Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-17
LITTLE CLIFF JEWELLERS.


: In the doorway of rude cabin on a
where it crowns Alabama with a coronet
of noble mountains, stood a young girl
at the close of gloomy November day.
Her brow was contracted with the ex-
preston of one who is attempting to dis
cover an object far beyond her range of
vision. A little boy sat beside her on the
doorstep and peered wistfully into her
face as she gazed into the broad valley
that lay beneath them, dark, impenetra-
Able and mysterious. in the grim autumn
twilight.
Through the tattered wreaths of mist
twisting and curling into fantastic shapes
like smoke from the cavern of an en-
ragged geni there had suddenly cleaned
a strange and unfamiliar light.
At first 1t shone family with the shift
ing glmmer of lantern held in an I'M
steady hand; but at length after moving
backward and forward many times. It
darted swiftly from the heart of the val
ley till at last ii hung, lurid ball OF fire,
on the edge of a neighboring ridge.
1t was as il some terrible monster had
burned the searchlight of its great, Hvid
eye on these-two lonely mountain chill
dren, who were as far out of touch with
the race of human beings to which they
belonged as though they were adrifts "a
the solitude of an unknown sea. There
are no words to express the loneliness of
little children who dwell In the isolated
places of high mountains. = n
Hit might be the foxf1re. Pinkev Ann"
said the little boy In q piping, pia1ntive
voice, as he watched his sister lace anx-
lously for confirmation Of his theory
true to the instinct Of q mountain lad,
who attributes every uncanAy light after
nightfall to phosphorus. y.
"Mightn't hit be the foxfre, PinkeyT =
'Hit might, and hit might not, Ike}f.
said the girl, briefly, not wlntng TO admit
to the child her fear that II was some
thing supernatural
But" added she, IT dunno ef ever
seed the foxfire cline Their mountain
'sHit air er creepin' higher an higher,
Pinkey," whined Ike, drawing closer and
closer into the protecting folds of his sis
fer's skirts.
II low hit air err sign er suthin' er
huther" said Pinkey Ann, looking fur
lively back into the low room OF the cab
In. where an old woman, her grandmoth-
er, was bending over the fire, preparing
the evening meal
There were not many things In the
heavens or on the earth that did not
have sibyllfne significance for old
Priscilla Weems. The truth ts, destiny
had cast her where mature showed toe
nustere a countenance amory objects
might have been calm In the lowly walks
of the valley. but which was hopelessiy
disturbed In the presence of the sphynx-
like, rugged, gray rocks; and where even
the withered branch OF a tree blasted BY
lightning was to her a skeleton arm up
lifted with an anathen1a.
SO Pfnkey Ann, whose heart had been
20 often oppressed by her grandmother
Hire predictions. of death and disaster,
and particularly Of the coming Of the
last day, dreaded to hear the inevitable
words that would pronounce their i'm
bending doom.
She feIt that no sign or wonder had
aver euualed this one, and as she glanced
back In the room 1t was with the hope
that her grandmother might not notice
the strange light In the valley. which
svery moment was growing more appali-
Ing. as ~ moved in q mysterious way
nround TIE mountain. p
But Old Mrs. Ween14 attracted by the
Fearful Hotes in Ike's voice, left her work
and cane to the door to peer out into the
harkneaiS~ Pushing tack 1er sunbonnet
which she still wore. like all mountain
women. as refuge. even from the scrli-
tiny Of the eye Of day, 0Ae watched the
einisfer U9ht ascending the distant range