Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-31

7Gxrye
MOUNTAIN MILL
bee bailey To Cashiers Mrs Brown
said She could take in another hack II
We wbuld sleep two in one bed. MY
dear madam" | said, ''you can put my
drivet on the roof, il you like, but ! am
accus |omed to sleeping alone. p"
ThE two drivers whose wheel tracks
we hid been specializing on all the aft
ernooh were sitting by an empty fire
place and on my suggestion of fire
one III them started 10 find an ax.
went! ont To the back porch with my
handj in my pockets and in the oppo-
site door in the glow of the kitchen fire
uoodla small barefooted boy, bursting
with fat, with his hands also deep in
his plckets. At the same moment some
dark object came Topping round the
corneE in the chips. Hello, Jumbo"
,aid. "Who killed that chicken?"
"Maihmy. Ny name amt Jumbo.
ThI driver came back TO say that he
had done found the wood pile. but
coulJ II find nary AK. " So we groped
out u, ;her, and finding some logs al
ready C. we soon had roaring fire.
The Iirl rom college was helping Mrs.
BROWN i'll The kitchen, and supper was
soon smoking on the table, including
the Topping chicken crisply fried.
Tlf supper was good, but the table,
in thb expressive language Of the noun
tains Hit was the powerfulest curios-
ity tlet ever was. Ii was round,
double decker covered with oilcloth
rudely nailed on. The outer rim was
spacJ a foot wide. on which the plates,
knivls, forks and napkins were placed.
The !enter Uf the table was six inches
highIr, and on this the body Of the re-
past WAS spread. A big and little oil
lamI| family lighted the gloom. and
WHEEL one Of the drivers saw anything
he " kn,ed on the opposite side Of the
table, round came the center with a
creaH and groan. Sometimes my plate
was in total eclipse, and sometimes
Jumsos head was lost behind the big
yellCk bowl Of apple sauce. laid my
hunk Of hot corn bread Oh the movable
rim. land away il Went 10 the opposite
side Lf the table.
dismissed my conveyance in the
morning and arranged 10 90 the rest OF
the Eay with the hack bound for
Cashiers valley. The girl from Collow-
hee lollege shared with me the one seat
in tile wagon, and the driver sat on the
end board over the traces. The wooden
top Was so low that | was forced 10 hold
my Hat in my hand and so came to the
end NJ my journey i'll no great state be-
hind "A horse and n mule.
WI had retained most Of the altitude
gainld in the climb up the Cullowhee
mou Ltain so that the passage over the
Blue Ridge was little more than the as
cent hnd descent Of an ordinary country
hill. cashiers valley is swung like ham
mock between the tops Of the mountains,
S,G0b feet above the sea. Rock mountain
and Chimney Top present huge granite
faces to the valley. Whitesides, with its
vast kxpanse Of sheer rock on the hither
side, il mostly wooded on the Cashiers
face. Yellow mountain, the highest peak
of Il e Blue Ridge at this point, the huge
mas. Of Hogsback, the two Sheep cliffs
and big and Little Terrapin complete
the blue walls surrounding Cashiers val
ley. A c.oan. sandy road winds through
the settlement, along which our horse
and Imule wagon trotted quietly TO the
mus lc of cowbells and gurgling trout
streams, and in the sweet morning sun
shinb drew up before low house of
bewh logs and wooden additions, with
beds Of asters and all the old fashioned
odor Jess fall flowers bordering the walks.
The wood pile was opposite the gate, the
barn on neighboring slope and gardens
of dorn and cabbage swept round the
rear lof the house Host and hostess were
waiting in the porch and had remained
ND ne night before until the unprece-
dentbd hour of 10 o'clock, awaiting me.
I haI written from Indianapolis that
shot Id probably be one day behind my
letter and Mrs. Hooper had assured her
husband that | would come on time un-
less something broke down, as was the
mosI restless man she ever saw. We re-
newbd our acquaintance before the log
fire in the stone chimney and Twas soon
ready 10 start out in search of the other
luer3 3bers of the Hooper family.
This Mrs Hooper was the second OF
the tour daughters of Squire Hooper and
retained the family name, as did the eld-
er sister. through having married with
in the clan. The squire, whom the
comIty Judges were wont to consult on
knotty law points, died soon after the
closk OF the war, bat his widow, who
was|a invalid bolstered mp in her easy
chair quarter of a century before, was
still living, although confined to her
bed.l She seemed to live altogether in
the bast and to retain all the animosity
of the wartime against her Confederate
neie|bbors and was rather surprised at
my more amiable views Of the dead and
ponk past. She never tired of telling
me what store her husband thought
of u % and Lieutenant Sill, and yet up
to tb very day Of my leaving there was
som mbthing on her mind. When taking
final leave Of Aunt Lucy, the old wom-
an said to me in trembling voice chok-
ed with emotion, There's one thing l
war|t to ask yet won't hurt ye to tell
me- -be We a friend Of the south?'
hope So, / said, Aunt Lucy.
I" hf the war was to be fit over, would
ye fight on the same side?" she contin-
ned pursuing her point.
=" Certainly" said. "if took any
psrl, but think should leave fighting
to the boys next time"
After some further conversation she
copkluded with the statement that she
didn't know much about politics, but
ahe had always allowed that Il came
back to the valley ! would tell her what