The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-10-09

WV
The old man turned ShaTplH.
a heap o. myself, she said with a lit
tie sob as she placed her white, shapely
feet upon a rock and waited for them to
dry. Soon the splash of Thaddeus
Green's oars caused her to go down the
sandy path and meet him.
Laney was usually gay and chatty
with the young man, but he soon OBJ
served that something was wrong with
her, and he questioned her as to the
cause. The small boat plowed its way
up the stream. The stars came out, and
the milky way, stretching from one
bristling mountain top to another, shed
a pale light down Oh the black waters.
By the time they reached the store,
near where they would have to land,
the young logmaD had discovered the
principal reason for Laney's distress.
He resolved to prove himself worthy of
the trust he had asked her, and when
they walked up the mountain gorge
which led TO Mooley's cabin in Shady
Laney wore a pair of stiff leather shoes,
and, better still, a soft, warm crocheted
shawl, which Thaddeus had generously
purchased at the store. She was never
SO happy in her life. She forgot that her
father had ordered her from his house.
She forgot that there was anything in
the world to be sorry for, and she ratified
over the stony path triumphantly in
her shoes. When they reached a level
on top of the mountain, they passed
through a small wood of belted trees.
The mist from the roaring falls below
drifted up, and the full red moon, turn
ing around the cliff, cut long funnel
shaped roads through the mists and the
naked woods with her beams.
Thaddeus guided the girl, and they
came suddenly into a clearing, where
the trees had all been cut from the
blackened stumps and rolled down the
mountain, and they were in Shady.
The name was as inappropriate as
possible. 1t was a barren hilltop. The
river wound about its base like a silvery
snake. Mooley' g cabin was before them,
and they soon reached the open door.
What a whirl and cloud were inside
the four walls of the cabin! Girls calico
dresses afiutter, boys cowskin boots
astomp! Essence of cinnamon mingled
with the perfume of sweetest wild flow
ers afioat III the air!
Come right IMP called Isaac Mooley
as he spied Thaddeus. Come ON an
lead out"
Taking Laney's hand, the young fell
low sailed down the puncheon floor be-
tween the rows of girls and boys, and
xr,tl ,,ox,, n Ino,f- I;olr 20 h;1 Looko
proceeded to turn partners, while the
crowd sang IN lusty tones:
Their boys dig an scratch,
Their gals knit an patch;
Wen oil live tergether
In Their Sweetentater patch,
An We'll chase ther bufferlow-
Yes, Well chase Their butferlow-
Oh, Wen chase-ther-buf -fer-lowl
Gilliad Moon sat Oh the river bank
and smoked his cob pipe with as much
satisfaction as if he expected to have
Laney to quarrel with i'll the morning.
The muddy waters of the Kanawha
b washed along the rocks, and the moon
J lighted up the opposite shore. Neither
moonshine nor sunshine ever touched his
J cabin. For that reason he had tackled the
? skin of the wildcat on the smooth trunk
of the sycamore tree, where the sun
could shine upon it through a rift in
the mountains.
Gilliad was as comfortable as he had
ever been while engaged in honest pur-
suits. His plug cared bulldog lay by
the side of him and the pup was prowl-
ing about the greasy skillet in the cab
in, while the door stood open and the
8 fire died away in the ashes.
He had built a fire under the wash
kettle, and the acrid odor which issued
from the bubbling contents stamped
t them at once to the knowing mountain
eer as wildcat. Old Gilliad would un.
doubtedly have told a prying stranger
that he was boiling it for his dog. II
t smelled good. He held his nose away
/. from his cob pipe to get a full Whit Of
the savory steam.
a The fire blazed itfully. The kettle
D sizzled and boiled low.
D Gilliad took up a burning torch anG
. peered, by its light, into the stew. H
. prodded the meat with his jackknife
4 but, finding it still tough, he dipped
more water from the river and poured
: over it. Filling his pipe, he sat dow
9 for another long smoke.
Toward morning he discovered tn
,, meat to be quite tender.
q Getting his cracked plate, he filled j
= with white slices from the cats plum
- hams, and, garnished with spearmin
y and cold griddle cakes, Gilliad made
. hearty breakfast as the sun peeped owe
. the tangled brush Oh Big Sewel noun
y tain.
The dogs also had a good meal fror
: the stringy fragments which Gillia
} threw down in the sand for them.
! Still another service was the dead ca
destined to perform. When the sou
n was cold, Gilliad brought forth a gour
e and carefully skinned the lard froI
h the top of it.
"It air Their vary best lie I uvver he
# seed fur rheumatic" he told his dog
e "Wildket lie air tibet. l think | kin Sc
J. this fur cash at ther falls, fur it a