The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1896-03-27
or you, and will sbe delighted to see

for You. and will 'be delighted to see
you"
After dinner, light top buggy crust
ed with the mud of hundred journeys
drove ND to the door, AS we were not to
reach our destination that day took
the Clergyman advice as to hating
place for the night.
AS we drove into Webster, the court
town of Jackson county, three miles
from the station, mass OF white thun-
der caps rolled over the mountains and
the big drops were beginning to patter
down. I found shelter in the village
store and the driver sought cover for his
trap Webster is a sorry county town,
where the razor backed hogs root wal
lowing places about the door of the store
undisturbed by the village loungers,
who chew tobacco, locked back i'll spllnt
bottomed chairs on the porch. l felt very
jolly, however, when I recalled GER
tain faraway morning when l tramped
out of the town shivering, with the mud
and snow oozing through my broken
shoes at every step. The old brick Jail
stood in the next yard, and despite the
rain I Jumped over the gate and ran
into the hall and inspected the corner
room where we three ragged boy lieu
tenants had once passed night.
For six miles farther our road wound
along the picturesque bank of the Tuck
asegee river, the same road along which
we had come to Webster under guard.
70 tho or,nnSifn branch nv a
pole bridge, we passed into the Cullow-
bee valley, with its frequent cabins and
cornfelds and orchards, dotting the fer
tile bottom lands along the winding
creek Here was abundance for consump
ton, but evidently no market for the
surplus. We passed little groups Of hay
stacks which had been rotting for years
in the meadows, some of the stacks al
most hidden under the vines which were
rapidly growing over them.
At the farther end of the valley we
commenced the ascent of Cullowhee
mountain. Glad to walk for awhile, I
tramped up the winding road for cou-
pie of miles in advance of the carriage.
Believing we were now nearly on the
crest, I exchanged with the driver and
took the reins. Soon the good road
changed to shelving rock and quag-
mire, and for two miles more we toiled
up, giving frequent rests to the jaded
horses. We were two hours in making
the ascent, and to describe the granite
rocks we drove over and the springy
places we toiled through to readers who
bowl over park roads and level country
lanes would be as hopeless as to make
finite creatures understand the infinite.
We began to trundle down grade at last
and to meet barefooted children of the
mountain tops with bags of nuts, whose
sodden faces indicated that they lived
far up above the schools A few miles
farther in the gathering twilight we
came 20 the mountain farm where we
had been advised to stop. Two log cab
ms with twin stone chimneys nearly
covering the ends of each house were
joined by a middle roof. Fruit trees
grew in front, and in a broad garden at
the side was mass Of great blue cab
bages that fairly hid the ground. Log
barns and cribs stood over the way, and
such an air of thrift and comfort pre-
vailed on every hand that blessed the
Rev. Mr.. Deal for his guiding sugges-
TONS No one being in sight, climbed
over the bars to find only the house dog
at home. The doors were open, disclos-
ing wide fireplaces and ample beds in
every room covered with curious con-
oeits in patchwork.
Returning to the carriage I found a
tall mountain woman talking with the
driver. The men folks were gone, she
said, and she had no corn to feed the
horse MADAM, said I, "some bread
and milk-anything will do for us.
Please see if you can't find something
for the horse" She turned back and
followed to the barn to find her on the
scaffolding examining little bundles of
oat straw. ''Nary thing for the hoss,"
she said, "but some rye" She was
powerful sorry, but they were "plum out
Of hess feed. " The driver declined to feed
rye and we drove regretfully toward
Hamburg, two miles farther on. 1t was
getting dark when we arrived at
Browns, " and looked with disgust
upon the small frame house painted
white, and compared it with the pictur
esque home of plenty in everything ex-
cept "hoss feed.
Two "hacks" had arrived before u.s.
one of which carried girl who was re-
turning from college" in the Cullow-
- sxA