The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-23

in pursuit of the flying girl, who was
Overtaken and shot in cold blood. These
narrowing details We're spread out with
great particularly in the newspapers,
and the verdict, made up by those VINO
furnished the details, was that Parma
lee was stark crazy.
The only fact given in the account
was that Parmalee had killed his
sweetheart and this could have been
made Gear in much less space than
column of reading matter occupies. FOR
Hatcher's Ford is fifty miles from the
settlement where the affair occurred.
That settlement Is known as Hatchs
Clearing, because, as Mrs. Pruett says,
nobody by the name of Hatch ever
lived there, or any clearing on that SIDE
of Tray mountain, and as for the otner
side--well, that was In another part
of the county altogether.
So much for the first mistake, ana
now for the second. Was Toog Par
malice crazy? There's no need for you
to take the word of an outsider on that
subject, but before you make up your
mind, go and ask Mrs. Pruett. 1t is
tresome journey, to be sure, but II IL
always worth the trouble to find out
the truth. You may go to ClarksVille
from Atlanta, but at Clarksville you IL
have to hire a buggy, and. although the
road is long one, it is very interesting.
1t would be well to take companion
with you, If your horse Is skittish, for
1t will be necessary to open great
many big gates as you go along. All
the farms are under fence in this par
ticular region, and the gates are ne
.cessity. AS you get nearer to Hatch's
Clearing you will see barriCades built
across the mouths of all the dark and
shadowy ravines. This also is neces-
sity. for in these ravines grows the
moss or fungus which, if eaten by the
milch cows. causes what Mrs. Pruett
calls "the milk sick'-not among the
cows, but among those who drink the
milk or eat the butter made from the
milk. Mrs. Pruett lost two children in
this way, and she would have lost her
old man, too, If Mrs. Bohannan hadn't
happened along in time to give him Il
steaming with blankets on which
scalding water had been poured. The
blankets We're so hot that Mr.. Pruetts
skin peeled off in places. He made
such protest as his feebleness would
permit him to make. but Mrs. Pruett
was firm In her purpose. He got WE'LL
and. though the scalded patches on his
neck give him piebald appearance to
this day, he has never had another at
tack of sickness of any kind.
But this Is neither here nor there
Though the road to Hatch's Clearing is
long and winding one, you can't miss
your way. You turn into it suddenly
and unexpectedly twelve miles from
Clarksville, and after that there Is no
need of making inquiries, for there
are no crossroads and no forks" to
embarrass you. There's only one trou-
BILE about 1t. You ascend the mountain
by such gentle grade that when you
reach the top you refuse to believe you
are on the summit at all. This lack of
belief is helped nightly by the fact that
the mountain Itself is such big affair.
1t slopes from each end to the middle,
so that the road on the very summit
seems to be winding through a valley.
III you area very close observer you will
see that the oaks and hickories have a
stunted appearance. They seem to be
scrubs; but even then you may be de-
ceived by the mountain oaks. You NAV
mistake them for chestnut trees. and
wonder why 1t Is that chestnuts flour
1sh here while the oaks are as scraggy
as black Jacks.
:, Presently you will hear cow bell
9ingiing somewhere in the distanse, and
ten to one you will meet a ten-year-old
Doy IN the road, his breeches hanging by
one suspender and an old wool hat flop-
ping on the back of his head. Naturally
you VIII ask him how far it Is to Hatch's
clearing. He will stare at you, scratch
his bare ankle with his bare toe, turn
slowly around on his heels as IL to he
sure Of his bearings, and then reply with
q drawl that cannot be reproduced:
:. why, reckon you're right spang in
1t now, mister"
You will be surprised and somewhat