Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-11-05
FINDING FINGALL.

hghtfully; tho swift, blue wator
showed underneath it, and the top of
White Faced mountain peaked the
mist by hand length. Tho river
brushcd the banks like ruStling silk,
and the only othor sound, very sharp
and clear in the liquid monotone,
was tho crack of u woodpecker' beak
ON hickory tree.
1t was Swoot, fresh, autumn
morning in Lonesome valley. Before
night tho deer would hollow reply
to the hunters ritloS and tho noun
tain goat call to it's unknown gods,
but now there were only tho wild
duck skimming tho river and then
rising and fading into the mist, tho
high hilltop, tho sun and again that
strange cry:
"Fingall! Fingall! Oh, Fingall!"
Two mon lounging ut n fire on n
lodge of the hills raised their eyes to
tho mountain sldo beyond and above
them, and one of Thorn said present
ly:
Tho second timo. It's woman s
voice, Pierre.
Piorro nodded and abstractodly
stirrod tho Goals about with II twig.
We'll, it is pity-the poor Gym
THO" he said Mt last.
1t Is woman, then? You know
her, Piorro-hcr story"
"Fingall! Fingall! Oh, Fingall! ="
PiCrro raised his head toward the
sound; thCn, after momont, said:
Il know Fingall."
And the woman? Toll mo"
And the girl. Fingall was suoh
as Shon M"Gaun. all fire and heart
and dovil may care. Shc-sho was
not beautiful except in the oye, but
that was like fiamo of red and
blue. Her hair, too-then-would
trip her if it hang down. That was
all, except that she loved him too
much. But wOmon-et puts, when
a woman gets n man between her
and the heaven above and the earth
beneath, and there comes the great
hunger, what is tho good? a man
cannot understand, hut he oan see,
and he can fear. What is the good?
To play with li!c-that is not much
but to play With u soul is more than
n thousand lives. Look at Cynthie. +"
He paused, and LawleSs waited
patiently. He know Pierre we'll.
Present. Pierre went on.
"Fingall was gentle. Ho would
take off his hat to n squaw. 1t made
no difference what othors did; he
didn't think; it was like breathing
to him. How can you tell tho way
things happen? Cynthie's father
kept the tavern Mt st. Gabriel S Fork
over against tho great sawmill. Fin
gall was foreman of the gang in the
lumber yard. Cynthie had n brother,
Fem. Fem was as bad as they
make, but sho loved him, and Fin
gall know ii well, while he hated the
young skunk. Tho girls eyes were
like two little fircilies whom Fingall
was about, and when no thought of
her no said to mo once, They are
the kind God made for the whole
year round. He was gentleman,
though he had only half name
Fingall--like that! I think he did
not expect to stay-he seemed to be
waiting for something, for always
when the mail camo in he would be
there, and aftcrward you wouldn' t
see him for time. So it seemed to
mo that no made up his mind to
think nothing of Cynthie and to say
nothing"
"Fingall! Fingall! Oh, Fingall! ="
Tho strange, sweet, singing voice
sounded nearer.
She is coming this way, Pierre, I"
said Lawless.
II hope not to see her. What is
the good?"
We'll, let us have the rest of tho
story"
Her brother Fonn was in Fin
gals gang. Ono day there was trou-
bic. Fem called Fingall liar. The
gang stopped piling. They expected
tho usual thing. 1t did not come.
Fingall told him to leave the yard
and they would settle some other
time. That night there was a wick
ed thing. We were sitting in the
barroom when we heard two shots
and then fall. Wora into the 9th
or room. There was Fern on the
floor, dying. He lifted himself on
his elbow, pointed at Fingall and
fell back. Tho father of the boy stood
white and still few feet away.
There was no pistol showing-none
at all. Tho mon closed in on Fingall
now. He did not stir--hc seemed to
be thinking of something else. He
had u puzzled, sorrOAvful look. The
men roared round him, but he way
ed Thorn back for moment and
looked first at the father, then at the
son. ] could not understand at first.
Some one pulled pistol out of Fin
gals pocket and showed it. At that
moment Cynthie came in. She gave
a cry. BY the holy, / do not want
to hear a cry like that often. She
fell on her knees beside the boy and
caught his head to her breast. Then,
with wild look, sho asked who did
It, They had just taken Fingall out
into tho barroom. They did not tell
her his name, for they knew that
she loved him.
Father, she said all at once,
have you killed the man that killed
Fenn?'
'The old man shook his head.
There was q sick color in his face