Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-09-30
about in ,ts native wood it seems large

6S u uiuner SduceT, anu tney WnOOp
like an Indian who has found a pie.
Comparatively few collectors have SO
found it, for rarity. as well as beauty
and size, is one of the factors giving it
salue to collectors. Mr.. Clapp. di-
rector in Carnegie's museum. had come
to the Smokes all the way from Pitts
burg to join us from Joliet in its pur-
suit.
] But there We're none caught before
; breakfast while In camp with these
early risers We wound along the
banks of the river, through cuts in the
sides OF the mountain and passed
through beautiful Tuckaleechee cove,
where farms stood upon edge. the
barns were all roof and martin guards
swung in the wind. Here the house
wives left their wash tubs and kettles
by the stream, and the moonshiner
upon his speedy horse passed by with
two grain sacks full of kegs. He was
looking for customer, though he told
us he wanted to buy.
1t was like a dream to US from the
prairies-the trumpet vines and pas
sion flowers, the entangling ferns, the
mountains sticking through the clouds,
and the roadbed in the streams where
blooming rhododendrons, the hemlock
and the tulip tree locked their arms
overhead.
Passing a day or so in Cade's cove,
where the wagon road ends, to unpack
and arrange headquarters. we gathered
in 20 chilhOweensis and as many more
of the still rarer chrystii. together
with many other good finds. The coves
are among the best collecting grounds.
The mules We're then packed for
Thunderhead
Thunderhead is storm swept point,
and the clouds seldom leave it bare.
The beeches and buckeyes, gnarled.
dwarfed, moss grown and SCARED al
most beyond recognition, are but the
height Of apple trees. although their
trunks in size are those of forest trees.
1t is fine pasture ground. however,
for a closely matted sod Of blue grass
covers the Balds. Here it is that
Charles Egbert Craddock's Ben Doakes
herded his fiocks and Mink Lowrey
met bis death in the mist Here
Spence's cabin still stands. just stands
Il did not say anything about still,
and herders herd their cattle. horses,
hogs and sheep. and the air is full of
jingling bells. "In the Clouds" tells the
story, and tells it well. Her descrip-
tons of the scenery are accurate and
very grand to those who have seen the
Balds.
1t Is altogether another world UP
here. We see the lights of Knoxville,
40 miles away, almost at our feet. The
Cumberlands peer above the clouds 125
miles distant. The mists hang over the
rivers below, winding in and about a
world of hills, mere threads of silvery
white. We We're in that world we had
looked so wOnderingly up to from be-
low. The Indians. too, camped along
this backbone Of earth, and their f1ints
and. pottery are scattered about the
springs and upon the same camping
places where now the pale face sports
men pitch their tents. 1t is from 5000
to 5000 feet above the sea here, too
high for flies and mosquitoes and high
enough to be cool in August, very cool
at night.
From Thunderhead one Of the mules
was turned homeward, and my lady"
walked like man the next day II
miles to Mirey Ridge. then dared the
laurel patches and caught speckled
trout in the brooks Of North Carolina.
The trout were small, but the snails
immense.
We camped in the very home of chill
In clearing ground for the
tent we found them and picked up
dozen POlygera andrewsia. Two va
rieties of the latter were white, one
banded and another cherry red. We
also found POlygera clarkii and Steno-
trema depilata and also Omphalinas
montivago and subplana,
those beautiful CLASSY snails, glis-
tening like jewels and all rare,