Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-02-04
MISCELLANEOUS.
A CHANCE GUEST.
A NIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN.

The wind moaned drearily outside.
but the two men who, on this par.
ticular November night, were occu-
pying the back room of Herrick,s g
grocery store at Camp Jasper, drew
their chairs close to the chimney
where huge log was blazing. One
OF the men was Mat Hcrrick, the
proprietor Of the store, and the
other was one of his frequent GUS
toners, surly, close mouthed, red
raced man who was known i'm the
mining district as Nose" Ryder,
from the unusual size of his nose,
little else being known of him.
Ryder had been about year i'm
the camp at Pine Mountain, but
aside from his daily visits to the gro
Gerry, where he was steady patron
iZer of the mar, he was never seen
out Of the littly shanty he had put
up for himself on the side of Pine
Mountain. 1t was rumored that he
had been "down in his luck" and
his career since reaching Camp JAS
per confirmed the impression. Still
no one knew positively anything
about him, not even good natured
Mat Herrick, who, in his daily in
tercourse with his customer, had
tried to draw out some of the facts
of his history.
The November night was so bleak
that, III spite of the attractiveness
of Herrick's back room, with its
blazing logs and bar OrnamenteG
with colored glasses of all sizes anC
shapes, Ryder was the only one
among the miners who had dropped
in. After waiting upon his Gus
toner with smaller allowance OF
brandy than usual (Herrick by nc
means relished his business i'm liq
uors, but had been drawn into keep
ing them by the eXigencies of the
situation,) Herrick sauntered across
the room with his hands in his pock.
cts, and drew up his chair beside
Ryder.
81 reckon yell be the only crittel
to come down the mountain to-
night" he said, good naturedly
"an' reckon ye'd better bunk in
with we uns."
There was a small room at the
rear Of Herrick's store containing 9
cot bed and pair of blankets
which he was in the habit of offer
ing to chance guests.
"JCst wait bit," returned Ryder
stolidly. "P'raps somebody'll turn
up worse off than be.'
The wind by this time had risen
to a gale, and the rain was now com.
ing down in torrents. On Pine
Mountain November storm is apt
to be a serious matter.
} Herrick rose and went to the win
dow, f1attening his nose against the
pane. When he came back to the
fire, his round. ruddy visage had 9
serious look.
"it was jest sech a night eZ this
when ParSOn Fuller was robbed an
most murdered twenty year back u
As his auditor made no response
Herrick went on soliloquizing and
looking in the fire. "Parson Fuller
was an out-an'-Outer bout every
thing. He worked for the Lord, an
ne fit the devil with his hull strength
Folks Flowed he was too severe or
human Datur', an eApeCleu tOo ibuCI
of Door critters, but | tell ye wher
the time come thet he was injured
an mos killed by the man he heC
done the most for, we jest forgaVe
him everything"
uThe more fool he J" Ryder an
swered, harshly.
Herrck looked surprised, then ht
looked into the fire again. 81 was
youngsler when it happened-waS
back i'm Illinois before the war
Twas i'm the town of MarshVill'
: where / was livin', an the hull to"t
r was up in arms bout it. farsot
: Fuller he'd eddicated a poor boy an
+: brung him up, an was goin' TO give
him start in life, though eVeryDou!
knew he was bad lot, when th'
chap broke into the parsons mouse
one night, an stole the salary the
= the parson he'd drawed thet yer!
t mornin', an made way with the par
y, sons private papers, an left the OF
man for dead In the middle OF INT
floor"
Well, what then?" asked Ryder
roughly, when Herrick paused.
8 A loud knock on the front door a
= this moment arrested the attention
of the two men. 1t was late, an
the fierceness of the storm had cause
' M,;oL to holt the door. He rOS