The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-01
ROMANCE or A MILL.
8 sTcaE ERoM TT. OLD NORTH CAR
cL:"s toJMTA:NS.

C. t.1o l!S-' c. tao Revolution and How
&C YVES Ato-ed Tor-Tho Self Comma,t,
&C e Easl,c--ilow Jacr Cotton Died.
In picturesque corner among tho
carolina hills thoro Is an old mill, con.
corning which strange traditions arc told.
Enc lower story is built of unknown rock.
whtlo tho upper story consists of two sub.
stantial rooms. Ono of tho rooms is much
larger than tho other, tho smaller ono bo-
ing Nero closet in comparison with tho
'front.' apartment. The mill looks us though
1t had been built to resist siege, and it
surely has witnessed many strange and
horrible scenes, eyon If but the, half Tint.
is told is true.
About the beginning of the Revolution
several Tory families Inhabited the .coun-
Try. a young man of one of these fami.
lies loved tho daughter of q Jealous Whip
and tho day had been appointed for the
marriage. When 1t was first whispered
among tho ncighbors that tho youth had
SIDED with tho Tories, tho girl was almost
orokenhoarted, but declared that she would
not believe the fact till she had heard n
from his own lips.
sooner than she expected she had tho
chance. One evening, MS sho was MILKING
tho COWS, her lover jumped the fenoe and
stood before hor. She told him instantly
what she had heard, expecting vehement
denial.
Yes" he said. cit is all true, and be-
fore another year your father will wish bo
was as am"
He would SEQ his grave first, the girl
Indignantly replied.
lie may not have far to go to find it."
tho young man avowod, with a peculiar
information in his voice.
Ho persisted in'following the girl against
hor will, to the house. Tho girls father
was there, and he forbade his neighbor ell
trance, saying IN enemy to his country
was not welcome in his house. The girl
ardently sanctioned, by word and manner,
tho action of hor father. Tradition does
not tell oil that followed However, tho
young man, whose namo was Jack Cotton.
lett IN towering rage, swearing thnt
whon next he returned he would enter If
he pleased, went away and was seen no
more until year afterward. Pretty Nancy
Langon continued to milk her COWS.
Ihero was SO much tumult and con-
fusion In tho country that people became
Injured to danger md were not afraid. And
Nancy, largo, buxom maiden of 18. was
proud of her own courage. Her mother
was an invalid and timid, and she closed
the shutters II the wind was heard among
the pines.
1T all sounded like the groans of dying
mon, sho would say. Her husband and
iour sons wero with General Greene, and
even tho slightest suggestion of their death
was terrible to her. Hor younger dauoh-
ter, Eva, was of her Temperament. She
shivered, too, whom thewind blew too hard
or when nciRhboring woman brought in
the tldlngs of tho disastrous result of some
farof baltic. Little Eva would crouch
closer to her mother, and thoy two, with
hands clnspcd. would pray for their faroff
loved ones, and That tho merciful Father
would not forget them in their HELPLESS
condition.
But on such occasions Nancy would
throw open the windows and wish that She
wero man that sho might DO with her
father and brothers to fight for tho conn
try sho loved so we'll
One day their father returned ouite nm.
expcotodly. Tho news had lust preceded
his arrival that Jack Cotton and dozen
other Tories wero in tho noighborhood.
Inc women wore torn by conflicting ONO
tlons-]oy upon the return of tho father
Gnd husband, mingled with fear for bis
safety.
Zero was neighbours daughter spend
ing tho night with Nancy and Eva, nnt,
early the next morning tho two girls start
cd to accompany their friend part of the
way homo, which was not far distant. Tho
direction lay toward tho old mill Under
tho shadow Of tho building lay the bridge,
and as tho two girls stood bidding their
friends goodby Jack Cotton, with half
dozen comrades, ran down the stone steps
and seized them.
Tho throc girls were borne screaming,
to tho rooms above
Their littlo brother, n lad of o or 10,
yVb,l had f,nt1o1 nft &c, 4.
fingered behind, throwing stones and cat
ing tho waysidc berries, saw the terrible
score.
Ho was Mt tho top of tho hill and was
not seen or could not DO caught, or per-
haps Jack and his followers did not care.
Tho child ran back and told the terrible
tale. The old father started after his
daughters. From tho window of the mill
ho was soon but not until hc had taken
his stand under u straight tree, whose
branches were MI far above his head.
He was now plainly visible and was
clear target. He appeared unarmcd But
yhc might have stood there. He was safe. !,
1t was not his blood tho ncighbors wanted,
knowing as he did, that life and con.
seriousness were such agony to tho stricken
father rs thousand bullets could lever
produce.
Ho heard his daughters screams. Ono
was allowed to appear for n nomont ut the
window that he might sec her, and still
he stood. appearing not to have tho power
to move.
Jcering faces appeared ut tho window,
and taunts were hurled at him. Then
suddenly jack Cotton flung wide open tho
door and appeared, standing on tho thresh-
old. With II laugh and curse no cried
out to tho old man to come and join them.
Quick as u flash the OLD flint and steel
was caught up from against tho dark
trunk of the tree, whore it had, unpcr-
ceiyed been placpd In mn instant there