The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-21
BY FIRELIGHT.
BY c. II. Revere.

where the impudeut little Ozarks sudden
~ seem to apologize for their prominence
and humbly drop out of sight. or blend
gradually with the rolling prairies which
fringe the interminable swamps of the
Red river bottoms. Here nature rules
supreme. The sail which produces so
luxuriantly, untitled and INTENDED save
by the primal husbandman, seems sulky
when man tries his hand, and dwindles
in its yield In a year or so to a fourth
of bale of cotton or five bushels OF corn
to the acre Then the land reverts to its
original holder and is quickly seeded in
persimmon, sweet gum and stunted pine.
Even humanity bows 20 this omnipotent
force. Take the inhabitants. put them 10
clearing new ground" or thinning cot
ton. and they droop and faint. Let them
hunt 'possum, or invite them to a log
rolling, and the step is elastic, the voice
has a trumpet ring, and the eye CLEANS
with a brightness that would shame
diamond. Tourists passing swiftly
through that small section of the country
which the Iron Mountain Railway bisects
dub them natives as contemporary
as IL they were speaking of the indigenous
fauna or fora of the locality. The stray
negro who has the hardwood to penetrate
the wilderness thus far calls them under
his breath "Po' white trash.
Living away from the great centers OF
trade, away from the busy life TO the
north. east. south and west, these people
are not, nevertheless, simple Arcadians,
trusting, guileless and hospitable. The
wayfarer receives scant welcome among
them His coming is viewed with suspi-
cion and his departure often fastened by
a curt request.
For the explanation Of this conduct ask
of the incense arising from some seclud-
ed nook; of the barrels consigned as mo-
lasses," though no cane is raised; of the
streams redolent with the odor of spiritus
frumenti / say, ask them, for | Will not
answer Many a revenue officer with
more curiosity than discretion has failed
TO report to Uncle Sam the cause there
of Sometimes it was because he did not
stay long enough; sometimes because he
stayed too long; but mainly 1t was be-
cause he could not dodge the bullets from
the unerring muzzleloader of the moon
sinner Yea 1--WE cry " not from the house
tops) here thrives the worm which is
probably a degenerate descendant of that
Biblical reptile which "biteth like a SER
pent and stingeth like an adder" The
obstinate soil, which, aided by bucolic
arts alone would scarcely feed mule Is
able. with the assistance of a wildcat
stilT' no larger than a lunch counter cof-
fee boiler, to supply half the neighborhood,
give employment TO four or five revenue
officers a I'd keep the community in state
of terror Poor crops, low prices and no
market furnish the excuse for Illicit dis
tining. and woe be unto him who fails
to see in this excuse God-given reason
for the remission of the tai.
one drizznng. soggy afternoon in No
vember a stranger arrived at Persimmon
Gap and engaged board at old man yell
delPs. No one knew whence he came,
except that the fast mall had dropped him
al the Merton water tank, twelve miles
TO the south. He was evidently from the
North: first. because his accent betrayed
him; second because he ate sparingly IF
the pork, heavy biscuits and cornbread,
and drank three glasses of milk with each
meal His white hands, his hair, which
refused to stay parted on one side and p
certain ineradicab.e polish told in spite of
jeans trousers and hickory shirt that he
was a well-bred city man. Besides, ne
paid his board for a month In advance.
What Northern city he hailed from no
one was able TO decide. Many a guess
was hazarded, but the stranger smoked
aromatic tobacco in his short briar pipe
and preserved a sphinx-like silence. Bill
Horniday. who had brought him over
from Merton, was Intercepted, but the
inquiry was about as satisfactory as If
one of Bins mules had been put on the
stand.
wal, dunno nothin' 'baout it," quoth
Bill, as he tore off large chew of home
spun" Il taken a bale o cotton down
10 the deppo when the passenger come in.
He steps an axes me wha l wuz agoin'.
i tot him an he ak me az the town
growed much lately. I toll him 'twant
no town, ony bad place in the road an
he say ne guess he come, an he came"
"Wha did he come from@'
"IIe never say. Feared like he didn an
no questions an didn' answer none
neither" And Bill shifted his quid un-
easily.
The community receiving little informa.
ton from this source, few of the faith
full deputized Mort Reed 20 take the
strangers confession and, in the absenc,
of complete satisfaction, to hint more ol
less pointedly that persimmon Gap was too
small a field for his abilities. Morris posi-
ton as the supposed leader of the wild
cats made 1t emlnent.y hitting and prope
that he should be the inquisitor-g general.
The Stranger was sitting on the chop
ping block of Yeldelrs woodplle smoking
his pipe and tossing chips at a coupl
of pups that were wrestling with one an
other. His fierce pale face had an expires
sion OF dreamy meditation His clea
gray eyes had an interpretive look. and
while they were focused on the festiv
CANNES, they seemed 10 be occupied wit
something entirely different
The newly filed pipe sent forth IL
clouds In Intermittent gusts. AT time
the smoke cuTled lazily upward. expand
ingN in little bluish-white parachutes
twisting itself into fantastic shapes, an
finally melting away as its fre-bor
brother issued from the bowl. Then tn
Strangers brow would contract, his firr
jaw would tighten its grip on the ambe
mouthpiece, and angry little puffs woul
arise In quick succession and form ring
which reyolved so fiercely that they 500
shook themselves 70 pieces. The Strange
was evidently in bad humor.
Old Mort tied his horse and went aroun
to the woodpile. BY way of salutation
grasped his notified beard, ducked nj
head, dyed cottonwood chip brown wit
tobacco juice, said "Howdy," and So
down on the saw buck.
The Stranger nodded.
"Fiue mo-nin', mister I KANT call VI
name. Dunno ez / ever heem it." Ar
Mort eyed him expectantly.
Eyes, II IS a fine day" returned II
c-A~,,eear f,agIaCfiso tn. {,,,rIfol .,st...z. i