Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1902-09-03

"It has stood still. cooking not bit
older, while l have been aging. Well,
things promise well, for il might have
been laid waste by forest fire, or
cut down and town built on the
site. Matters are not 50 bad as
might be. You will come out ahead ]
think, job, from the appearance of
things
He began to walk more slowly now,
and occasionally paused TO consider,
rubbing his nose thoughtfully the
while, as he examined the trees and
bushes with the keen interest of
naturalist. 1t was in one of these
stops that, looking up, he saw some
thing that drew "A startled exclama-
ton from his lips. 1t was a bit of
red flannel fluttering from the limb
of maple.
The sight of such an unimportant
object seemed to worry him greatly,
then he drew near the bushes that
lined the edge OF the road like
green wall, and, pujhing them aside,
plunged into the underground.
Il would just as leave not have
such people noSing about" he NUT
tered. But they know me better
than to interfere with nv work"
He forced his way through the thick
est of the underbrush and entered n
little glade in the midst Of which
rose the stump OF what must have
been a great tree.
The man smiled at the sight. and
waving his hand toward it. said:
Bless ye, old fellow, for standing
sentinel so long. Your usefulness
did not cease when you were struck
! by lightning"
He passed the tree and went on his
way down one of the aisles of the
forest which at one time must have
been wagon ROAD, but was now
overrun with grasses. Now and then
! he paused to reconuoiter and to look
around
From time to time he smiled and
nodded his head. as if satisfied that
he was pursuing the right path.
Suddenly, in the midst of his walk.
without warning, a sharp shot rang
out and his hat fell to the ground.
He stopped calmly, picked it up and
| examined it carefully. Not a bad
|
| had evidently been produced by
| buckShot. "A little nearer and |
should have had considerable of
headache" and, replacing the hat on
his head, without even stopping to
! look for his assailant, he continued
ON his way, turning neither to right
nor left
That must have been the work of
| Il greenhorn," he said to himself
lie must be demonstrated with be-
fore 60 any further. I might stand
a chance of being ported against
when his aim was truer"
Nothing further happened; the in
visible marksman did not attempt to
repeat his experiment. The little
man had now come to an opening in
the woods. Beyond, to his right. his
sharp eyes detected a slender thread
OF smoke drifting lazily up through
the warm air, and it was in this di-
rection that he now bent his steps.
Entering a little glade he saw be-
! yond him what seemed to be the
| foundations of a house rooted over
with old tarpaulins and bark 1t
was out of hole in this roof that
the smoke was drifting, and which
had attracted his attention.
There seemed to be no opening
TO this building. but near the front
wall, set in the ground, was square
| slab OF wood like the covering to
well
without moments hesitation he
lifted this, disclosing burrowlikc
hole that evidently communicated
with the interior Of the place. Care
| fully he climbed down into the hole.
and, passing through a dark passage,
! found himself in a cellarlike room
feebly lit and filled with the sitting
smoke OF the green boughs with
which the fire had been fed
"Ahoy, there! Anybody at home 2"
for in that light, there was no hu-
man being visible
Then, what he had taken to be
| bundle Of fagots lying by the fire.
seemed 10 become suddenly endowed
with life and finally resolved itself
into the form Of a little woman.
bent with age, who came hobbling
| forward with surprising agility.
ON know me, mother" bending
| his head down near 10 hers for
moment while She examined his fea-
| lures kccuIy and then passed with
cred hand over his face.
yes, Will / know you. What do
. you hcrc?"
"It matters not" roughly. "And.
I Iet me tell you. ] am not 10 be potted
like bird by your people. just
now. as ] was coming through the
woods. some one fired ON me"
"It viii not happen again" She
aId 'imidIy 1T is the youugstcr.
hc Is new and has much 20 learn"
"ItwiI be wei f you tell him there
/ are lessons ] can teach him that arc
not learned in schools" said hc
har bly,. 'lcs that, once learned.