood beside the road and
the old settlerwas saying that it was
no longer much travelled, everybody
patronizing the railroad, fine car
riage drawn by four magnificent bay
horses came up over little ridge IN
the direction Of the town OF Reno
and swept past us.
In the carriage were two ladies and
some young girls, while on the seat
in front, handling the ribbons, "was
handsome man of middle age. with
beside him a manly looking lad, 10
or 1syears ofage. All in the vehicle
were laughing merrily asthey passed
along, and my thought was. IA very
jolly family party"
Theold man beside me was all eyes
as the four-in-hand dashed by. With
his right hand raised to the rim Of
his hat and with staring eyes he
stood mosionless, as one petrifed.
When the glittering turnout had roll
ed away southwark to Carson City
the old man dropped his hand and
cried: "Ah, there they roll IN wealth
and gladness! But once it was not so.
There was q time when all was very
different with them. Yes, very differ
ent, and right here in this valley
right along the course of the very road
over which they now ride so merrly.
Yes, sur, very different times they've
seen In these very valleys that lie
along here nderthe eavesof the od
Sierra range. They rode then as
well as now-not in a kerridge, but
OF bosses, and aiers they was too!
It was life and death business to
them then There was 90 laughin
thenl
'Yes, there was once seen right
along here in these valleys q mighty
lively chase-a life and death chase.
An them big peaks looked down on
that race, and all these lower ones
echoed m Lord, 7 remember it all
as # it was only yesterday that it
happened.
ayes, there is q bit Of 6 story in it.
It is almost what you might call q
tragedy, and here we are right on
the stage where it was acted out.
Then to think I have jist seen two Of
the principal actors go laughin by!
'sJack Lang, the man You saw
drivin that kerridge, was young
them days-a slashin, dashin feller
and as handsome as they make 'em.
And the youngest Of the two VIM
min you saw in the kerTidge was
then young gal. She was the
beauty Of the Great Basin-not a gal
between the Sieras and the Rockies
could come up to her. She was tall
and Ember as a young willer tree,
and her face was like the first blush
Of bright mornin. She could ride
like a Comancher 1njun and shoot 9
rife like one Of the old hunters Of
Kentucky. She was the pride Of her
father, the idol Of her mother, an
. only child and the life and light Of
the house Of Earl,' as old Sam liked
to speak of his people.
1.-THE ranch Of her father, old Sam
Earl, lies OFF yander IN Washoe val
ley, and the land is as fine as the sun
shines on anywhere on the face of
the globe. Over these plains and
along the slopes Of them mountains
the gal, Ella Harl, raced and chased
about On the widest young horses Of
her fathers band. Ormay be on foot,
rife in hand, she tripped it over the
bench lands after. jack rabbits and
sage hens. Sometimes she even struck
of up into the lower slopes Of the
sierras and tumbled over a deer.
Even a bar didn't skeer her-at least
a cinnamon-and she killed several
of 'em. Iguess she'd even made 1t
warm for = grizzly if she'd happened
onto one. She was a gal5ef the fron-
tiers and warnt skeerd for nothin
that Travelled mountain or plain.
Jack Lang came over to this SIDE
of the mountains with big herd Of
cattle from his fathers ranch IN So:
noma county, Cal. He and his COVE
boys herded these cattle on the
Truckee medders, no ranches bein
took up in that section then, and all
bein free and out o doors like. Jack
soon met Ella Harl seoutin about,
and after he'd once seen her he spent
most Of his time at her fathers ranch
or ridin over the country with her,
leavin the hired men to look after
his fathers cattle.
'It seemed q case Of love at first
sight, and We all thought the pair
made for each other. 1guess old Sam
Earl was Of bout the same opinion,
rhe alters seemed tolike to see Jack
and Ella ridin about together, racin OF
chasin rabbits or kyoties-games that
Ella most alters come out rust best
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