The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-07-06
A MOUNTAIN DAISY

1t was in corner of the conservatory
behind the palms during one of the
most fashionable functions of the sea
son. This seems a favorite situation
with fate while weaving the web of
human destiny. Fred Trevor, tall, dark,
self contained, with power apparent in
every look, movement and feature, stood
with hands crossed behind him before
the magnificent woman he had just
seated
you know, Miss Alden" as he
leaned toward her, 'that my knowledge
of the social tenets is not profound
you have only to follow your in
stincts. Mr.. Trevor"
And you are the gentle mentor who
warned me against the sin of f1attery?'
If have paid an undeserved COM
pliment, it is to society in assuming
that it has attained to your standard. :"
You're incorrigible, but I'll accept
the verdict and carry out the thought l
had in bringing you here"
She made no answer, save to withdraw
her eyes from his and gather in the
folds Of her dress to make room for
him to sit down.
II want to tell you something of my
| life and then ask your advice / am not
assuming that the story has any special
interest for you, but have a selfish de-
sire for your opinion after have told
it."
But don't you know, as a general
truth that, with the average woman,
the man who is rich, famous and hon
ored glorifies his antecedents, no matter
what they may be?"
If you were the average woman, |
would never have sought this opportu-
nifty. When | first faced the world
alone, l was little, i'll fed, sallow,
ragged and half dressed boy in the Cum
berland mountains. did not know that
there was such thing as a railroad, a
steamboat, book, hereafter, music,
culture or anything different from the
detestable surroundings from which /
longed to escape. My father had been
killed in defending an illicit still, and
mother just seemed to go with the
mountain flowers which l had gathered
for her till they ceased to bloom that
fall During the winter l was kept
alive despite kicks and bruises by
family that had me as their sole reli-
ance in 'toting' water and gathering
wood.
In the spring l went away; made
up little bundle and stole off in the
night. Till the evening of the next day
l hurried over the red clay roads and
paths, terror Of being caught and taken
back crowding out every other thought
and feeling But hunger and exhaustion
are not to be denied, and at last l went
stealthily to little cabin where a girl
of my own age was 'keepin' house in a
hollow stump, just outside. She put
her TROUBLED head over the wall Of her
primitive abode to conduct an exam
ination. Who is you uns, boy?' 'Whar's
you par?' 'Whar's you mar?' 'Whar
mout you be a-goin? were questions
that | answered as well as l could.
Then she said wisely, 1 lows tibet you
is ruined away.
This would have put me to fight,
but she sprang out, told me to take her
place, and while I sat in the cramped
quarters she brought me all that could
eat and paper of food to carry with
me- After assuring me that she would
have her par shoot any one who might
be trying to recapture me, she pointed
the nearest way to a town, walked a
way with me and said as we parted, I
reckon you uns i'll hev ter kim back
some time an marry me fur all them
whites an fur tellin folks we uns haven't
sawen you when they comes archin
promised her, of course y
But you never told us that you were
engaged. laughed his brilliant listener.
Where can we find your mountain
daisy2"
II wish l could tell you. The moi
dent was one of the events of my life.
For the first time knew the sweetness
Of sympathy. have grown to almost
detest the people from whom l sprang
because of their ignorance and lack of
ambition, but the little girl of the hoI-
low stump has always had warm
place in my memory. You know most
of my experience in the far west
Before l had been there six months
found the old man known as Hermit
Ben lying unconscious and apparently
dying in one of the mountain gorges. I
brought the aid that carried him to his
shanty, procured doctor and was his
nurse till he recovered He felt toward
me as did toward the ignorant little
girl back in Tennessee. had been good
to him without any selfish motive, and
he no sooner was well than he an
nounced that was his boy jim This
was my protection, for, despite the fact
that he was recluse, Ben was known
as bad man when interfered with and
commanded a respect that was height
ened by the mystery with which he sur
rounded himself Something had made
him at enmity with the world. For
years he told me nothing, though from
the first he showed me all the affection
of a mother and care OF father
1T was soon a matter of common re-
port that Ben's new boy was to be
gentleman. The hermit himself took
charge Of my primary education. He
was delighted with my lack of knowl-
edge and my endless list of simple ques-
tions, for it showed him that he was
working on virgin soil. He nodded me
in accordance with his own conception
of manhood, forever impressing upon
me that ingratitude was the cardinal
sim When 1 could comprehend, he told
me that would be rich, that / must
spend money generously and that some
time he would let me into the secret
which would place at my command all
the unreasonable power of gold.
when it came time for me to go east
to college, l suggested that should go
back TO the old place in the mountains
and see if l could do anything for the
girl who had been kind to me. No act
of mine ever pleased him more, and
when l left him it was with unlimited
credit authorized by one of the greatest
banking institutions of the west. / did
not find the girl, but learned that she
had first been employed and then adopt
cd by widow whose husband had fallen
in the war. left money with lawyer,
telling him to find the girl and have her
educated. A year later this money was
returned to me with notice that he could
do nothing for me. wrote for further
information, but could get no reply.
Before my benefaetor died he told
me of the rich gold find he had worked
without sharing his secret with any