The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-06-25
NOT WHAT SHE SEEMED.
A Stranger's Experience with
Mountain" Girl in Noxth Carolins

flQlnS steep mOunIaln ROAD IN w est
ern North Carolia, says a civil en-
gineer. 1t was the most beautiful sea-
son Of the year. The foliage Of the trees
had taken on its gayest autumnal
tints, and over valley and gorge was
cast the beautiful melancholy haze
that summer draws upon her in those
regions when nearing her end. The.
road was narrow and rocky and was
bordered on one side by an almost
primeval forest, on the other by pre-
cipitous cliffs.
AS I rounded a jutting mass of rocks
and trees, which forced a sudden bend
in the road, saw long brown barrel
of gun pointing at me from the
bushes, and heard the sharp click of
the trigger.
l halted in alarm and lodged down
upon my horse.
"Stop, strangerv' said a woman's
voice, in a drawing, sing-song tone.
In another moment the woman
crawled over a log and came into the
road.
She was slender and young and wore
a loose calico Dress She was barefoot
ed and chewed continually a long,
sweetgum toothbrush. The gun she
carried was the longest rife ever
saw.
"You 'uns amt seen Bill Davis, /
reckon?" she asked, looking at me sus-
piciously.
81 have seen no one since have been
on the mountain" said.
Il come mighty near shootin' We for
Bill Davis. guess Bill must have
took the Bear Greek road. Bill was to
my house last night, and says, sezee:
Polly chats mel, could you love
man what's got 300 acres of land, the
seven finest coon dogs on the mount
ing, and 40 acres of the best Gavin in
the United States a-growin'?
''Sez l, I guess SO, Bill and wu2
kinder fixin' to lay my head on the
bosom ov Bills hick'ry shirt, when Bill
he says, sezee:
All right, Polly; if 1 meets up with
any sech a man I'll let We know and
then he takes chaw of terbaccer
quick and lights out fer tall timber.
Bill has got to explain them words of
his'n or them seven possum dogs is
goin' to be orphints. Stranger, mount
you be preacher?"
Il am not"
81 kinder hoped We wuz. If Bill e1
ferrin' to before I had time to shoot
We mout come in handy fur to tie us
up, an, if he wuz little slow, an my
gun went off fust, ye see, Bill might
need We hisself"
'How far is it to the next town.
Eight mile. Ye can't get there to
night. Ye'll have to come down to
dads house and take potluck. ain't
goin' to wait no longer fer Bill
There's dads"
She waved her hand toward a roof
that showed among the trees lower
down ON the mountain and set off at
free, swinging gait that taxed the
walking powers Of my horse to keep up
with.
found the young woman's family
to be surprisingly above the average
Her parents seemed very hospitable
and intelligent, and her younger broth
er and sister were refined and of
agreeable appearance.
After l had been presented to them
by the young woman as "a strange
young feller'' she had found follerin'
his nose up the mountain" she turned
to me and said:
stranger, what mout your business
be?''
told her was civil engineer, en-
gagged upon new railroad that was to
cross the mountain.
Eyer aiR't writin' fer no paperT"
"No.''
yer amt no drummer?"
"No."
'.Nor no reyenueW
Nothing Of the kind
The young woman hung her rifle on
some hooks in the wall and left the
room.
Half an hour later / was ushered in
to supper.
The room was tastefully furnished.
The supper was simple but elegant,
and served in the finest china upon the
whitest of cloths. Presently the young
woman came in and | have not re-
covered yet from the surprise 1 re-
ceived. She was a divine pastoral
poem, in white muslin, with fresh-cut
roses in her hair, and would have
graced the dinner table of a metropol-
itan function. ...-....
She took her seat behind a massive
silver tea urn, looked at me, smiled
and said:
"Will you uns have long or short
sweetenin' in yer tea, stranger?'
Seeing was unable to speak word,
she laughed hearty peal Of silvery,
ripping laughter.
Her father undertook to explain.
"My daughter" he said, sis gradu-
ate of Peace Institute, at Raleigh. She
has talent for acting, and the big
summer hotel on the mountain pays
her 500 month to do the original
native act when tourists come up the
road. 1t advertises the hotel, espe-
cially when Northern chaps write up
accounts Of meeting her for the papers.
She is writing book herself about the
queer talk and ways of the different
visitors we have during the summer"
Decline Of tn Fe ling Bel I.
The folding bed, once an immensely
popular institution, is losing its grip.
Not one is called for now where two or