Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-01-01
The Story Tellrr.
THE RANDOM SHOT.
An Adventure With the Moonshiners

Our firm, of which was the newly
admitted junior member, was in the
diamond importing line, and we had
Just received several letters offering for
sale a number of small gems in the
rough, said to have been found in
western North Carolina.
Within a week it was settled that |
should look into the matter in person,
inasmuch as 1 was the only one in the
house with practical experience in To-
eating the precious bits of carbon.
Three days travel found me in the
widest region of upper Carolina, pre-
pared to examine the field as to what
it might promise.
My headquarters" were established
at a farmhouse in a lovely valley
about which in every direction, as il
thrown from the hand of some mighty
giant, were towering, cloud-capped
mountains, like grand old watchdogs
over the smiling valley below.
The occupants Of the farmhouse
were two in number-Old Man Wilder,
as he was called, and his daughter
Eva.
The old man was true type of the
mountaineer-tall, straight, angular,
and as rugged as the rock-ribbed
mountains among which he grew up.
Eva, his only daughter, newly re-
turned college graduate, was his idol
and justly so, for no fairer flower than
she e'er bloomed Sin city home OF
mountain dell"
When 1 applied for lodging for q
week, the keen gray eyes of the old
man scrutinized me as he questioned
as to my home and business, and il
was only after having satisfied him III
these points that he consented, say
ing:
"Well, stranger, We hain't much
but l s'pose we can divide with ye
It's purity lonesome hereabouts, an
s'pose Eva'll be glad to see u new face
and hear sumthin' from the outside"
In my daily excursions on the noun
tain-sides I occasionally met them
sometimes on foot, sometimes with
their rudely constructed cart, with
the inevitable OK attached, and al
ways with jug, if on foot, or with
keg or barrel in the tumble-down cart
/ was not long in arriving at the
conclusion that there was distillers
in the neighborhood. Coupling this
with the frequent irregular arrivals
and departure Of my host, l concluded
that he was proprietor Of the enter
prise.
NV stay of a week was drawing t.
close, and l was dreading my depart
ure, for Eva's innocent eyes haC
grown brighter to me than the richest
gems in the great iron safe in Maiden
Lane, and her purity and truth occu
pied my thoughts far more than the
probable hidden diamonds in the near
by mountain gulches.
l had used such arts as l was mas
ter of in winning place in the heart
of my mountain flower, but Berthe
brothers coming, absorbed larger the
absent share of her thoughts. "Wher
BERTHE comes" was the constant re-
frain and the mention Of the name
brought a brighter smile and spar
kle to the brown eyes would have
given the world to have been fol
me. 1 grew jealous of Berthe, and
coveted his place in her affections
1 could conceive no greater happiness
than to be beloved of such woman
1t was the afternoon of nay depart
ure, and we were walking down the
narrow road leading to the highway
which wound around the narrow val
ley. The view was one gorgeous be-
yond description.
81 must leave tomorrow" said, as
our rapt gaze wandered from the glo
rious scene to the mist-veiled valley
below.
~ trust your brief stay with us has
been pleasant-and profitable" she
answered, with the innocent brown
eyes gazing up wistfully into mine.
"Not pleasant only-the happiest o.
my life-days never to be forgotten"
"And have I share in making
them so ?"
1t was growing darker. The shad
ows had climbed to the tops of the
nearer mountains, and the weird
shapes in the valley were gone.
"In leaving, l feel as yon tall peak
as the sun kisses its brow in parting
that henceforth all is darkness and
gloom"
She was silent for moment. Then
looking up, she was about to reply
when a blaze Of light on a nearby
mountain side caught her attention.
Watching it for some seconds with a
fixed attention, she said, rapidly and
with excitement:
"Come, let us 90 back )" and al
most before l knew it she was some
steps in advance, walking rapidly to-
ward the house.